GALWAY UNITED MANAGER Tommy Dunne wants his side to the lead from their rugby neighbours Connacht and copy their season of unprecedented success.
Connacht have become the Leicester City of the Pro12 and lead the way in the league with just six games remaining and that is something Dunne wants to tap into.
Dunne revealed that Connacht coach Pat Lam is helping them out and delivered an inspirational talk to the United players ahead of their season opener away to St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park tomorrow.
Lam spoke with the Tribesmen during pre-season and Dunne said it left a huge impression on the squad.
“We are trying to improve the guys physically and mentally also. We had a good camp a few weeks ago, Pat was good enough to come in and chat to the guys. We are starting to get our mindset and our focus at a different level for this year,” he said.
United finished tenth in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division standings last term but with a host of new signings they will look to improve on that. And Lam gave a different perspective with his speech.
“He’s from a professional background, he has played in World Cups. He is managing at a high level in the club rugby scene. He is a big figure here and he’s an inspirational guy.
“A man who, when he spoke to the players, gave a different perspective but also in a sports’ context, he spoke about the mindset and where you need to be at. It was a really good 90-minute session that we had.
It was really beneficial. For me, maybe for the lads needed to get a different voice, to speak and to listen to him, about what it takes to be a professional player.
“It was all relevant and although it’s a different code. Generally in sport, in professional sport especially, it’s a similar vein all the time.
“We might get other people from different codes in and let them have a chat too, just to give the guys a different perspective. Sometimes to focus the mind and re-focus. When you are listening to the same voice all the time, maybe it doesn’t have as strong an effect as you want.
“But this year as players they’ll be more demanding of each other. The players that we have brought in, there’s that bit more hunger and desire, and a will to do well.”
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And yet we will continue to allow our GAA games to continue…zero sense
@jay bernard: much more interest in the GAA buddy
What reason cant this not go ahead and the GAA can? Some of these women are probably even professional
@Al Byrne: The women’s game is essentially amateur in Europe other than the English & French extended squads.
Inter county GAA is seen as elite sport so can go ahead same as PRO14, SSE Airtricty League, 6N etc. All are being played behind closed doors.
At least sports fans will have something to watch during lockdown.
@TL55: Just to counter that inter-county GAA Players = elite-sportsman = they’re grabd to carry on… Here’s what Louth’s Bevan Duffy thinks about ploughing ahead:
“I don’t understand, with the case numbers going up, the way things are all around the country, how GAA inter-county footballers are all of a sudden immune to this.
We’ve teachers in that dressing room. We’ve lads living at home, a lot of lads living at home with their elderly parents.It doesn’t really make that much sense.
The protocols need to be better, without a doubt. There hasn’t been any testing at all, which I can’t get my head around.”
That last sentence is pretty shocking. And yet it’s fine for these guys to mix in the community and travel the country because we can’t find another way to entertain ourselves?
@Fergal O’ Reilly: GAA players are a lot closer to elite athletes than that Irish women’s rugby team. There is only about 2 or 3 strong clubs in the country. There is only a handful playing women’s rugby, inter county ladies gaelic is way more competitive and as a result players are a much higher standard as seen by the ease that many of them have transition and gone straight to the top of aussie rules and rugby codes.
Gaelic players may not be professional but that doesn’t mean they are not elite.
With regards to Bevan Duffy, this is down to personal responsibility, the GAA aren’t forcing him to do anything. If your are not glad of the opportunity to play, sit out for a year or however long it takes. There is certainly no gun to his head to play.