Rory Gaffney reveals pay cut sacrifice behind Shamrock Rovers comeback heroics
SHAMROCK ROVERS hero Rory Gaffney shrugs when asked about taking a pay cut this season.
He said: 'I don't know, no other choice! It's just the nature of the beast, isn't it? You've been out for a year, you haven't played. You know, you can't expect to be on the same contract.'
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Rory Gaffney of Shamrock Rovers has been in sparkling form for Stephen Bradley's side
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The veteran Shamrock Rovers star had to take a pay cut to remain with the Hoops this season
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But 12 goals this year - including two on Thursday night for The Hoops to set up a Conference League play-off date with Santa Clara - mean there might be an improved deal next year.
Boss Stephen Bradley admitted the 35-year-old striker will be negotiating from a position of strength too with the form he has shown in what is a comeback year.
An ankle injury suffered in April last year ended his 2024 season and Bradley admitted it was only natural to wonder would he ever be back.
He said: 'When you're hitting your mid-30s and you have the injuries he's had, of course there's a little bit of doubt.
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'But I also know Rory, I trust him and the conversations are very honest. 'I'm willing to come back, I'm willing to take a pay cut. If I'm injured, I'll walk away.'
'There's always that bit of doubt, there has to be at his age. But Rory is so matter-of-fact. If he tells you something, you believe him. And he's not saying it just to bulls**t you.'
Still, there are few people who would be comfortable going unpaid to prove themselves again. But Gaffney is as matter-of-fact about it all as Bradley claims.
He said: 'We were paid up until the end of December, and I was back training. I was back training…
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'When did we go back? Second week of January. So I kind of knew (he would earn a contract).
'I got a bit of the European money (for 2024) as well, so I didn't do too badly! Considering I didn't play.'
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The Tuam man was also all-in on his rehab.
Over the past number of years, Gaffney - a business graduate - had begun thinking of life after football and worked part-time for BDO. But there was no time as he built-up fitness.
And it ensured that after getting an operation at the start of November, he returned to pre-season sure he would be okay.
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He said: 'There was a tear in my Achilles. I had plenty of time to, I suppose, let it settle down, to get surgery, to go in and tidy up a few things.
'At the start of the season, it probably took me a good while to get back to match fitness which is to be expected when you've basically taken a year off.'
And his new deal was waiting to be signed as soon as he played his first game in nine months in mid-February - an Under-20 friendly against Bohemians.
Gaffney added: 'The Achilles, the only issue I had was, last year I couldn't sprint.
'I could sprint, and I'd get a massive flare-up. I could jog, I could stride, I could do loads of things, but I mean, like, properly sprinted, it used to just flare-up.
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'I knew it was okay when back in training (in January), straight away. I was obviously training, but there's a big difference between training and matches.
'And I did a couple of weeks training, and the manager said, I just need to see you play in a game.
'I played against the Bohs 20s, played a half, just ran around like a lunatic, trying to get the GPS stats up as much as possible, to show that I could run.
'I didn't touch the ball! But he said he'd seen enough.
'I suppose people have asked me in the past, oh, great to be able to play at 35, but if you look at the league 10 years ago, there's not many 35-year-olds that would be able to do it.
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'I have two kids at home. Obviously, bills to pay and all that. Back in the day, there were lads in my situation who might be on, what, 36-week contracts.
'So it was a young man's game, wasn't it? And lads probably had to go off and get jobs. They probably wanted to keep playing, but the contracts weren't there.
'But off the back, I suppose, the club's success last year with the money they earned, they were in a position to offer me something.'
EURO TRIP
He signed on February 16 and Gaffney was in league action by February 28. By early April, he was starting and scoring and has been a key man through the summer.
That continued on Thursday night with the opening two goals in a 4-0 route of Ballkani to see Rovers through to the Conference League play-off round.
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And both his goals came just after Ballkani defender Arber Potoku decided to get in his face to try and goad him after the Kosovan had got back to block one of his shots.
It backfired spectacularly as Gaffney gave it back after his opening goal.
Gaffney said: 'He's made a great tackle. And then he spent the next couple of minutes shouting in my ear and standing on my feet and everything.
'So I just obviously got the goal and I thought, where is he? Just have a quick, have a quick word on him. That was it, so it was nothing malicious really.
'I suppose he's trying to get a reaction out of me and I said, no point in losing the head here. You have to focus.'
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