He grew up steeped in football at Ballina Stephenites with a hero All-Ireland winner for a dad, but Dave Heffernan's sporting life went in another direction and he has enjoyed a long career with Connacht and Ireland
Dave Heffernan always dreamt of playing for Mayo's footballers in MacHale Park - doing so for Connacht Rugby will be the next best thing.
Among that number is a hero of his, David Brady, who lived nearby when Heffernan was growing up. His own father, Ivan - the goalkeeper in the 1974 under-21 title winning team alongside the late great John O'Mahony. "There was never any pressure from him in terms of which way, he just kind of said whoever forces you to make the decision, go the opposite way," he recalled.
What's come of it is a pro career of 11 years and counting for the front row forward, a club career with his home province that has amounted to 214 appearances as well as seven senior Ireland caps. "Look, obviously there's constant dialogue there," said Heffernan. "They've been pretty happy with how I've been playing but they just want to look to the future and try something new as well, that seems to be the path they're heading down.
All Ireland Club Football Championship Connacht Rugby URC Ireland Rugby Union Team Andy Farrell Ronan Kelleher Rob Herring IRFU IRFU
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