PAUL CLARKE SIGNED off on his spell as interim manager of the Dublin footballers in style yesterday with a nine-point win over Louth in Drogheda.
Dublin stand-in manager Paul Clarke Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Four wins out of five, a ninth O’Byrne Cup title for the Dubs and all with a developmental squad – none of whom featured for the Sky Blues in the 2016 championship.
“Better than Sam Allardyce and no money involved. I can ride off into the sunset,” Clarke joked after the game.
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Just don’t call them Dublin’s ‘third string’ in front of the stand-in manager.
“It was a term that was being used a lot,” he told Morning Ireland today.
“From our point of view, we were telling the guys – ‘You are the Dublin senior football team, because you are available at the moment for selection. You’re putting your name forward to be on a team sheet.”
A firefighter at Dublin Airport, Clarke made his Dublin senior debut in 1985, a year after he captained the minors to the All-Ireland title. In 1995, he played in his fourth All-Ireland final and finally picked up his first winners medal. An All-Star at wing-forward followed later that year.
Paul Clarke and Keith Galvin celebrate the All-Ireland victory in 1995 INPHO
INPHO
The Whitehall Colmcille’s club man served as a member of Paul ‘Pillar’ Caffrey’s backroom team a decade ago. The call arrived from Jim Gavin in late November and the brief was straightforward.
He wanted Clarke and Jim Brogan to preside over a group of developmental players and guide them through the O’Bryne Cup. Clarke and Brogan first met the players in Abbotstown last December, where Bryan Cullen was overseeing a strength and conditioning programme.
“A lot of these guys I would have seen at minor, U21 and with their clubs over the last number of years,” said Clarke. ”By the time early January came around, I knew most of them.”
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Dublin’s victory in the O’Byrne Cup followed a familiar trend around the country. Galway, Tyrone and Kerry all won their respective pre-season competitions, meaning each of the 2016 provincial champions won the early-season competitions this month.
Peter Harte lifts the Dr McKenna Cup Presseye / Andrew Paton/INPHO
Presseye / Andrew Paton/INPHO / Andrew Paton/INPHO
While both Mayo and Donegal used the pre-season competitions to put out experimental line-ups, Galway, Tyrone and Kerry all attacked their tournaments with strong sides.
Of the 20 Tyrone players that featured against Derry as they wrapped up a sixth straight McKenna Cup title on Saturday night, only Padraig Hampsey, Declan McClure, Conor Meyler, Cahir McCullagh, Conall McCann and Ronan McHugh didn’t play in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Mayo.
Kerry adopted a similar approach to their McGrath Cup campaign, with Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan, Jack Barry and Jack Savage the only players with no championship experience in Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s starting 15 for their win over Limerick in the decider.
The Kerry boss did freshen things up off the bench, bringing on nine subs with no championship appearances for the Kingdom.
Kerry's talented rookie Jack Savage Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Kevin Walsh’s Galway side were the least experienced outfit to win silverware, but they still started their game against Roscommon with nine players who had championship games under their belt.
It begs the question: How many of these O’Byrne Cup winners can we expect to break into Gavin’s squad for the coming year?
Clarke continued: “I think on the plus side it could have been four or five players at the start, but now it looks like he could have eight or nine players put forward for the National League campaign.”
Templeogue Synge Street’s Niall Scully, a pacey, dynamic ball carrier, leads the way after his fine start to the year culminated with a man-of-the-match display on Sunday.
Dublin's Niall Scully in full flight Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Ciaran Reddin, Ross Hazely, Paul Hudson, Conor McHugh, Evan Comerford shone throughout the pre-season and may push for league minutes in the spring.
“They’ve done really well beating three really good Leinster county teams, but what probably shows more is the fact that such a group can come together in a short space of time and show great unity.
“I think that group that togged out yesterday could hold their own in Leinster, yeah.
“The style of football we wanted to play was very simple and we just wanted them to express themselves. There was no great tactics about kickouts, defending or sideline balls.
“It was all about when the team attacked, we attacked together and when the team defended we defended together.”
Jim Gavin with Jason Sherlock Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
Clarke and Brogan will meet with Gavin this week for a debrief and an individual report on each player.
“The hope was to get it and get in as many matches as possible so we could get a few players for Jim and give him a headache.
“I’ll do a little report on all the players today and tomorrow and then I’ll meet up with Jim and pass that information on to him and who we think could be of benefit to him going in to the National League.”
Gavin showed his intent on keeping the squad fresh by blooding a new crop of players this spring. In doing so he also sent a message to his established senior stars.
The late Andy Grove, a visionary leader in the global tech industry, had a famous management philosophy in the 1980s.
His guiding motto was: “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.”
A month into 2017, one thing is for certain: Jim Gavin isn’t resting on his laurels.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Paul Clarke believes his young Dubs could 'hold their own in Leinster'
PAUL CLARKE SIGNED off on his spell as interim manager of the Dublin footballers in style yesterday with a nine-point win over Louth in Drogheda.
Four wins out of five, a ninth O’Byrne Cup title for the Dubs and all with a developmental squad – none of whom featured for the Sky Blues in the 2016 championship.
“Better than Sam Allardyce and no money involved. I can ride off into the sunset,” Clarke joked after the game.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Just don’t call them Dublin’s ‘third string’ in front of the stand-in manager.
“It was a term that was being used a lot,” he told Morning Ireland today.
“From our point of view, we were telling the guys – ‘You are the Dublin senior football team, because you are available at the moment for selection. You’re putting your name forward to be on a team sheet.”
A firefighter at Dublin Airport, Clarke made his Dublin senior debut in 1985, a year after he captained the minors to the All-Ireland title. In 1995, he played in his fourth All-Ireland final and finally picked up his first winners medal. An All-Star at wing-forward followed later that year.
The Whitehall Colmcille’s club man served as a member of Paul ‘Pillar’ Caffrey’s backroom team a decade ago. The call arrived from Jim Gavin in late November and the brief was straightforward.
He wanted Clarke and Jim Brogan to preside over a group of developmental players and guide them through the O’Bryne Cup. Clarke and Brogan first met the players in Abbotstown last December, where Bryan Cullen was overseeing a strength and conditioning programme.
“A lot of these guys I would have seen at minor, U21 and with their clubs over the last number of years,” said Clarke. ”By the time early January came around, I knew most of them.”
Dublin’s victory in the O’Byrne Cup followed a familiar trend around the country. Galway, Tyrone and Kerry all won their respective pre-season competitions, meaning each of the 2016 provincial champions won the early-season competitions this month.
While both Mayo and Donegal used the pre-season competitions to put out experimental line-ups, Galway, Tyrone and Kerry all attacked their tournaments with strong sides.
Of the 20 Tyrone players that featured against Derry as they wrapped up a sixth straight McKenna Cup title on Saturday night, only Padraig Hampsey, Declan McClure, Conor Meyler, Cahir McCullagh, Conall McCann and Ronan McHugh didn’t play in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Mayo.
Kerry adopted a similar approach to their McGrath Cup campaign, with Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan, Jack Barry and Jack Savage the only players with no championship experience in Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s starting 15 for their win over Limerick in the decider.
The Kerry boss did freshen things up off the bench, bringing on nine subs with no championship appearances for the Kingdom.
Kevin Walsh’s Galway side were the least experienced outfit to win silverware, but they still started their game against Roscommon with nine players who had championship games under their belt.
It begs the question: How many of these O’Byrne Cup winners can we expect to break into Gavin’s squad for the coming year?
Clarke continued: “I think on the plus side it could have been four or five players at the start, but now it looks like he could have eight or nine players put forward for the National League campaign.”
Templeogue Synge Street’s Niall Scully, a pacey, dynamic ball carrier, leads the way after his fine start to the year culminated with a man-of-the-match display on Sunday.
Ciaran Reddin, Ross Hazely, Paul Hudson, Conor McHugh, Evan Comerford shone throughout the pre-season and may push for league minutes in the spring.
“They’ve done really well beating three really good Leinster county teams, but what probably shows more is the fact that such a group can come together in a short space of time and show great unity.
“I think that group that togged out yesterday could hold their own in Leinster, yeah.
“The style of football we wanted to play was very simple and we just wanted them to express themselves. There was no great tactics about kickouts, defending or sideline balls.
“It was all about when the team attacked, we attacked together and when the team defended we defended together.”
Clarke and Brogan will meet with Gavin this week for a debrief and an individual report on each player.
“The hope was to get it and get in as many matches as possible so we could get a few players for Jim and give him a headache.
“I’ll do a little report on all the players today and tomorrow and then I’ll meet up with Jim and pass that information on to him and who we think could be of benefit to him going in to the National League.”
Gavin showed his intent on keeping the squad fresh by blooding a new crop of players this spring. In doing so he also sent a message to his established senior stars.
The late Andy Grove, a visionary leader in the global tech industry, had a famous management philosophy in the 1980s.
His guiding motto was: “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.”
A month into 2017, one thing is for certain: Jim Gavin isn’t resting on his laurels.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
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developmental GAA Jim Gavin Paul Clarke Dublin