By Patrick Morrison WHENEVER I am coaching, one of the most common questions I am asked is ‘what is the most important aspect of being a goalkeeper?’ My answer is always the same. There is no one aspect that is more significant than any other as mastery of the position needs a competent level of […]
IN 1890, an Irish businessman and goalkeeper called William McCrum, from the small village of Milford in County Armagh, invented the penalty kick. Up until that point there had been no definitive infringement for fouls that were committed inside of the 18-yard square as well as for intentional handball to stop opponents from scoring He took […]
By Patrick Morrison IN the modern game of Gaelic football, we are under no illusions about the sudden rise in focus on restarts. This rise has also coincided with the rise in importance of the goalkeeping position as a whole. What the goalkeeper can offer to their team has grown exponentially over the past 25 […]
AS a goalkeeper it is necessary to have a solid set of reasons as to why you play the position. With the levels of skill and abilities a goalkeeper needs to hold ever-increasing and the weight of expectation to reproduce those skills to the highest of standards on a consistent basis, having a strong set […]
THIS week’s title stokes memories of that famous 1990 number one single of the same name, from Irish singer Sinead O’Connor. The song, originally written and sung by Prince, depicts the emotions of a heartbroken lover going through a difficult break-up and for the purpose of this week’s article it is a very fitting analogy in […]
IT was back in the early nineties that I first experienced the game of basketball. As a tall primary six student I was afforded a place on the school basketball team. We were coached by Jimmy McKee (Pearse Óg) in the Christian Brothers PS and competed in a few competitions throughout the year. At the […]
OVER the past 20 years we have really seen the evolution of the goalkeeping position in Gaelic football. So much so that we have seen possibly the greatest ever in Stephen Cluxton to the newest modern phenomenon of ‘keepers joining the fray. Over the past 20 years, and even before then, we have seen a dramatic […]
Mayobridge’s Charlie Smyth recently signed for NFL side New Orleans Saints. Michael McMullan spoke with two men who know him well, clubmate Tom O’Hare and former coach Philip McEvoy CHARLIE Smyth is in dreamland. Five years ago, a fresh-faced 17-year-old punched send on an email asking for a shot at the NFL. It took a […]
By Patrick Morrison THIS week, I was invited onto the Gaelic Life podcast ‘Gaelic Lives.’ The show was hosted by Michael McMullan and also involved ex-Derry player Gerard O’Kane, both of this stable. We mainly discussed the NFL finals that involved Ulster teams while also discussing the phenomenon of warm weather training camps and their […]
By Patrick Morrison “IF you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a 100 battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” This is […]
