Column: What are we developing?

By Michael McMullan

I was off last week and decided to scale the heights of Mount Errigal on a glorious sunny day.

It’s well worth the dander and the couple of bottles of Heineken 0.0 never tasted better in Teach Mhicí.

The chat with owner, former Donegal star Kevin Cassidy, invariably turned to football.

An attacking wing back in his pomp, he was quite the player and we’ll never forget the booming point in 2011 against Kildare in Croke Park.

It was one that was practiced during that week under the watch of Tom ‘Beag’ Gillespie, a coaching icon in the Gaoth Dobhair club. It was the best form of homework – burling points on the pitch in Magheragallon.

What struck me about chatting with ‘Cass’ last week was the number of underage games he was taking in.

He was raving about an U16 game that was full of expression and ambition. We were chatting about Kevin’s early take on the FRC’s blueprint for the game.

In a column in these pages, he wrote about how he felt the bag of footballs could now be put to better use with underage. In soccer, we hear the ‘skills pay the bills’ line.

In an amateur sport, the players with the best basic skills matter. Take your pick from one of our favourite stars.

Without going into much detail, Cassidy noticed how players from the county development panels are those who are still using the control word. The shackles are on.

As I drove home through the scenic Poisoned Glen, on the way home, it got me thinking. Are development squads coaching individuals to slow the game down?

I was thinking of Andy Moran’s ‘keep swinging’ mantra with Mayo, telling the players to keep hammering at the two-point shots.

Moran challenged Jack Carney to kick the scores that would elevate him as a player.

I think of Sleacht Néill defender Francis McEldowney saying how hard it was to know what Eoin ‘Skinner’ Bradley was going to do next because the attacking ace didn’t know himself.

After the 2025 All-Ireland final, I remember saying on our Gaelic Lives podcast how teams needed to stop containing Kerry. The only way was to outscore them.

Welcome to Mayo 2026. Darragh Beirne. Ryan O’Donoghue. Kobe McDonald. Three artists.

KEY INGREDIENT…Coaching sessions should have as many footballs as possible

They also had the energy levels to aggressively press the life out of Kerry and the bravery to keep doing it.

So, that’s two All-Ireland finals won under the new look rules by teams who put emphasis on making themselves better at the basic skills than anyone else.

Then, committing to a conditioning programme that would keep them going to the dying embers.

There is also a time for control. I’m not saying there isn’t, but it should be something coached into a player after they have ticked every other box. A nugget to use when a slow attack is the only option.

My idea of a development squad is to polish the key components. The weak side. How they take on the last defender. The footwork needed to mark the top forwards.

There will be the element of physical development. For me, I think that would be better done in schools.

Trucking the best underage players all over the county to an elite underage camp is one thing. Money would be better spent furnishing the schools in a county with the important gym equipment.

Most have them anyway and staff could be trained up to follow a county’s conditioning plan.

More players from the feeder clubs would have access to conditioning. A generous portion of them would be studying PE at school anyway.

It would leave them better positioned to be selected for the county minor team when the time comes around. They’d also spend more time in their own friendship group.

After that, a year playing county minors would help them step further towards an inter-county senior path.

It would leave underage club teams free to coach everyone on their U14 and U16 teams to play football with expression. The key word here – everyone. And all in the same manner. With expression.

I feel, in the long run, county minor teams would be better served and we’d have a stronger club scene.

There is a Tom ‘Beag’ Gillespie in every club. Sometimes many. If there isn’t, then clubs must look at their structures.

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In last week’s column, I was outlining the loss of our talented players who have been snapped up by AFL scouts as something we have to accept.

Since then, Colm Keyes broke a story in the Irish Independent of Dublin’s Charlie McMorrow being among a group of hopefuls at a trial in Athlone.

While it will be disappointing to lose any more players, my stance hasn’t changed.

This is going to happen and it puts a greater emphasis on underage GAA coaches to develop everyone, not just the cream of the crop.

It’s similar to someone moving away for work or study. Often GAA clubs only focus on the best players and ignore the rest.

The Aussies aren’t after the piano carriers but successful clubs bring everyone along that wants have a go at becoming a pianist in the future.