By Paddy Heaney
First Published March 3 2009
When I met Eoin Liston at the Nationwide Building Society in Tralee last September, the Kerry legend was under pressure.
The previous week a Sunday newspaper had carried a scare store about the Nationwide. It was an uncertain time and Eoin hadn’t much time to spend chatting to a journalist.
Nevertheless, my interview with ‘the Bomber’ ended with the two of us waltzing around his office, trying to avoid clattering into the table and chairs.
Those confused by this behaviour may be relieved to learn that we were simulating a tackling drill that’s fairly standard practice among northern county teams.
When I failed to explain the drill to the Bomber’s satisfaction, he asked me for a physical demonstration. Naturally, ‘the Bomber’ was the forward and I was the defender.
I demonstrated the ‘near hand’ tackling technique which prevents forwards from drawing easy fouls by grabbing an outstretched arm and falling over.
I told ‘the Bomber’ that if he watched Tyrone, he would see that their players tackled with the ‘near’ hand all the time. The Bomber, who is a club manager in Kerry, was utterly fascinated.
Liston loves his football and he talked about all facets of the game with unbridled enthusiasm. So much so that the interview ended with the seven-time All-Ireland medallist asking me for my telephone number.
Think about that. A GAA icon, unabashedly seeking to learn something from a journalist whom he’d never met before in his life.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is genuine humility. The attitude of ‘the Bomber’ and many other Kerrymen is in marked contrast to the growing legion of ex-footballers, managers, and supporters in Ulster who reckon they have nothing left to learn.
When Kerrymen occasionally drop their guard to voice a complaint about the “nouveaux riches” in the north they point to our arrogance and growing conceitedness. It must be said their objections aren’t without foundation.
Let’s consider a few home truths. Kerry have won 35 All-Ireland titles. And yes, I know what you Kerry-begrudgers are already saying, that they won the bulk of those medals ‘back in the day’. This is nonsense.
During the last 20 years, Kerry have lifted the Sam Maguire Cup on five occasions (1997, 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2007). Also, bear in mind that these five titles were won during a period which covered the 11-year ‘famine’ that lasted from 1986 to 1997.
That same period of time marked an era of unparalleled success for Ulster football in which the Sam Maguire Cup was brought north on eight occasions.
All in all, this means that, during the last 20 years, our proud and boastful nine-county province has managed to beat the one county of Kerry on a scoreline of 8-5. It’s not exactly a trouncing.
And yet listen to northern gaels and you’d swear that Kerry were our poor cousins. An increasingly sniffy attitude is being adopted towards the most successful county in the history of the game.
The longer this unfounded superiority complex persists, the more likely Kerry are to remain in their vaunted position at the top of the roll of honour.
Why? Because Kerry’s greatness lies in the fact that they’re never too proud to copy.
When Paidi O Se refused to learn from Armagh and Tyrone in 2002 and 2003, he was swiftly replaced. His successor Jack O’Connor admitted that he met an Ulster coach to learn tackling drills. O’Connor openly revealed that he analysed DVDs of Tyrone over and over again.
Meanwhile, we in Ulster steadfastly refuse to imitate any aspect of the county which continues to dominate gaelic football.
In a way, northern gaels now share the outlook of some of our unionist brethren. Their terms of reference and field of vision stop at Newry.
Subsequently, Ulster counties only copy other Ulster counties. For instance, since Derry became the first county to develop a purpose-built training complex, they have been copied by Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh. Donegal, Tyrone and Antrim also plan to follow suit.
The same can be said of Club Tyrone which has spawned Club Derry, Club Antrim, Club Erne and the Friends of the Orchard County.
Ulster is the ultimate ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ province. Templates for Go-games, development squads, and foreign training camps have all been slavishly imitated.
In Ulster, we believe that success at underage level and schools level are pre-requisites for success at senior level.
But Kerry buck all these accepted tenets of Ulster football. Their schools don’t win the Hogan Cup. In 1994, they won their only All-Ireland minor title of the past 20 years. They have no county training complex. The seniors train on a pitch beside Fitzgerald Stadium.
And yet, Kerry continue to thrive at senior level. How? They must do something that sets them apart.
It could be the unique way in which they set up their county Championship. The divisional system allows the best players from smaller clubs to compete with the heavyweight outfits like Laune Rangers, Dr Croke’s, and Kerin O’Rahilly’s.
Last season’s South Kerry side was an amalgamation of eight clubs: St Mary’s, Cahirciveen, Rendard, Waterville, Sneem, Derrynane, Skellig Rangers, Valentia and St Michael’s, Foilmore.
It must also be noted that divisional competition hasn’t diminished the quality of the smaller clubs. South Kerry produced this year’s All-Ireland Junior (Skellig Rangers) and Intermediate champions (St Michael’s, Foilmore).
An argument could be made that the divisional system helps to dilute the instense rivalry of club football that is so prevalent in a county like Derry.
If the Kerry model was replicated in Derry, then the best players from Claudy, Foreglen, Drum, Drumsurn, and Ardmore could form a North Derry divisional team. A North-West team would comprise Magilligan, Limavady, Glack, Faughanvale, Slaughtmanus, Ogra Colmcille, and Steelstown. These divisional sides would play in the senior championship against clubs such as Dungiven, Ballinderry, and Bellaghy. Likewise in Down, the Belfast-based clubs of Bredagh, Carryduff, and St Paul’s, Holywood could form an East Down side.
It’s just a suggestion. But the main thrust of the argument lies in the fact that we in Ulster have not made a concentrated and deliberate effort to rigorously examine the structures of Kerry football.
There must be a reason why they can continue to prosper despite an absence of specialised training complexes and successful college and minor teams.
Only pride, the price of petrol and a partitionist mindset is stopping Ulster counties from turning their myopic gaze to the deep south of the country.
Part of Kerry’s strength lies in their willingness to learn from the opponent that beats them. Unless Ulster teams are willing to learn from the strongest county of them all, then we are never going to produce humble bank managers (with seven All-Ireland medals) who practise tackling drills in their office.
PS Eoin, I’m still waiting on that call.
The previous week a Sunday newspaper had carried a scare store about the Nationwide. It was an uncertain time and Eoin hadn’t much time to spend chatting to a journalist.
Nevertheless, my interview with ‘the Bomber’ ended with the two of us waltzing around his office, trying to avoid clattering into the table and chairs.
Those confused by this behaviour may be relieved to learn that we were simulating a tackling drill that’s fairly standard practice among northern county teams.
When I failed to explain the drill to the Bomber’s satisfaction, he asked me for a physical demonstration. Naturally, ‘the Bomber’ was the forward and I was the defender.
I demonstrated the ‘near hand’ tackling technique which prevents forwards from drawing easy fouls by grabbing an outstretched arm and falling over.
I told ‘the Bomber’ that if he watched Tyrone, he would see that their players tackled with the ‘near’ hand all the time. The Bomber, who is a club manager in Kerry, was utterly fascinated.
Liston loves his football and he talked about all facets of the game with unbridled enthusiasm. So much so that the interview ended with the seven-time All-Ireland medallist asking me for my telephone number.
Think about that. A GAA icon, unabashedly seeking to learn something from a journalist whom he’d never met before in his life.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is genuine humility. The attitude of ‘the Bomber’ and many other Kerrymen is in marked contrast to the growing legion of ex-footballers, managers, and supporters in Ulster who reckon they have nothing left to learn.
When Kerrymen occasionally drop their guard to voice a complaint about the “nouveaux riches” in the north they point to our arrogance and growing conceitedness. It must be said their objections aren’t without foundation.
Let’s consider a few home truths. Kerry have won 35 All-Ireland titles. And yes, I know what you Kerry-begrudgers are already saying, that they won the bulk of those medals ‘back in the day’. This is nonsense.
During the last 20 years, Kerry have lifted the Sam Maguire Cup on five occasions (1997, 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2007). Also, bear in mind that these five titles were won during a period which covered the 11-year ‘famine’ that lasted from 1986 to 1997.
That same period of time marked an era of unparalleled success for Ulster football in which the Sam Maguire Cup was brought north on eight occasions.
All in all, this means that, during the last 20 years, our proud and boastful nine-county province has managed to beat the one county of Kerry on a scoreline of 8-5. It’s not exactly a trouncing.
And yet listen to northern gaels and you’d swear that Kerry were our poor cousins. An increasingly sniffy attitude is being adopted towards the most successful county in the history of the game.
The longer this unfounded superiority complex persists, the more likely Kerry are to remain in their vaunted position at the top of the roll of honour.
Why? Because Kerry’s greatness lies in the fact that they’re never too proud to copy.
When Paidi O Se refused to learn from Armagh and Tyrone in 2002 and 2003, he was swiftly replaced. His successor Jack O’Connor admitted that he met an Ulster coach to learn tackling drills. O’Connor openly revealed that he analysed DVDs of Tyrone over and over again.
Meanwhile, we in Ulster steadfastly refuse to imitate any aspect of the county which continues to dominate gaelic football.
In a way, northern gaels now share the outlook of some of our unionist brethren. Their terms of reference and field of vision stop at Newry.
Subsequently, Ulster counties only copy other Ulster counties. For instance, since Derry became the first county to develop a purpose-built training complex, they have been copied by Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh. Donegal, Tyrone and Antrim also plan to follow suit.
The same can be said of Club Tyrone which has spawned Club Derry, Club Antrim, Club Erne and the Friends of the Orchard County.
Ulster is the ultimate ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ province. Templates for Go-games, development squads, and foreign training camps have all been slavishly imitated.
In Ulster, we believe that success at underage level and schools level are pre-requisites for success at senior level.
But Kerry buck all these accepted tenets of Ulster football. Their schools don’t win the Hogan Cup. In 1994, they won their only All-Ireland minor title of the past 20 years. They have no county training complex. The seniors train on a pitch beside Fitzgerald Stadium.
And yet, Kerry continue to thrive at senior level. How? They must do something that sets them apart.
It could be the unique way in which they set up their county Championship. The divisional system allows the best players from smaller clubs to compete with the heavyweight outfits like Laune Rangers, Dr Croke’s, and Kerin O’Rahilly’s.
Last season’s South Kerry side was an amalgamation of eight clubs: St Mary’s, Cahirciveen, Rendard, Waterville, Sneem, Derrynane, Skellig Rangers, Valentia and St Michael’s, Foilmore.
It must also be noted that divisional competition hasn’t diminished the quality of the smaller clubs. South Kerry produced this year’s All-Ireland Junior (Skellig Rangers) and Intermediate champions (St Michael’s, Foilmore).
An argument could be made that the divisional system helps to dilute the instense rivalry of club football that is so prevalent in a county like Derry.
If the Kerry model was replicated in Derry, then the best players from Claudy, Foreglen, Drum, Drumsurn, and Ardmore could form a North Derry divisional team. A North-West team would comprise Magilligan, Limavady, Glack, Faughanvale, Slaughtmanus, Ogra Colmcille, and Steelstown. These divisional sides would play in the senior championship against clubs such as Dungiven, Ballinderry, and Bellaghy. Likewise in Down, the Belfast-based clubs of Bredagh, Carryduff, and St Paul’s, Holywood could form an East Down side.
It’s just a suggestion. But the main thrust of the argument lies in the fact that we in Ulster have not made a concentrated and deliberate effort to rigorously examine the structures of Kerry football.
There must be a reason why they can continue to prosper despite an absence of specialised training complexes and successful college and minor teams.
Only pride, the price of petrol and a partitionist mindset is stopping Ulster counties from turning their myopic gaze to the deep south of the country.
Part of Kerry’s strength lies in their willingness to learn from the opponent that beats them. Unless Ulster teams are willing to learn from the strongest county of them all, then we are never going to produce humble bank managers (with seven All-Ireland medals) who practise tackling drills in their office.
PS Eoin, I’m still waiting on that call.
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