keyboardwarrior wrote:I see Gary Longwell former Ulster professional rugby player is retained as a High Performance coach. He’s the Performance skills coach at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland who presumably Ryan came in contact with during his time with Antrim.
Intriguing to think that Longwell would be involved with a team like Offaly who many performance gurus in the south would probably avoid for fear of blotting their CVs given the perennial negative publicity that we seem to attract . Dunno how many sessions he would be taking but it’s one I’d like to be a fly on a wall for.
Given his background I doubt Longwell was a hurling anorak in the 80s/90s so his perspective is bound to be fresh .. which is probably what we need given any southern coach would probably harp on about our past successes and tradition with is an irrelevance to the current crop.
Joe Brolly would probably slate Offaly for paying the likes of Longwell but I think it’s a promising addition to the set up … even if it’s just a few sessions.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 62404.html
sam88885a wrote:keyboardwarrior wrote:I see Gary Longwell former Ulster professional rugby player is retained as a High Performance coach. He’s the Performance skills coach at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland who presumably Ryan came in contact with during his time with Antrim.
Intriguing to think that Longwell would be involved with a team like Offaly who many performance gurus in the south would probably avoid for fear of blotting their CVs given the perennial negative publicity that we seem to attract . Dunno how many sessions he would be taking but it’s one I’d like to be a fly on a wall for.
Given his background I doubt Longwell was a hurling anorak in the 80s/90s so his perspective is bound to be fresh .. which is probably what we need given any southern coach would probably harp on about our past successes and tradition with is an irrelevance to the current crop.
Joe Brolly would probably slate Offaly for paying the likes of Longwell but I think it’s a promising addition to the set up … even if it’s just a few sessions.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 62404.html
I agree that Gary Longwell perspective should be fresh and that many other coachs would see offaly as a lost cause but to say that Offaly tradition is a negative for the current guys is rubbish.
The team of the 80s have to be an inspiration for any young hurlers to come from no where to play in every Leinster final in that decade and win All irelands .
That team was full of leaders .
It shows what can happen when a group of lads believe in each other, create a team spirit , dare to dream and die in their boots to make those dream come true .
Those guys created a tradition which so many counties dont have.
When Offaly hurlers become great again it will be that bit easier because of the tradition those great men created.
keyboardwarrior wrote:Thanks Jimbob – that makes sense. It applies to any sport and any bunch of players but I had a vision on Longwell speaking to the squad and the invariable “whaddafukdoesthatladknow” sentiment simmering around the room.
Sam888885 – I never said that tradition was a negative – an irrelevance. You’d probably still disagree but I genuinely think the younger generation grow up in an instant gratification culture which pays damn all heed to the past and an outsider coming in harking back to that era would probably be seen as regressive … and irrelevant. Private Jokers experience supports that.
Look … I’m with you on the team of the 80s … on a slack night id stick on the 81 final on youtube and the sight of Pat Delaney soaring and charging up the field to point and pass to Bermingham for the goal would lift any offalymans spirits. You can pick anyone of 20 reasons but I feel that era should be treated by the current group as an irrelevance …. if we are to come to terms with where we are and where we could/can get to.
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