STEVEN POACHER: Empower players to problem solve


By Steven Poacher THIS Saturday morning at 10am, we have our annual Coach Education Day at St Joseph’s in Newry. The four guest coaches presenting on the day provide arguably one of the finest line-ups we have had to date. Colm Collins, former Clare senior football manager, will kick-start the day with an indoor talk […]


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: Go for the ga


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: Goalkeeping conditioning


By Patrick Morrison Whenever I am coaching different teams and/or individual goalkeepers during pre-season I complete their goalkeeping conditioning. They regularly ask me ‘What is goalkeeping conditioning?’ After praising them for being brave enough to ask the question I then answer it for them as best I could. By now, the GAA fraternity have become […]


SHANE RICE: Mastering the art of Gaelic football preparation


GAELIC football, a sport rich in tradition and passion, demands more than just physical prowess on game day. Victory is not solely achieved through training and skills development; it’s the culmination of meticulous game day preparation that sets the stage for success. I will delve into the essential pre-game routines, strategies, and mental preparation that […]


JOE BROLLY: Won’t somebody please think of the audience?


AFTER 29 minutes of the Mayo Senior Football final on Sunday, co-commentator John Maughan said, “All I can do is apologise to the viewers for this really terrible spectacle. I’m not sure it’s going to get any better.” At half time, hundreds of people upped and left, leaving empty rows of seats in the middle of […]


STEVEN POACHER: A good coach is always learning


By Steven Poacher In just over two weeks, hundreds of coaches from all over Ireland will descend upon our school, St Joseph’s Boys High School, Newry, to attend our now annual Coach Education event. The event that has been in existence for over 14 years now is unique and different to most days, first and […]


PATRICK MORRISON: Effective communication


By Patrick Morrison WHAT is Effective Communication? Communication is any form of information that is relayed between two interfacing entities. Whether it be audible, visual, hand signals or even just body language if it sends a message to be received it is deemed as communication. Goalkeepers are in that precarious position of play developing in […]


STEVEN POACHER: The best time of year to learn


COACH Education is a subject very close to my heart, it’s a huge passion of mine, as a coach I never want to stop learning, in fact I have a small black note book I carry everywhere with me, quite a bit of my week seems to be spent in a car, so therefore the […]


DECLAN McCOY: The imitation game


GAELIC football is gradually moving towards a reset in the fundamental make up of teams. We have two points to consider in this regard. Firstly, the standard programme lays out the 15 players in the traditional structure. They consist of a ‘keeper, six defenders, two midfielders and six forwards. I can’t for the life of […]