Ged Corcoran on a mission to build RL in birthplace Ireland – after being told he was NOT Irish
GED Corcoran is a man on a double mission – to gain a foothold for rugby league in Ireland and get the last laugh on those who doubted his nationality.
The Wolfhounds’ boss may not sound it but he was born and bred in the country, hailing from Tullamore, County Offaly.
After settling in the north west of England, he developed a love for the 13-a-side code as his accent disappeared.
Now, though, he leads his nation into World Cup battle and is deadly serious about silencing those who joke about his players’ credentials.
Corcoran said: “We get that scrutiny and the Mickey Mouse jokes.
“’They’re not Irish. They’ve had a Guinness.’ All that gets under my skin as I’ve had the other side of it.
“People saying, ‘He’s not Irish,’ because I don’t sound Irish but in my mind I got off the boat last night – and believe it or not, I was always classed as a heritage player, even though I was born there!
“So where was the method and who had the madness in that? It was immensely frustrating. I ground I put, now I’m getting the chance to speak the truth.
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“I’m immensely proud. I have to pinch myself at times to remind myself of what a privileged position I’m in.
“My dad, Gary, is a big Galway man and my mum, Elizabeth, is from Offaly and the majority of the family is back home.”
Corcoran’s men start their World Cup quest with a game that will be as much of a party off the pitch – facing Jamaica in Leeds, city with huge communities from both countries.
Richie Myler and James Bentley will be playing on their club ground, while NRL star Luke Keary will be representing his grandfather, who comes from Loughrea, County Galway.
Balbriggan’s Ronan Michael is the only homegrown player in the squad but Corcoran hopes their performances inspire more to take up the sport.
For them to reach the highest level, though, will mean moving over to England.
And after finding out about the West Yorkshire’s Irish roots, he knows he has a huge group of people to please.
He added: “I went to Leeds’ St Patrick’s Day Parade and was well educated on the community there. There are a lot of Mayo people, which was pleasing to hear.
“Jamaica will have that excitement but we’ve just got to focus on what we’re about.
“We’ve got to build on this and give as much exposure to the game back home as we can. Everyone involved, player or staff, wants to help grow it.
“Our long-term goal and the end game is to have homegrown Irish players in the squad. There’s no professional game in Ireland, though, so they’ve got to come across the water.
“We’ve got to give them something visually to see and believe in – put the flag in the ground.”
Wanting to get rugby league bigger in a country whose rugby union side is currently world number one may sound a thankless task.
But Corcoran believes the feats of a team led by Andy Farrell – himself a rugby league convert – can drive them on.
He told SunSport: “It just makes us want to be more successful.
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“It’s a motivation, not just to me but the players and staff. We want to mirror that and also be better than that.
“It’s one of our biggest obstacles at home but it’s also one of the things that inspires us.”