It's hard to keep up with the ins and outs these days. The exit door is swinging again though and another trio have departed or are soon to depart. When it’s old school, it cuts a bit deeper.
Tom Lane
Tom emailed pre-Munich to say he was already gone. He moved to Brussels sometime around 2007 having played with Amsterdam for a few years. He was there with myself and Conan the first night we started hatching plans for a football team in the Oak in November 2007. He'd be a constant in our first year and deservedly claimed his European Championship medal down in Maastricht.
2009 wasn't so kind to him as a skiing accident curtailed his involvement and he had a lot of other commitments. They continued into this year and now he has taken the decision to pack his bags, put them up on his shoulders and head off around the world. Good luck to him. He leaves with his place in our story secured.
Philip Roche
Rochey strolled into an interview with me early in 2008. He'd been in the recruitment process the previous year and did well but timing meant he could not pursue his application. It made for an easy first interview. I fired a couple of standard questions and he says we spent the next 45 minutes talking about football. Anyway, he did enough and I sent him on for his final interview and he landed himself a job.
It was all hunky dory in the first year as he followed the party line and did as was expected. Despite the irritable D4 accent, he led by example at training and in tournaments. He was a key man for us when we won the Championship.
He drifted in year two and word filtered back about his waning interest. I wasn’t impressed. His girlfriend Ciara started to try and wrestle him from my clutches too and was largely successful. When we did get him out, he had miserable luck with injury. He first hurt his knee in Lux in May and then made a mess of it in Maastricht in November.
That injury has effectively kept him out of action all of 2010. Still, it offered an opportunity to get him involved with the training this year and that was a massive boost. He has the respect of the lads and a serious attitude when he is actually there. I needed his help and the lads needed another voice. It’s worked very well and we will miss his presence on and off the pitch next year.
He heads for London now to live with Ciara and we wish him luck. I no longer look at her with the bitterness I used to so he goes with my blessing. I’m sure they will both sleep easier knowing that.
Oliver O’Callaghan
Greeted by Mickey Keane’s infamous words down in Maastricht. Two years sitting across from Eoin Sheanon would have broke many a man much sooner. Ollie stuck it out much longer to his credit. He is also destined for London and will do a PhD in some Law stuff with the ultimate goal of getting back into the London student social scene. If you are small enough, you can claim to be young enough.
Interestingly, it was only after he announced his departure that he became as quick on the pitch as he is in the wee hours. He started kicking points, winning sprints and knocking fellas over.
A few tournament highlights...Rennes 2009. Eoin said he’d give him something like a tenner for each point scored. When his first score flew into the top corner, we all erupted on the sideline. He added a few more but never saw a cent. Then there was that equalising goal in the Intra-Club league. I think everyone knows what I’m talking about. We must of course mention his ridiculous behaviour after getting any type of score. Yes, he is one of those guys who suddenly becomes animated, punches the air, dishes out instructions and generally thinks ‘he da man’ for the following thirty seconds.
He’ll be missed all round; on the field, at work I’m sure, by the ladies and by the lads. His intelligent humour went way over my head most of the time but he was always entertaining, either through his jokes or just to look at!!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Ladies Exit With Heads High
After the playing experience in the St. Judes 7's two weekends ago, I donned the manager’s jacket for the Ladies 7's in Portmarnock last Saturday. My involvement came about through my role as Coaching Officer with the County Board and thus the inevitable contact with Monica Duran, the Ladies Football Officer. Her enthusiasm and apparent will to organise ourselves properly, as well as having a strong group of players available, meant I was a willing volunteer to help out.
We trained twice after tournaments in Maastricht and Munich. It is as much as you can do when you consider our panels drew players from all over Europe. Seven different nationalities were present; Irish, English, Spanish, Canadian, Danish, Estonian and German. They represented the clubs of Belgium, Holland, Estonia, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Munich and Copenhagen.
Our base for the weekend was the Skylon Hotel in Drumcondra which was very convenient for our 15h30 session on Friday afternoon in St. Pats. What has shone through in each session was the enthusiasm and application the girls have. They are willing students too and if you point something out to them they will take it on board.
We had an early start Saturday morning and with everyone finally arrived we split the panels into Europe and An Eoraip. I took one team and Tony Bass took another (with Mary Gavin on general management duty). 'My girls' were into the ring first against Carrigtwoill and we had a horrid first half as we tried to adapt to the nuances of 7's. The misery was compounded by an injury to Grainne, after two minutes. A player of her calibre was a big loss to ship. On we went though and after a half-time regroup we started to get some flow in the second half. We'd given them too big a start though and couldn't claw it back. The second half showed enough to suggest we could be competitive.
Victories over Moyvale and Clonmel Commercials really lifted us and meant we joined three of the other four teams on two wins entering the final game. That was to be against Cuala, who had looked the most dangerous team from what I had seen. They proved to be and started very lively. Their interplay and pace caused us all sorts of problems and we were all over the shop by half-time. I think there was two goals in it which in 7's is more like two points so there was still hope.
We turned to play up the hill and into the wind but they took to the task in admirable fashion. Relentless was the chosen buzz word for the day and it’s the only way I could describe their second half effort. They kept harassing and working. Cuala kept coming of course but the girls never backed down or hid. Right up till the end we created overlaps and chances. The gap was too big to close though and Cuala deservedly won. This of course was of great delight to Eoin Sheanon's parents who were there supporting their club and Eoin's sister. No breakfast offered this weekend though! Might have been what was missing!
I didn't see Tony's team so much but did catch their group win over Kerry's John Mitchells which was a huge result. They struggled in the other games but being the less experienced of the two squads, their task was always the more challenging. Everything I say about the team I managed applies to them too and they showed they had very capable players also.
There is absolutely no shame in losing when you can genuinely walk off the pitch and tell yourself that you did everything you could have done. I couldn't get over how the girls applied themselves on Saturday. Their work-rate was unbelievable. They totally bought into the rotating subs and burst a gut for their time on the pitch. Some were asked to do jobs they would not be accustomed to and did so without complaint. There were no excuses being thrown around (at least within earshot of me) and no negativity or strops at any stage.
We must consider the challenges they faced. The average age of each team must have been low twenties and they were very fast and fit; perfect for 7's. On the other hand, we had multiple girls over thirty and some with less than three years experience of gaelic football. Some would come from clubs where there is very little coaching and maybe only a handful at training. They faced club teams who've been together for years, training week in week out with experienced coaches. By the end, the European girls were working together like a club team themselves.
What will bridge the gap in results is coaching. So many scores could have been prevented at one end or scored at the other with little improvements and a bit more experience. The raw materials are all there in abundance, the rest will be easily learned judging by their attitudes.
I was genuinely blown away by the effort and character they showed on Saturday. If you could bottle that then you would be a very wealthy person. For me personally, it was great to work with different players and with a team where I'm not a player and not 'one of the lads'. They showed the potential of European football on Saturday and now the goal should be to drive it on and look for an improved showing next year.
We trained twice after tournaments in Maastricht and Munich. It is as much as you can do when you consider our panels drew players from all over Europe. Seven different nationalities were present; Irish, English, Spanish, Canadian, Danish, Estonian and German. They represented the clubs of Belgium, Holland, Estonia, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Munich and Copenhagen.
Our base for the weekend was the Skylon Hotel in Drumcondra which was very convenient for our 15h30 session on Friday afternoon in St. Pats. What has shone through in each session was the enthusiasm and application the girls have. They are willing students too and if you point something out to them they will take it on board.
We had an early start Saturday morning and with everyone finally arrived we split the panels into Europe and An Eoraip. I took one team and Tony Bass took another (with Mary Gavin on general management duty). 'My girls' were into the ring first against Carrigtwoill and we had a horrid first half as we tried to adapt to the nuances of 7's. The misery was compounded by an injury to Grainne, after two minutes. A player of her calibre was a big loss to ship. On we went though and after a half-time regroup we started to get some flow in the second half. We'd given them too big a start though and couldn't claw it back. The second half showed enough to suggest we could be competitive.
Victories over Moyvale and Clonmel Commercials really lifted us and meant we joined three of the other four teams on two wins entering the final game. That was to be against Cuala, who had looked the most dangerous team from what I had seen. They proved to be and started very lively. Their interplay and pace caused us all sorts of problems and we were all over the shop by half-time. I think there was two goals in it which in 7's is more like two points so there was still hope.
We turned to play up the hill and into the wind but they took to the task in admirable fashion. Relentless was the chosen buzz word for the day and it’s the only way I could describe their second half effort. They kept harassing and working. Cuala kept coming of course but the girls never backed down or hid. Right up till the end we created overlaps and chances. The gap was too big to close though and Cuala deservedly won. This of course was of great delight to Eoin Sheanon's parents who were there supporting their club and Eoin's sister. No breakfast offered this weekend though! Might have been what was missing!
I didn't see Tony's team so much but did catch their group win over Kerry's John Mitchells which was a huge result. They struggled in the other games but being the less experienced of the two squads, their task was always the more challenging. Everything I say about the team I managed applies to them too and they showed they had very capable players also.
There is absolutely no shame in losing when you can genuinely walk off the pitch and tell yourself that you did everything you could have done. I couldn't get over how the girls applied themselves on Saturday. Their work-rate was unbelievable. They totally bought into the rotating subs and burst a gut for their time on the pitch. Some were asked to do jobs they would not be accustomed to and did so without complaint. There were no excuses being thrown around (at least within earshot of me) and no negativity or strops at any stage.
We must consider the challenges they faced. The average age of each team must have been low twenties and they were very fast and fit; perfect for 7's. On the other hand, we had multiple girls over thirty and some with less than three years experience of gaelic football. Some would come from clubs where there is very little coaching and maybe only a handful at training. They faced club teams who've been together for years, training week in week out with experienced coaches. By the end, the European girls were working together like a club team themselves.
What will bridge the gap in results is coaching. So many scores could have been prevented at one end or scored at the other with little improvements and a bit more experience. The raw materials are all there in abundance, the rest will be easily learned judging by their attitudes.
I was genuinely blown away by the effort and character they showed on Saturday. If you could bottle that then you would be a very wealthy person. For me personally, it was great to work with different players and with a team where I'm not a player and not 'one of the lads'. They showed the potential of European football on Saturday and now the goal should be to drive it on and look for an improved showing next year.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
All-Ireland
Croke Park. Over 80,000 people. All-Ireland final day. You stand in the stadium wondering how such an occasion, maybe the most attended sporting one of the weekend in all of Europe, can slip under the radar of the international media. You could produce special edition supplements that would make for captive reading for any sports fan or historian the world over. It goes unnoticed by the masses though. Maybe that's the way we like it.
Still, in Australia, they'll (the Irish abroad) have partied all night awaiting the throw-in. Over in The Big Apple they will rise for breakfast in anticipation of football's marquee day. On the West coast they'll deliberate between staying up all night or having a very early start. They are all the lucky ones who will see a live transmission. There will be plenty more scattered across the world in Internet cafes finding ways to get updates.
You could stand there for hours looking around, watching the people flow in and the stands being engulfed by a sea of red as was the case on Sunday. Your heart starts to beat that bit faster as the noise levels rise. Of course it has become more commercial but the key ingredient, amateurism, is still retained. That keeps the connection between player and supporter.
Martin Clarke left a promising Aussies Rules career to return home. He'll have felt it a decision justified as he headed down Jones Road on Sunday morning. So to Ciaran Sheehan, a Carlton trialist last summer, at 18 yrs of age. He stayed for personal reasons but no doubt a potentially promising G.A.A. career had some influence.
Cork won, Down lost. There was no pitch invasion. We had the Cork team doing a lap of honour before they ever got their hands on Sam. Then the Down team marched over to congratulate them, a gesture that gives a better example to a young player, than running onto a pitch ever will. Conor Counihan, with his young fella glued to him and maybe for the first time in his tenure, seemed to lose track of his emotions when he was talking to Marty. Great to see.
Graham Canty marches up the steps. Himself, Murphy, Lynch and Miskella have tasted defeat too often to the likes of Ollie Murphy in '99 and Kerry in '07 and '09. Think of everything they have sacrificed to win this All-Ireland. Over ten years, constantly working away, having to bounce back from defeats and injuries whilst trying to build careers and businesses in the real world. The first word of thanks out of Canty's mouth is for his club. Where it begins and ends. They never forget that.
The footballers have always been second class citizens to the hurlers in Cork, always having to deal with the fellas whispering that they wish is was the hurlers winning Stupid comments are made about them being bottlers. That gets to me most. All-Ireland U-21's wins by a point in 2007 and 2009. The semi-finals won by the same margin. Dublin and Down beaten this year, again by a point and from behind. Hardly the stuff of bottlers. Yeah, there is the Kerry factor but maybe they were just a better team and people should accept that as history. Cork were clawing them back in recent times and hopefully they can settle that score next year.
The team's performances this year are judged against their blitz of Tyrone last year which is also based on a perception of where Tyrone were at last year i.e. serious contenders. Every man and his dog were critical of them this year. Have you ever tried to pick out a pass when 26 players are in one half of the pitch? Gaelic Football has become extremely tactical and revolves around getting men back, closing the spaces and breaking fast. On Sunday Cork took their opportunities to let it in when it opened up and got the reward. That space wasn't there all the time.
Tonight, Ciaran Sheehan lines out for Eire Og against Cloughduv in the Muskerry U-21 HC, in front of maybe a couple of hundred people max. The G.A.A. must keep the show on the road and Sheehan will be there. Club & county, player and supporter, intertwined in the fabric of the G.A.A.
Still, in Australia, they'll (the Irish abroad) have partied all night awaiting the throw-in. Over in The Big Apple they will rise for breakfast in anticipation of football's marquee day. On the West coast they'll deliberate between staying up all night or having a very early start. They are all the lucky ones who will see a live transmission. There will be plenty more scattered across the world in Internet cafes finding ways to get updates.
You could stand there for hours looking around, watching the people flow in and the stands being engulfed by a sea of red as was the case on Sunday. Your heart starts to beat that bit faster as the noise levels rise. Of course it has become more commercial but the key ingredient, amateurism, is still retained. That keeps the connection between player and supporter.
Martin Clarke left a promising Aussies Rules career to return home. He'll have felt it a decision justified as he headed down Jones Road on Sunday morning. So to Ciaran Sheehan, a Carlton trialist last summer, at 18 yrs of age. He stayed for personal reasons but no doubt a potentially promising G.A.A. career had some influence.
Cork won, Down lost. There was no pitch invasion. We had the Cork team doing a lap of honour before they ever got their hands on Sam. Then the Down team marched over to congratulate them, a gesture that gives a better example to a young player, than running onto a pitch ever will. Conor Counihan, with his young fella glued to him and maybe for the first time in his tenure, seemed to lose track of his emotions when he was talking to Marty. Great to see.
Graham Canty marches up the steps. Himself, Murphy, Lynch and Miskella have tasted defeat too often to the likes of Ollie Murphy in '99 and Kerry in '07 and '09. Think of everything they have sacrificed to win this All-Ireland. Over ten years, constantly working away, having to bounce back from defeats and injuries whilst trying to build careers and businesses in the real world. The first word of thanks out of Canty's mouth is for his club. Where it begins and ends. They never forget that.
The footballers have always been second class citizens to the hurlers in Cork, always having to deal with the fellas whispering that they wish is was the hurlers winning Stupid comments are made about them being bottlers. That gets to me most. All-Ireland U-21's wins by a point in 2007 and 2009. The semi-finals won by the same margin. Dublin and Down beaten this year, again by a point and from behind. Hardly the stuff of bottlers. Yeah, there is the Kerry factor but maybe they were just a better team and people should accept that as history. Cork were clawing them back in recent times and hopefully they can settle that score next year.
The team's performances this year are judged against their blitz of Tyrone last year which is also based on a perception of where Tyrone were at last year i.e. serious contenders. Every man and his dog were critical of them this year. Have you ever tried to pick out a pass when 26 players are in one half of the pitch? Gaelic Football has become extremely tactical and revolves around getting men back, closing the spaces and breaking fast. On Sunday Cork took their opportunities to let it in when it opened up and got the reward. That space wasn't there all the time.
Tonight, Ciaran Sheehan lines out for Eire Og against Cloughduv in the Muskerry U-21 HC, in front of maybe a couple of hundred people max. The G.A.A. must keep the show on the road and Sheehan will be there. Club & county, player and supporter, intertwined in the fabric of the G.A.A.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Cork Champs Dump Out Europe
07h30 Saturday morning in Finglas and John Sheanon pulls up to Collie Byrne's house. In the car are his brother Eoin, Timmy and Collins. The lads were up at 03h30 to get a lift to Charleroi and a 06h50 flight to Dublin. I'd flown in the night before so was spared that pain.
Two things had been on my mind all week though. The first was the football side of the 7's. All that open space and some whippet of a corner forward to deal with. I'm too old for that crap. I should have gravitated to a central holding position at this stage of my career, not to somewhere requiring excessive mobility. The second concern was breakfast. We were all heading to Eoin's. He's from a GAA mad family so i was hoping that it would consist of something suitable for lads playing football a couple of hours later. Not so, fry it was. Great fry at that but a couple of nervous hours ensued whilst I focused on trying to digest it.
Some mild tension was in the air when we arrived at St. Judes. Of the ten lads on the panel, 4 were from Belgium, 4 from The Hague, 1 Lux and 1 Amsterdam. We hadn't a bad team available and as the start-time approached we grew more positive about the whole experience. I can barely remember the names of the teams in the group but we beat the Dublin crowd in the first game and then lost the next three but two were close. From those teams, one beat the other in the C'ship semi whilst the other went on to win the Shield which suggests we had a tough assignment to start with.
7's is horrid. It's surprisingly tactical and the opposition are all seasoned club teams and had trained collectively for this specific outing. We all know each other well so that wasn't a major issue but the nuances of 7's take time to grasp. There's a load of running and you have to really use the rotating subs to give yourself a breather. Also, the keeper can have a major impact out field too. I enjoyed the football side cause it was tough but the game itself I could take or leave.
We got out of our group by virtue of our solitary win which set-up a clash in the Shield with 2009 Cork County Junior Champions, Glanworth. We had already lost one of our main attackers at this stage so were down some firepower. Turned out to be a humdinger but we lost out 6-5 to 4-7 in the end. It concluded what in one sense was a miserable day (result wise) but in another sense, it was enjoyable (playing against quality teams). We play the same lads over and over during the year so to see some fresh faces and not have the usual niggle was good.
The Belgian contingent did ok. It's a strange kind of game because your performance should probably be rated in how much ground you cover and how many options you make but this is more difficult to recognise than traditional judgements of points for/against (in individual sense) or whatever. Collins probably let the side down but he did give us a breather every now and then from his position on the bench!! The self-proclaimed 'best footballer in Europe' was a shadow of his imagination though and by the closing stages of the day he was more use filling water than kicking ball. He was the only Belgian not to score and that’s including Timmy who was in goal!
This type of thing (Europe 7’s) may have a future if more prep is put in but given the time, travel & money commitments we already make, it could be tough to get off the ground.
Two things had been on my mind all week though. The first was the football side of the 7's. All that open space and some whippet of a corner forward to deal with. I'm too old for that crap. I should have gravitated to a central holding position at this stage of my career, not to somewhere requiring excessive mobility. The second concern was breakfast. We were all heading to Eoin's. He's from a GAA mad family so i was hoping that it would consist of something suitable for lads playing football a couple of hours later. Not so, fry it was. Great fry at that but a couple of nervous hours ensued whilst I focused on trying to digest it.
Some mild tension was in the air when we arrived at St. Judes. Of the ten lads on the panel, 4 were from Belgium, 4 from The Hague, 1 Lux and 1 Amsterdam. We hadn't a bad team available and as the start-time approached we grew more positive about the whole experience. I can barely remember the names of the teams in the group but we beat the Dublin crowd in the first game and then lost the next three but two were close. From those teams, one beat the other in the C'ship semi whilst the other went on to win the Shield which suggests we had a tough assignment to start with.
7's is horrid. It's surprisingly tactical and the opposition are all seasoned club teams and had trained collectively for this specific outing. We all know each other well so that wasn't a major issue but the nuances of 7's take time to grasp. There's a load of running and you have to really use the rotating subs to give yourself a breather. Also, the keeper can have a major impact out field too. I enjoyed the football side cause it was tough but the game itself I could take or leave.
We got out of our group by virtue of our solitary win which set-up a clash in the Shield with 2009 Cork County Junior Champions, Glanworth. We had already lost one of our main attackers at this stage so were down some firepower. Turned out to be a humdinger but we lost out 6-5 to 4-7 in the end. It concluded what in one sense was a miserable day (result wise) but in another sense, it was enjoyable (playing against quality teams). We play the same lads over and over during the year so to see some fresh faces and not have the usual niggle was good.
The Belgian contingent did ok. It's a strange kind of game because your performance should probably be rated in how much ground you cover and how many options you make but this is more difficult to recognise than traditional judgements of points for/against (in individual sense) or whatever. Collins probably let the side down but he did give us a breather every now and then from his position on the bench!! The self-proclaimed 'best footballer in Europe' was a shadow of his imagination though and by the closing stages of the day he was more use filling water than kicking ball. He was the only Belgian not to score and that’s including Timmy who was in goal!
This type of thing (Europe 7’s) may have a future if more prep is put in but given the time, travel & money commitments we already make, it could be tough to get off the ground.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Rehabilitation
Tough week. Defeat in a G.A.A. match or tournament in this case, always seems to hit harder.. You play soccer or hockey or whatever. They tend to be long seasons, anywhere from 18 to 26+ games. One defeat is a set-back but rarely an end. There is always time to claw it back.
Not so with Hurling or Football. Munich was a massive blow to reclaiming the European Championship. Fellas took it fairly hard. We've all invested a huge amount of time, money and effort into the football this year. Our preparation has been as organised as most things I've been involved with at home. We've trained consistently since January, gone through the running months with no ball, reclaimed our sense of belief in the Benelux rounds and then played out a highly competitive intra-club league.
It all came crumbling down in Munich though. We lost guys in the week before, Enda was gone after five minutes, even before the bus could unravel it's GPS mess to deliver the other half of our panel. The day was played out against a backdrop of rows and shouting matches. Still, the disagreements were sidelined when the ball was thrown in but maybe it had all taken its toll on the minds and we were fragile. Maybe too much of the energy was exerted on issues outside the core.
Training Tuesday night and we had about 18. It was fairly positive. Some lads like Shane were buzzing around the place. The lads who played in The Shield have hope that they are turning a corner. The lads in The Championship were still extremely deflated though. Sometimes things need to be said, other times they don't. I thought this time they did. There were a series of exchanges between fellas on Wednesday. No apologies as such, just a recognition of what happened, the different points of view and that mistakes were made. Time to move on.
Organised press nights mean every journalist is feeding off the same quotes when generating stories pre-All-Ireland. There's never much said anymore but I've lifted some of Conor Counihan's words that basically sum it all up for me.
"It's just small things, about patience and composure and confidence, and hopefully that bit of steel when the going gets tough,.....That comes from a certain level of experience and confidence and it comes from within the players themselves.....It doesn't happen overnight. We've tried to develop it in some ways, by spreading around various tasks, but, at the end of the day, the guy has to stand up himself and make the decision that 'I'm going to make a difference'."
We've worked all year on patience and composure on the ball. Experience is so much a part of that. Having been in the situation before and knowing where the backdoor is. Getting lads more football is key to this. He talks of steel; it's so important. Guys with this do whatever is necessary to take the momentum out of the oppositions play to turn the tide.
"I'm going to make a difference." That's what it all boils down to though. For the next eight training sessions and the tournament down in Budapest, that is all that any of us need to say.
I'm going to make a difference.
Not so with Hurling or Football. Munich was a massive blow to reclaiming the European Championship. Fellas took it fairly hard. We've all invested a huge amount of time, money and effort into the football this year. Our preparation has been as organised as most things I've been involved with at home. We've trained consistently since January, gone through the running months with no ball, reclaimed our sense of belief in the Benelux rounds and then played out a highly competitive intra-club league.
It all came crumbling down in Munich though. We lost guys in the week before, Enda was gone after five minutes, even before the bus could unravel it's GPS mess to deliver the other half of our panel. The day was played out against a backdrop of rows and shouting matches. Still, the disagreements were sidelined when the ball was thrown in but maybe it had all taken its toll on the minds and we were fragile. Maybe too much of the energy was exerted on issues outside the core.
Training Tuesday night and we had about 18. It was fairly positive. Some lads like Shane were buzzing around the place. The lads who played in The Shield have hope that they are turning a corner. The lads in The Championship were still extremely deflated though. Sometimes things need to be said, other times they don't. I thought this time they did. There were a series of exchanges between fellas on Wednesday. No apologies as such, just a recognition of what happened, the different points of view and that mistakes were made. Time to move on.
Organised press nights mean every journalist is feeding off the same quotes when generating stories pre-All-Ireland. There's never much said anymore but I've lifted some of Conor Counihan's words that basically sum it all up for me.
"It's just small things, about patience and composure and confidence, and hopefully that bit of steel when the going gets tough,.....That comes from a certain level of experience and confidence and it comes from within the players themselves.....It doesn't happen overnight. We've tried to develop it in some ways, by spreading around various tasks, but, at the end of the day, the guy has to stand up himself and make the decision that 'I'm going to make a difference'."
We've worked all year on patience and composure on the ball. Experience is so much a part of that. Having been in the situation before and knowing where the backdoor is. Getting lads more football is key to this. He talks of steel; it's so important. Guys with this do whatever is necessary to take the momentum out of the oppositions play to turn the tide.
"I'm going to make a difference." That's what it all boils down to though. For the next eight training sessions and the tournament down in Budapest, that is all that any of us need to say.
I'm going to make a difference.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Munich
Hunger, work rate, commitment, passion, preparation, courage, composure, focus. Just a few words we all like to use in a sporting context but in a very black and white way. ‘He’s lost the hunger’ or ‘jesus, their hunger was greater’. Did he? Was it? How do you measure it? Can you really judge it? What affects it? I’ll resist the temptation to cast judgements along these lines on the performance of the ‘A’ team in Munich this weekend for these reasons.
You win and lose as a group but should reflect individually on your role in the show. Did I do absolutely everything to be prepared? Was my focus totally on the job in hand? Did I walk the talk? Did I hide or did I put my hand up and say give me the ball? Were there runs I should have made or I should have tracked? Did I attack the ball? How did I cope with difficult situations? Did I make the right decisions; to pass, to shoot, to tackle, to get into arguments with other players and the ref? Could I have done something extra to influence the result? There are a host of things to reflect on. Some will do it to themselves in a brutal way. Others will seek excuses, justifications for their actions or maybe just not grasp it. This is the way in every walk of life.
I could replay virtually every decision I made on Saturday. Everything from team selection straight through to the last Lux point in the 3rd/4th play-off when I pushed up and got caught for one of their final points. I could tell you the balls I gave away, the tackles I let lads break, the good runs and the bad runs. It’s the way I look at things, over the top or not. I’d expect lads to do the same of themselves. Be brutal with yourself, be honest.
It’s hard to put the finger on our poor showing on Saturday. We talk about ‘no excuses’ so there will be none. Paris beat us by two points after we had rattled them for a long period. We had the Guernsey game wrapped up after leading 2-2 to no score. In the end we relied on a missed free to salvage a draw. We blitzed Lux with early goals to get back on track but fell to The Hague 2-5 to 0-6 in the final group game. In the 3rd/4th placed play-off, Lux turned the tables to win by a point. Massively disappointing but now all we can do is regroup and point the ship towards Budapest.
The ‘B’ team headed for the Shield in tentative fashion with a host of late withdrawals. Because of schedule clashes I didn’t see much of them but did see enough to suggest they head to the next round with a good chance. They owned the ball for much of the games I saw but couldn’t register the necessary scores. A few returning bodies which will significantly strengthen their hand. Maybe the most important thing they have though, is an incredible spirit and determination to succeed. They never relent.
Our Ladies claimed their third European Championship in a row with a 7-11 to 0-3 win over Paris in the final. It was achieved without a host of top names too, showing the depth in the panel. They have an unhealthy domination of these tournaments and really need someone to arrive on the scene. Holland seem best placed but I don’t have the numbers to be able to travel to all the tournaments. For now though, they are the king pins and deservedly so as I can’t imagine any of their opponents train harder or more consistently.
On a final note, congratulations to the U-21 hurlers of Kinsale who claimed the South-East U-21 Championship over the weekend and now face Passage in the County next week. They succeeded under the watchful eye of Conor Lane. Hurling is the poor relation in the club at the moment so fair play to him for sticking to the cause and trying to drive things on.
Friday, September 10, 2010
School Tour Syndrome
Arseing about before training is one of my pet hates. Fellas strolling in late, chatting about EU politics (because 90% of the time it’s eurobrats) and generally distracting each other from getting togged and ready for training. It was like the lads were preparing for a school tour last night, all giddy and full of yap.
The mindset shone through in the first drill but after that we rattled nicely through the session and the focus turned to Munich. It concluded six of our best weeks of preparation we have had for any tournament. Training was well structured to rebuild the fitness levels after a summer of pure ball and then the transition to ball work weaved in nicely to the last two weeks.
I missed training Tuesday and only caught the last fifteen minutes of it but the lads were moving well. We’ve come a fair way in our footballing ability in the last couple of years and on Tuesday we had a good look about ourselves. The gap between the weakest and the strongest is closing which makes selection all the more difficult.
It’s not all roses though as we’ve had a few more blows to the panel this week. Shane Griffen pulled out yesterday with an injury. He is possibly one of our most competitive players; very strong, quick and physical. Defence and Midfield on the A team is the most congested area selection wise and he has been unfortunate to be just on the outside but his attitude has never waned and in The Nations Cup he showed his worth.
A few more lads are carry stuff but with everyone vying for places, they are staying very quiet. Despite the absences, we have a travelling party of 26. The pressure is on both to get results and to put individual cases forward. We’ll be back to full strength in Budapest so that should be added incentive for lads to perform.
The A panel has had a bit of a facelift since the last outing in Luxembourg with half the panel turned over. Brendan Lynch steps up to take the goalkeeping position which releases Timmy out the field. Paul Gavin returns as does Enda. Up front, Colin Byrne and Alec make the cut, bringing some versatility to the panel. Finally, there will be a debut for Corkman Andrew Shorten who has shown plenty of energy and guile in recent weeks.
I got an email off the Strasbourg lads this week. Four of them are down there for the week on work duty but brought a ball and a few cones. They trained twice on their own in the last couple of days. Music to my ears. They’ll head from there today whilst the rest of us leave from Brussels by plane and mini-bus.
I haven’t looked forward to a tournament as much in a long time. It will be a massive challenge for us to be successful in the Shield and Championship competition down there but that’s what fellas should want. It’s just a case now whether we can step up to it.
The mindset shone through in the first drill but after that we rattled nicely through the session and the focus turned to Munich. It concluded six of our best weeks of preparation we have had for any tournament. Training was well structured to rebuild the fitness levels after a summer of pure ball and then the transition to ball work weaved in nicely to the last two weeks.
I missed training Tuesday and only caught the last fifteen minutes of it but the lads were moving well. We’ve come a fair way in our footballing ability in the last couple of years and on Tuesday we had a good look about ourselves. The gap between the weakest and the strongest is closing which makes selection all the more difficult.
It’s not all roses though as we’ve had a few more blows to the panel this week. Shane Griffen pulled out yesterday with an injury. He is possibly one of our most competitive players; very strong, quick and physical. Defence and Midfield on the A team is the most congested area selection wise and he has been unfortunate to be just on the outside but his attitude has never waned and in The Nations Cup he showed his worth.
A few more lads are carry stuff but with everyone vying for places, they are staying very quiet. Despite the absences, we have a travelling party of 26. The pressure is on both to get results and to put individual cases forward. We’ll be back to full strength in Budapest so that should be added incentive for lads to perform.
The A panel has had a bit of a facelift since the last outing in Luxembourg with half the panel turned over. Brendan Lynch steps up to take the goalkeeping position which releases Timmy out the field. Paul Gavin returns as does Enda. Up front, Colin Byrne and Alec make the cut, bringing some versatility to the panel. Finally, there will be a debut for Corkman Andrew Shorten who has shown plenty of energy and guile in recent weeks.
I got an email off the Strasbourg lads this week. Four of them are down there for the week on work duty but brought a ball and a few cones. They trained twice on their own in the last couple of days. Music to my ears. They’ll head from there today whilst the rest of us leave from Brussels by plane and mini-bus.
I haven’t looked forward to a tournament as much in a long time. It will be a massive challenge for us to be successful in the Shield and Championship competition down there but that’s what fellas should want. It’s just a case now whether we can step up to it.
Monday, September 6, 2010
200 Not Out
Ciara Farrell arrived in Brussels at the beginning of the year. Don't think she played football before she landed but she's taken to the game fairly well. When I met her at The Bomber's going away, i thought she was a corner back (for various reasons). When I try to think of a way to describe her, i'd probably choose the one about having two ears and one mouth and using them proportionately.
Anyway, in a semi-aggressive manner on Saturday night, she started questioning me on why i have a blog, Such was the barrage and swarm of opinion coming from her, I had little time to ponder her question before responding. It is a good question though and the timing is appropriate as I have just completed my 200th entry.
I suppose there were a few reasons initially. The one that immediately springs to mind is the comment Dad used to make about the fact that the people involved in club's are constantly writing the history of the club. He's right in one sense but actually, no-one is actually writing it. So that was one motive. Another was the unique nature of playing G.A.A. in Europe. I thought people might be interested in knowing the difficulties we face but also by reading it, they may be reminded about what the G.A.A. is all about, understand how lucky they are to have it, and not take it for granted. It was also intended to generate a bit of banter amongst the lads. Certain messages in the posts will resonate with some more than others whether they relate to commitment, performance, Cork hurling or anything else.
I got a mail off someone last week saying they enjoyed a recent entry a lot. It was about the disappointments with Kinsale. I presume it made him pause for a moment and think about those and other days. I know my family read it and can keep up to date. There's other parents who may read it and are pleased that their sons and daughters have a healthy outlet in their adopted home. If the blog succeeds in communicating the strong sense of community we have in the club, then those parents who log on will probably derive some feeling of security, knowing their kids have such a support network here.
The next angle Ciara took was to suggest that only having eleven followers was not so impressive. I asked her was she a follower and she said no. Having registered followers is of no importance to me. There are readers, like Ciara obviously, who like to read it but just don't feel the need to tell the world they do! I know there are lads from other clubs who check in every now and then. I hope they get a different sense of what we are about to the one they may get when we face them on the pitch. Maybe somewhere along the way it can generate discussion between us about what we are doing in our respective clubs and share some ideas.
There is only one disappointment I have relating to the blog and that is that some of the best stories remain untold. Needless to say I've had my share of disagreements with lads and have my own opinions on the rights and wrongs. Such discussions are not appropriate for the public domain but I'm sure will be retold in the future when we meet for pints or clean out our inbox, we will retell them with a totally different perspective.
It's probably fairly accurate to say that I enjoy the G.A.A. Often, you can influence people by venting your passion for something in a certain way. Even salesmen can succeed in this and sell things they don't necessarily believe in. So if you feel genuine passion for something and can convey that passion to other people, you stand a good chance of influencing someone in a certain direction. Influencing people (sometimes it bordered on bullying!!) has been a key factor in growing our club. We are lucky to have people who can do that. My job is to try and influence the Gaelic Footballers and this blog is one of the tools I keep in my box.
Anyway, in a semi-aggressive manner on Saturday night, she started questioning me on why i have a blog, Such was the barrage and swarm of opinion coming from her, I had little time to ponder her question before responding. It is a good question though and the timing is appropriate as I have just completed my 200th entry.
I suppose there were a few reasons initially. The one that immediately springs to mind is the comment Dad used to make about the fact that the people involved in club's are constantly writing the history of the club. He's right in one sense but actually, no-one is actually writing it. So that was one motive. Another was the unique nature of playing G.A.A. in Europe. I thought people might be interested in knowing the difficulties we face but also by reading it, they may be reminded about what the G.A.A. is all about, understand how lucky they are to have it, and not take it for granted. It was also intended to generate a bit of banter amongst the lads. Certain messages in the posts will resonate with some more than others whether they relate to commitment, performance, Cork hurling or anything else.
I got a mail off someone last week saying they enjoyed a recent entry a lot. It was about the disappointments with Kinsale. I presume it made him pause for a moment and think about those and other days. I know my family read it and can keep up to date. There's other parents who may read it and are pleased that their sons and daughters have a healthy outlet in their adopted home. If the blog succeeds in communicating the strong sense of community we have in the club, then those parents who log on will probably derive some feeling of security, knowing their kids have such a support network here.
The next angle Ciara took was to suggest that only having eleven followers was not so impressive. I asked her was she a follower and she said no. Having registered followers is of no importance to me. There are readers, like Ciara obviously, who like to read it but just don't feel the need to tell the world they do! I know there are lads from other clubs who check in every now and then. I hope they get a different sense of what we are about to the one they may get when we face them on the pitch. Maybe somewhere along the way it can generate discussion between us about what we are doing in our respective clubs and share some ideas.
There is only one disappointment I have relating to the blog and that is that some of the best stories remain untold. Needless to say I've had my share of disagreements with lads and have my own opinions on the rights and wrongs. Such discussions are not appropriate for the public domain but I'm sure will be retold in the future when we meet for pints or clean out our inbox, we will retell them with a totally different perspective.
It's probably fairly accurate to say that I enjoy the G.A.A. Often, you can influence people by venting your passion for something in a certain way. Even salesmen can succeed in this and sell things they don't necessarily believe in. So if you feel genuine passion for something and can convey that passion to other people, you stand a good chance of influencing someone in a certain direction. Influencing people (sometimes it bordered on bullying!!) has been a key factor in growing our club. We are lucky to have people who can do that. My job is to try and influence the Gaelic Footballers and this blog is one of the tools I keep in my box.
Munich - Work Rate Key
Nearly three months on from our last tournament, we can be pleased with how we weathered the quiet summer months. Victories in Hurling and The Nations Cup combined well with the successful Intra-Club league and the only losses we have suffered are due to Brussels departures rather than dip in interest due to a lack of activity.
Those departures have left a hole as Hudson, Laffan and The Fridge were all part of the team that won down in Luxembourg back in June. Added to that, we will miss the influences of David Collins, Pearce and Olof who will also be marked absent. None of these have been sprung on us though so we have had time to consider the make-up of the panels for the weekend. In previous year's such a situation would have signalled a premature end to our tournament challenge because we simply could not have coped with such loses from a quality or numbers point of view.
We got cracking for Munich five weeks ago and discarded the fact our preparations would be heavily disrupted by the August holiday period. Control the controllable as Conor Counihan preaches, so we made out the plan and worked hard for the last few weeks. Fellas attitudes were top notch in fairness, even on the more difficult nights. In the last two weeks, we've started drilling it into lads how difficult it's going to be down in Munich. I'm certain The Hague have geared their whole season towards the next three tournaments and have to start as favourites to reclaim their title. Luxembourg also emerges out of Benelux and have gone from strength to strength in recent tournaments. They are just one breaking ball away from bulldozing their way into things.
The new boys come in the form of Guernsey, winners of the French region. By winning that, they would have overcome Paris more than once so that says it all about their pedigree. Credit to them for making the step up to Championship that many often decline. Then of course there is Paris. We know all about them so that challenge is a given.
For the last couple of sessions, I've beat the same drum. After such a great year so far, complacency is a dangerous side-effect that needs countering. The step up will be massive for both the Championship and the Shield. You couldn't fault the lads so far and they look like they are up for it. There were 28 at training last week and that naturally brings competition and helps keep the demons at bay.
We started the season with our 'no excuses' mantra and it must underline every thought from now on. We'll travel to Munich with 27 players. Whether we miss those absentees will be determined by what lads do on the pitch. Guys’ work rate, decision making and courage will determine the outcome on Saturday. We'll take the lead in games but also suffer patches where we are behind. There may be games that go down to the wire. You must think about how you will react in all these situations and be ready when you are faced with them. In reality it is simple, you hit the default button; work, work, work.
Those departures have left a hole as Hudson, Laffan and The Fridge were all part of the team that won down in Luxembourg back in June. Added to that, we will miss the influences of David Collins, Pearce and Olof who will also be marked absent. None of these have been sprung on us though so we have had time to consider the make-up of the panels for the weekend. In previous year's such a situation would have signalled a premature end to our tournament challenge because we simply could not have coped with such loses from a quality or numbers point of view.
We got cracking for Munich five weeks ago and discarded the fact our preparations would be heavily disrupted by the August holiday period. Control the controllable as Conor Counihan preaches, so we made out the plan and worked hard for the last few weeks. Fellas attitudes were top notch in fairness, even on the more difficult nights. In the last two weeks, we've started drilling it into lads how difficult it's going to be down in Munich. I'm certain The Hague have geared their whole season towards the next three tournaments and have to start as favourites to reclaim their title. Luxembourg also emerges out of Benelux and have gone from strength to strength in recent tournaments. They are just one breaking ball away from bulldozing their way into things.
The new boys come in the form of Guernsey, winners of the French region. By winning that, they would have overcome Paris more than once so that says it all about their pedigree. Credit to them for making the step up to Championship that many often decline. Then of course there is Paris. We know all about them so that challenge is a given.
For the last couple of sessions, I've beat the same drum. After such a great year so far, complacency is a dangerous side-effect that needs countering. The step up will be massive for both the Championship and the Shield. You couldn't fault the lads so far and they look like they are up for it. There were 28 at training last week and that naturally brings competition and helps keep the demons at bay.
We started the season with our 'no excuses' mantra and it must underline every thought from now on. We'll travel to Munich with 27 players. Whether we miss those absentees will be determined by what lads do on the pitch. Guys’ work rate, decision making and courage will determine the outcome on Saturday. We'll take the lead in games but also suffer patches where we are behind. There may be games that go down to the wire. You must think about how you will react in all these situations and be ready when you are faced with them. In reality it is simple, you hit the default button; work, work, work.
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