Alicks backbone of every club team

THE promising young hooker shouldered his way through the post-match throng and placed the pints down on the table.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

“What took you so long?”

“Ah, I got stuck with some old bloke.”

“Which old bloke?”

“That fellah there,” he said, pointing. “Nice guy, but he was going on about playing for the club in the old days. I mean, who really cares?”

“Did he tell you about playing full-back for Ireland before and after the Second World War?”

“Eh no, but then I wasn’t hanging around.”

That conversation took place in the Lansdowne pavilion eight years ago and the ‘old bloke’ in question was Con Murphy, a fearless full-back from the 1930s and 40s.

A delightful gentleman, who insisted on calling everyone ‘child’, he was still looking after water and gear for the Lansdowne senior team even though he was well into his eighties.

Ever since Will Carling’s infamous statement about the ‘57 old farts’ it has become trendy to dismiss rugby alickadoos or ‘blazers’ as bloated barflys always looking to tell a story or get a free trip.

While there is undoubtedly a certain degree of ‘blazerdom’ in rugby, particularly in higher echelons, the role of the common alick is an often under-appreciated one.

It is distressing to observe young players who have no interest in familiarising themselves with the history or character of the institution they have become a part of.

In years to come, these youngsters will become the alicks for future generations of players and when they reach that stage they in turn will hope for recognition and regard for what they achieved ‘in their day’.

Every club has them, the characters who travel to all the games, to mourn and console in defeat and exult in victory. They are part of the furniture which is why they are often overlooked.

Alicks are the backbone of any club team, living history and men who deserve to be heard and respected.

Val Murphy was just such a man. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday he would be in the Dolphin clubhouse to share a word and a joke with the players.

When the club went on tour to North America last summer it was natural that Val should go along, as he did to all the club fixtures.

Val was knocked down in a hit-and-run incident on the third night in Montreal, he suffered severe brain damage and died a week later.

The tour is as much a part of rugby tradition as the alick, but this tour will always be recalled as tragic episode in the club’s history.

His wife, Rene, travelled over to be with him that final week with her family and she contacted this column wishing to pay a Christmas tribute to all those who helped her and her family during that awful time.

“On behalf of myself and my family we would like to pay a special tribute to everyone who helped us following Val’s accident last June.

“To the club, Gerald and Ann Reidy and to Declan O’Connor of Lee Travel who organised the flights to Canada in less than 24 hours. Also to the gardaí who gave us an escort to the airport.

“Rugby gave Val so much pleasure and was a huge part of his life and we would like to thank everyone for the massive support we received after this terrible event.”

Our thoughts are with Rene and her family this Christmas.

WITH the Heineken Cup in full swing, Munster fans are cranking up in preparation for another tilt at the ultimate prize. Previously, they would vent their excitement in the chat-room of the Shannon RFC website. That option is no longer available for legal reasons and, as the Munster Branch website seems to censor any discussion that strays beyond a good luck message, fans would do well to check out munsterfans.com. Superbly designed, the site has plenty of useful information on upcoming opponents and locations and a forum for lively debate on everything from team selection to ticket procurement.