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 […]
PATRICK MORRISON: The goalkeeping spectrum
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 […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Should I stay or should I go?
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 […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Rethink your restarts
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 […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Deepening the well
By Patrick Morrison WE all know the importance of the goalkeeper position and how it has become one of, if not the most important positions on the field of play. With that said, the goalkeeping position should then also be one of, if not the most, important position to develop for your club and county. […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Go for the gap
By Patrick Morrison ALL goalkeepers want to improve. It doesn’t matter what age, level or reason for playing as a goalkeeper, we all want to feel as if we are becoming better ‘keepers on a weekly basis. Any goalkeeper that is serious about their position will always strive to reach the pinnacle of their ability. […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Practice deliberately
By Patrick Morrison FOR the past two months, I have been printing articles about skill acquisition and when they should be roughly introduced. It also gave a levelled framework for both goalkeepers and coaches to follow when they are trying to introduce new skills at any stage of their development. By giving them a framework […]
PATRICK MORRISON: SWEEP THE SHEDS
By Patrick Morrison ON Saturday 15th July 2017, Armagh played in an All-Ireland Qualifier against Tipperary down in Semple Stadium. In a fantastic game that was end-to-end throughout with tit-for-tat scoring, we, Armagh, finally came from behind to win out by two narrow points. We finished the game stronger and as the game drew to […]
PATRICK MORRISON: It’s important to box out
By Patrick Morrison IT was back in the early ‘90s 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 Ógs) in the Christian Brothers PS and competed in a few competitions throughout the […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Life after football
By Patrick Morrison RETIREMENT from and preparing for retirement from Gaelic football is an area that is seriously neglected and needs a rejuvenated approach. There are clubs and counties that do already provide excellent post-playing mentorship for players but for most teams I feel this is lacking compared to other sports. During the Alex Ferguson era […]