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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Donegal and Kerry should do nothing out of the ordinary in the next week - take it from me
The wait is almost over for the Cork and Tipperary hurlers but for the Kerry and Donegal footballers, a defining week stretches out ahead. Managing the next seven days will be a factor in where Sam Maguire ends up this year. I was fortunate enough to experience several All-Ireland finals and handling the build-up is something you get better at with experience. I always tried to keep my preparation consistent – game by game, week by week. Everything remained the same. So, when it came to the All-Ireland final, even though it was such a big occasion, it felt no different. My preparation was unchanged. That was the plan, anyway. But it's easier said than done. READ MORE The night before the 2016 All-Ireland final sticks out. I was living at home at the time and I remember trying to watch a movie but people just kept coming in and out of the room. They all meant well but the more it happened, the more frustrated I got. Eventually, I just lost my s**t with everybody. It was a case of all the pressure that had been building up over several days getting released in that moment. Afterwards, the whole episode was playing back in my mind and I didn't enjoy seeing that side of myself. I went out the next day against Mayo and played quite poorly. I scored four points but I think I missed three frees and in general, I didn't play to my standards. The game finished in a draw and the following afternoon I sat down with Gary Keegan. Gary is currently with the Lions in Australia as a performance coach and he is also helping the Cork hurlers. Back in 2016, he was performing a similar role with the Dublin footballers. I just explained to him what had happened the night before the game and he was able to defuse the whole situation for me. He basically said: 'Your family have your best interest at heart and they are just trying to talk about the game, so give them that time and then respectfully ask for your space." We worked on a couple of things like that throughout the week and I was a lot more relaxed in the build-up to the replay. As it turned out, I performed a lot better in the second game too. You learn so much from those experiences and I was able to lean on 2016 to help me ahead of subsequent finals. Dublin's Dean Rock holds off Keith Higgins of Mayo during the 2016 All-Ireland SFC final. 'In general, I didn't play to my standards that day'. Photograph: Cathal Noonan/Inpho More than anything, what I started to understand was that confidence comes from your preparation. It all centres on the things you can control as a footballer. You can't control the amount of flags and bunting around the county and you can't control the excitement of supporters. But you can control your preparation. It's important not to go off course and do something different. Lads can end up doing crazy things in the week before an All-Ireland final, so you really need to strip it all back and just repeat what you had been doing before the quarter-final and semi-final. What got you to the final is going to be good enough. I'm reminded of a story about the great Eamonn Coghlan before the 1,500 metre final at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He shaved his legs the night before the race but then had trouble sleeping because they itched so much. [ Kerry and Donegal show underdogs that only the ruthless survive Opens in new window ] [ Darragh Ó Sé: Kerry and Donegal are operating at a level above because everyone knows their role Opens in new window ] Don't change your preparation. Stay consistent. In that regard, the two-week gap between the semi-final and final is probably better for players too – it allows teams to maintain their battle rhythm. I always enjoyed this weekend – one week out – because usually we had a mini-training camp. It changed from year to year. We might have gone down to Carton House for a Friday-Saturday camp or maybe just based ourselves in DCU. It allowed you to focus on your gameplan, but also to relax as you were away from the outside world and safely within the bubble of the group. I used to feel that was a really nice and refreshing experience – training with your teammates and preparing for an All-Ireland final. It was everything you'd ever wanted as a kid. You can't live in your bedroom and hide away from the world for the rest of the two weeks either – you have to go about your business normally. Inevitably that means people will want to talk to you about the game. Everybody means well, but they might not be saying the right things to you in terms of your mental preparation – stuff like 'you're definitely going to win" or queries about what the celebrations might be like the week after the game. To combat against that, I always had a stock answer ready – a generic line that brought me back to the moment and didn't let me drift. It would generally be something along the lines of, 'I'm really looking forward to the game, I'm going to work as hard as I can and we'll see what happens'. You have to try enjoy the build-up too, because you've worked so hard for so many years to play in an All-Ireland final. That realisation also comes with experience. After I moved out of home, I enjoyed going down to mum and dad's house the day before the game and getting my good luck cards and so on. Then I'd go back to my house and be in my own little bubble for the evening. Over time, I came to realise that by the Saturday I had done everything possible in terms of my preparation. If it wasn't to be for me at Croke Park the following afternoon and I didn't perform well, it wouldn't be down to my preparation. That gave me a great source of confidence. The mornings of those All-Ireland finals were always great. You'd arrive at the Gibson Hotel and meet the rest of the players. You'd start chatting with lads, play table tennis or computer games, there was an air of excitement around the place. They were memorable times. But it is the hurlers of Cork and Tipperary who will get to experience one of the most special days in sport this Sunday. And then a special, defining week stretches ahead for the Kerry and Donegal footballers. Some of these players might never get another opportunity to play in an All-Ireland final. I wish all of them well.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Finn Russell backed to steer Lions to victory as the majestic Scotsman prepares to take centre stage in first test against Australia
Finn Russell has been backed to lead the Lions to victory as the majestic No 10 prepares for the biggest game of his career in the series opener against Australia. The 32-year-old Scotsman will start a Lions test for the first time in front of a sold-out crowd at the Suncorp Stadium. Lions coach Johnny Sexton was one of Russell's critics in the past but the former fly-half has hailed his temperament and defensive steel. 'In the last couple of years, Finn's come into his own as a 10 and he's been able to manage a team,' said Sexton. 'That's the main job that he's got. And then his brilliance will come out, once he's into the game. 'You have a perception of him from the outside. In the last couple of years, he's really matured as a player. You can see, Bath getting to finals, winning trophies, you can't do that if you're just that kind of mercurial 10. He's got his team over the line and he's won a few trophies and he's carried that form into here. Lions assistant coach Johnny Sexton hailed the temperament of the Scottish No 10 'He's been probably our best defender in the backline on this tour so far, I would say. You always knew that was in there, he's a feisty guy out there. 'Physically he doesn't look that big but he's fronted up big time on this tour, a lot of impact tackles and we'll need him tomorrow in that regard because they'll be coming down his channel, I'm sure.' The Lions have been tapping into sports psychologist Gary Keegan to ensure they are at their peak for the blockbuster match. 'You want to make the most of it, you want to go out there and express yourself and if you get overwhelmed by the experience you are not going to do that,' said Sexton. 'Gary has been busy in getting guys ready mentally, and getting them ready to come into what's going to be a cauldron.'
The Irish Sun
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Pat Ryan reveals Cork are set to link up with British & Irish Lions coach ahead of All-Ireland final
IN THEIR quest to tame a Tipperary team who skinned the Cats, Cork will hope to benefit from the input of a man who is currently dealing with Lions. Gary Keegan, the Ireland rugby team's performance guru, also lends his expertise as a mental skills coach to the Rebel hurlers. 2 The 48-year-old is desperate to end Cork's 20-year All-Ireland drought 2 Keegan has also worked with Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) and Cricket Ireland He is in Australia having been added to the Lions set-up by head coach But Pat Ryan confirmed that The Cork boss said: 'Gary has been really involved. He does a lot of one-to-ones with our players. In fairness, he's been unbelievable for us over the last couple of years. 'He's probably down to us maybe five or six times a year. He does an awful lot of one-to-ones with the lads and with myself. We do an awful lot of Zoom calls actually which helps, more of a collective Zoom together. Read more on GAA 'He's done one or two of them since he's been away in Australia with the lads and he'll do one or two more before the All-Ireland. In fairness to him, he makes the effort. 'He was up at half three the last day after one of the matches. He's gotten really, really keen. He's got a great affinity to these players and he's as good a fella that you could meet.' Tipperary, He was part of their coaching ticket in 2019 when Liam Sheedy brought the Premier County their most recent taste of Liam MacCarthy Cup success. Most read in GAA Hurling Keegan initially linked up with Cork during Kieran Kingston's reign as bainisteoir. And when Ryan took the reins ahead of the 2023 season, he was eager to retain his services. He added: 'Gary has a great affinity for this group of players. He was adamant that he wanted to stay involved. Obviously his work schedule had gotten busier and things were pulling off him and all that side of it, but he was adamant that he could do it.' 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal Commenting on the growing level of self-belief within the Cork team, Brian Hayes insisted it was 'testament to Gary Keegan' after the St Finbarr's forward delivered a man-of-the-match display in last year's All-Ireland semi-final win over Limerick. But the manager also leaned on Keegan as he sought to identify areas where gains could be made as his team looked to atone for losing the 2024 showpiece to Clare after extra-time. Ryan said: 'I suppose sometimes it's realising that you are the top man and that you are the front man. You realise that you need to be front and centre and you need to be more engaged. 'I was probably managing instead of leading. We have Gary Keegan involved with us and Gary would speak an awful lot about that with me, 'You need to lead a bit more instead of maybe managing the situations a bit more'. KEEGAN'S IMPACT 'It's not taking over or anything like that, it's that you're giving the direction clearer to people and you're giving the direction of what we want to do and the standards and expectations of everybody are clearer. "Then fellas just go and do their jobs, whatever their role is within our group. As well, the fact that we did perform really, really well in 2024, the players believed in us as a management team more. 'And when the players believe in you as a management team and understand that you're doing the right things, and that you can get them to where they want to get to, what their dreams and expectations are. "That gave us a bigger footing again in 2025 to go on and expand our game-plan and expand the way we wanted to do things. We set up a leadership group and that has worked really well this year. The lads who have come into it have been brilliant. 'From 2023 to 2024 it was better. To 2025 it's even better. We're much more player-led in what we're doing, how we play, how we analyse matches and how we come back at it. 'We've a fantastic analysis and video group led by Tomás Manning that really go after a lot of the things that we want to do. 'We've dialled it down a bit as well. The 20-minute video sessions are gone. It's five, six, seven minutes regularly just to get fellas tuned in and that seems to be working as well. 'It's working at the moment and it's going well. But the proof will be in the pudding on Sunday.' RYAN'S 'BIGGEST BUGBEAR' Meanwhile, ahead of another Croke Park full house this weekend, Ryan added his voice to the increasing sense of frustration among managers over the continued absence of the maor foirne. The role, which allowed a team official to enter the field to deliver messages, was scrapped in 2021. Cork have been playing in front of sell-out crowds all through the Championship and during games such as his side's recent When the decibels are raised by a bumper attendance, Ryan explained that it is 'impossible' to communicate with players. He said: 'It's the biggest bugbear I have. You're putting in the best time you can and you want to make changes, but you just can't. 'I was shouting at Mark Coleman ten yards away from me. It was only a simple thing, to push up on a puck-out, but he just couldn't hear me. It's crazy that we're the only sport you don't do it in. 'Maybe things went too far before, the cult of the maor foirne running on to the field all over the place and that side of it. "But I think there should be a situation where you have some sort of mechanism in place where you can maybe give instructions two or three times a half in a game and you have a runner or something like that. 'There are better fellas than me who could come up with those ideas. But it's absolutely crazy that coaches can't adjust in those situations. I'd say we're definitely the only sport that has it. It's amazing"
Irish Independent
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘We are standing on the shoulders of giants' – New boxing chief Jon Mackey using past to build heavweight future
You only need to run through the heavyweight names who've preceded Jon Mackey to appreciate the size of the job ahead for the Dubliner, individuals like Gary Keegan, Billy Walsh and Bernard Dunne.
