Meath GAA star set to star at Rugby League World Cup

Duleek man Casey Dunne will this week live the dream of every young sports man - he will represent his country at the Rugby League World Cup, starting in the early hours of Sunday morning when Ireland take on Italy in Cairns, Australia at 5am Irish time.
It has been an amazing journey for man who only took up Rugby League seven years ago.
Renowned as a fine Gaelic footballer with Duleek/Bellewstown and an exceptional Rugby Union star with Ashbourne Dunne has primarily focused on the smaller-sided oval ball game, although he did pick up a Meath Chronicle/Cusack Hotel Group Sportsperson of the Month award last February when he helped Ashbourne to the All-Ireland Junior Cup.
All the hard work he has put into furthering himself as an outstanding Rugby League player continues to reap rich rewards and last Friday Dunne was part of the 25-man Ireland squad that travelled to play in the World Cup in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Dunne was part of the Ireland team that topped their group in the European qualifiers last November and after continuing to impress since then he has held his place in the squad for the World Cup.
When he started out playing Rugby League competing in a World Cup was far from his mind, but once he turned his attentions to being the very best he can be there was no stopping Dunne.
“It is not something I expected, but I knew I had a chance the first time I got into the squad. To play with Ireland at senior level in any sport is exceptional and I'm delighted to be going to the World Cup,” Dunne told the Meath Chronicle as he finished up work as a plumber on a few houses in Dublin.
“Since I first got into the squad and put my mind down to trying to make the World Cup everything else has become second, third and fourth choice. I have been keeping fit and staying in shape to stay in the squad.
“Luckily enough I have made enough of an impression and have managed to stay in the squad, it is all a dream to be honest.”
So how did a lad from Duleek end up playing Rugby League and making it to the World Cup?
“A friend of mine called Simon Deevy got me involved in Rugby League. We played rugby in Navan and Ashbourne together and one Saturday morning he text me to see did I want to play a game of League that day,” recalled Dunne.
“I said I would, I didn't have a clue what was going on, but from that I got really into it. I like the game, it suits me, I'm fit and it's a running game, so I loved it and that is how I got involved at the start.
“I have an obsession that if I'm half decent at something I'll commit to it and try to get better. So I really got into it and it progressed from there and I played representative games for Leinster against Munster.
“From there I got picked for the Ireland domestic team by Jeff Corcoran and I went from that to the Ireland amatuer team that won the Celtic Cup. I was playing on a decent team that won something, so I got a bit more exposure off the back of that,” he said.
Three European teams were granted automatic qualification for the World Cup and by virtue of their quater-final appearance in 2013 England, France and Scotland booked their places.
Ireland had to go through the qualifying process, but they topped their group with a 46-6 win over Spain and a 70-16 hammering of Russia.
Qualifying for the World Cup made up for other disappointments in Dunne's short Rugby League career and he is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“The first year I was on the team we came agonisingly close for qualifying for the Four Nations Championship. We beat France in Tallaght Stadium and in the last game of qualifying we beat Wales with our record victory, but they got in for a late try in that game and we missed out on qualifying by a four-point scoring difference,” said Dunne
“The final of that Four Nations competition was played in Anfield between Australia and New Zealand, but we just missed out on qualification. It was heartbreaking, it took me a year to get over that.
“You are never aware of what you achieve until afterwards. I have won championships with Duleek and Duleek/Bellewstown, but you never understand the significance until afterwards when you look back. It is the memory of those achievements that make it even better.
“I don't like putting the cart before the horse, I have to keep myself fit and see where it goes from here. My first target was to get into the squad and the next thing is to get into the team, I'm not going to be happy unless I'm playing.
“I don't want to be going over there carrying water bottles, I want to be carrying ball. If you haven't got a focus in front of you to aim for then you aren't going anywhere.
“To borrow a line from Conor McGregor I don't believe in taking part I want to take over.
“It is brilliant and it is great to get to where I am, but I have to keep my feet on the floor and really understand what I'm there for. I'm not here to be just Casey Dunne from Duleek, I want to be Casey Dunne from Duleek, who got on the Irish team that played in a World Cup, that is my main aim.”
Dunne and his Ireland team mates, which includes players from such renowned clubs as Bradford Bulls, Halifax, Huddersfield Giants, Leigh Centurions, Parramatta Eels, Wakefield Trinty Wildcats, warrington Wolves and Rochdale, depart from Dublin for Dubai next Friday.
The squad will then travel onto Cairns before taking on Italy there on Sunday 29th October. A week later Ireland will then travel to Port Moresby to take on Papua New Guinea on Sunday 5th November and that is a game Dunne is particularly looking forward to.
“Rugby League is the national sport in Papua New Guinea and when they brought the World Cup there four weeks ago 50,000 people turned up at the airport to see it,” he enthused.
“It is going to be mental. They used to say north Meath men were savages and that Duleek men were savages, but these lads are a different bred altogether.”
On Sunday 12th November Ireland will then play Wales in Perth and depending on the outcome of the games Dunne could well have a prolonged stay Down Under and it is something he is relishing.
“To say that I'm going to be playing in a World Cup is one thing, but to go to Perth, Cairns and Papua New Guinea and experience all these different places is amazing. It is unbelievable and I can't wait,” concluded Dunne.