DUBLIN LADIES SENIOR football manager Mick Bohan hopes that 2011 All-Ireland winner Paul Casey will be part of his backroom team for their upcoming campaign.
Subject to ratification at a Dublin LGFA meeting next month, the former Dublin defender could come on board as defence coach with the 2017 All-Ireland senior champions.
Involved with an underage inter-county development squad at the moment, the Lucan Sarsfields clubman has indicated that he would be willing to commit to the fold on a part-time basis for the Lidl National League Division 1 campaign.
If his appointment is confirmed next month, Casey would work closely with Sorcha Farrelly and Paul Gilheaney.
He’s no stranger to former Clare senior football coach and Clontarf clubman Bohan either. The pair are friendly, having worked together with both Dublin City University (DCU) and Lucan in the past.
“Paul would have been one of our heroes on that quest for Sam in 2011,” Bohan reminded the media at the announcement of Gourmet Food Parlour as the new sponsor of the Higher Education Committee (HEC) third-level championships.
“When you see guys at that level wanting to get involved in the women’s game, I think it’s really good for the game.
“I think anyone coming in from the men’s game to women’s football brings that extra little bit of savvy and nuance and whatever else.”
Bohan has spoken out quite a bit in the past about how the standards in Ladies football need to be raised: ‘If you want people to watch you play, then play. Raise the standard,’ he told The42 in July.
And he echoed those words while speaking about the upcoming double-headers announced by the LGFA in recent weeks.
“The profile is building the whole time but we keep saying it; there’s an onus on girls to perform. Nobody will go and watch them just because they’re women. It’s a sport. You’ve to go and play. If you perform, people will come in the gates.
“I do (feel the standards have improved). If I wasn’t in the game, you’d be seen to be knocking the women’s game but when you’re involved in it, you’ve a little bit more of a licence to say it.
“I’m not here to knock it but I am here to try and drive standards from our end. I do see them going up, but I still feel there’s a huge void,” he added, saying that basic skills and fitness were still behind.
In terms of the panel, there has been some movement. Bohan currently has a 43-woman squad and aims to hold that for the duration of the league and cut it afterwards.
Siobhán McGrath — a central player when the Sky Blues were crowned All-Ireland senior champions for the first time in 2010 – has returned to the set-up after some time in Australia.
Former minor star Muireann Ní Scanaill and Na Fianna’s Lucy Collins are among others to rejoin the group after some time away.
On the contrary, Dublin will be without the services of two-time All-Ireland and All-Star winning defender Rachel Ruddy for 2018, who has opted to travel. Panelist Aoife Curran and sub goalkeeper Emer Ní Éafa have also stepped away.
After a challenge match on Wednesday night against DCU’s O’Connor Cup team, Bohan smiles that that glorious September day in Croke Park is but a memory now.
“We had it handed to us in small pieces. It certainly brought us back down to earth!
“September’s gone. We’ve enjoyed our time but it’s a new season. There’s a queue of people waiting for us I’d say.
“It’s great and it’s fresh. We’ll use the National League like we did last year. We’ll chase it but with a view to seeing as many of them (players) as we can.”
With the kick-off of the 2018 season fast approaching, Dublin are preparing for battle in Donegal on 28 January.
Their campaign opens with a tough test — Donegal are last year’s Division 1 league beaten finalists and Maxi Curran, who worked with Jim McGuinness in the past, has taken over at the helm there.
“Very tough,” he concedes. “I’m sure they’re moving well. We would have rated Donegal highly last year. They’re a fine outfit.
“They’ve a new management team and that always brings a bit of a spring. It’s a challenge.”
But one they’re relishing, no doubt.
Gourmet Food Parlour are the official nutritional partners with the Dublin GAA County Board and own restaurants in Swords, Santry, Malahide and Dun Laoghaire. One of the largest sports catering companies in Ireland, they also work with DCU, FAI, IRFU, Swim Ireland and Special Olympics to name a few.
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Legend and class act of a man! From a Dublin fan.
@Robbie Delaney: Hmm. https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ewan-mackenna-theres-a-long-line-of-uncomfortable-truths-following-mickey-harte-that-cannot-be-shaken-off-37269637.html
@Robbie Delaney: would a class act of a man write character references in defence of a r*pist who threw the woman out of a van and left her there? I’m not so sure to be honest
@COYBIG: if he’s asked to do a character reference why wouldn’t he?
@Gaius Gracchus: what on earth was your point in dredging up that biased article???No-one ever said MH isn’t flawed like the rest of us but at the end of the day I have the height of respect for him as a manager, a parent, a cancer survivor and basically an all round decent and honest man.
@Michael B: personally I’d feel very uncomfortable providing a positive character reference to a man who admitted to sexual offences
@Michael B: are you actually serious????? You would write a character reference for a man to pled guilty to raping a woman and firing her out of his van?
@Frank Dubogovik: because it’s important to understand what actually drives him. The character reference, and lack of understanding why it was a problem, is an issue. Everyone has experienced death and tragedy, but with Harte it seems to be the distraction from his inadequacies, rather than than a driving force. There is zero chance of him stepping down, and zero chance of the country board replacing him, and this hold on power will mean lack of a fresh vision for all ages, and years in the wilderness for Tyrone.
@Gaius Gracchus: You’ve just reminded me why I never liked Mickey Harte!!!
@Gaius Gracchus: hmm! The Independent. Then it all has to be true….
@Gaius Gracchus:
That article is an appalling piece of journalism.
@Paddy Reid: how about this one… Straight to the point https://amp.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/womans-fury-as-sex-attacker-given-reference-by-gaa-boss-harte-is-jailed-for-twoandahalf-years-29102469.html
@Paddy Reid: that’s not the point
@Gaius Gracchus: Ewan McKenna wrote that, enough said
@Dublin Gooner: What difference does it make who wrote it?
@Gaius Gracchus: what a mor0n you are. Any one can google an ad from a newspaper hack have you no independent thought analysis of your own ??
@Gulliver Foyle: Years in the wilderness? An all Ireland final this year and a semi final last year. I’d say that a lot of teams would love to be stuck in that wilderness alright.
He’s a great man to bring a team to croke Park after all he has been through in the last few years anyway the best team won on the day;
The man is a pain in the ar*e. They need a new mananger that will encourage a more attacking style of play.
@John Longmore: again you’re showing your complete lack of knowledge of the Gaa. There is no one else capable of doing what he does. Tyrone have 42 clubs unlike cork which has around 250, he gets the best out of what he has.
@paddy fox: Cork may have that many clubs but Gaelic football is ,was and always will be a second class sport in Cork played primarily for fitness for the hurling season and only played seriously in small pockets of the county. I would venture Tyrone would have a greater pick of actual serious footballers than Cork selectors
@paddy fox: how many clubs have Dublin? Also look at their population & the amount of money being pumped in.
@Margaret: what have the dubs got to do with this get a grip Margaret
Up the dubs for 5 in row
@Colm Lyons: duck broken by Kerry miners so it could happen.
What terrific words from a legend just shows you ” there’s more to life than winning football games” class from the man.
Ryan Mc Meniman tough rough Tyrone man, was a wimp against the Ozzies.