PATRICK MORRISON: Box out


By Patrick Morrison 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 Ógs) in the Christian Brothers PS and competed in a few competitions throughout the […]


DECLAN McCOY: Rip it and run


By Declan McCoy THERE’S only one place to start this week’s article and that is to say a massive well done to Armagh on reaching the All-Ireland final. Whilst we haven’t yet got over the line, we sometimes take for granted the brilliant days out Geezer and the players have given us over the last […]


SHANE RICE: How anaerobic speed reserve can get your team championship ready


THE ASR method is something I have researched over the past 18 to 24 months. Combining MAS and MSS is a much more accurate way of conditioning and profiling the players for the championship ahead. I would only use ASR for the summer, mainly because I find it difficult to find true MSS in the […]


STEVEN POACHER: Donegal’s tactical evolution


SO we are down to the final four of the All-Ireland Championship and not too many would have predicted that Louth would have stayed in the championship longer than Dublin (albeit one day) although it’s disappointing for Leinster to have no representation in the last four. Ulster have two sides involved, Munster one and Connacht […]


JOHNNY McINTOSH: Bucking the trend?


I THOUGHT it was brilliantly refreshing that Offaly won the All-Ireland U-20 Championship. It was a brilliant occasion with some brilliant hurling, and they look like a team that have totally broken the mould. They’re a small, light, athletic team, they’re not full of lads who are all six foot plus. Adam Screeney is the […]


PATRICK MORRISON: Be coachable


“The best skill that I ever had was that I was coachable. I was like a sponge, and aggressive to learn. Being ‘coachable’ means being humble and vulnerable enough to know you’re not perfect. It means being open to honest and constructive feedback, even if it is tough to take. Being ‘uncoachable’ includes behaviours such […]


JOHN McMAHON: Facilities v Personnel


OVER the last 10 years, the development and growth of club facilities around the country has exploded. The addition of new gym facilities for most clubs now has become the norm with state-of-the-art equipment, layout and buildings. Serious investment, time and expertise has been utilised within clubs to deliver these high-quality facilities for their teams […]


STEVEN POACHER: Parents must become positive role models


LAST year, big news emerged from Croke Park that the GAA is taking out the competitive element out of games and blitzes for hurling and football for u-12, in a bid to make the sport more inclusive, forgiving and ultimately more focused on participation and enjoyment. There was a mixed response to the news, with some GAA […]


DECLAN McCOY: Wishing away the seasons


I WAS struck by an interview David Clifford gave recently where he essentially said you can’t wish away the season just to wait for an All-Ireland final. ‘If you do start looking too far down the line, you’re not living in the present at all. You’re kind of wishing the time away. Even the time […]


STEVEN POACHER: Subs are vital in modern game


AFTER Armagh’s hugely impressive win over Derry in Celtic Park last weekend, Oisin O’Neill and brother Rian spoke about the impact the Armagh bench has been making this year. When Conleith Gilligan was appointed coach, the first thing he did was forensically examine the statistics and impact that the subs were having on games,. He felt the […]