A chance in a lifetime

MICHEÁL McDermott works in the banking sector so figures shouldn’t confuse him. Still, the Clare manager had to have a bit of a think when he was asked how many years he has been involved in football management. Eventually he decided it is about 20. McDermott has managed at club and county level with Clare, Kilmurry Ibrickane, Kilfenora and Clarecastle but it was in his work environment that he took his maiden managerial plunge.

“I got a bad knee injury a number of years ago. I was working in the bank and the inter-bank tournament was big at the time. So I managed the National Irish Bank team in that tournament. It was a combination of ourselves and Ulster Bank. That was my first step,” the Cavan man recalled.

 

Based in Dublin at that stage, McDermott moved to Ennis in the mid-’90s. “When I came down to Ennis, I met a wily old character called Johnny Keane and I got friendly with him. He said to me one evening, ‘you wouldn’t come and give us a hand in Kilfenora?’ That’s where it really all started from,” he said.

McDermott has worked with dozens of mentors and club officials but among those who have left an indelible impression is Gerard McCarthy, who joined him as a selector during his two years in charge of Kilmurry Ibrickane.

“He’s quiet in his ways but he’s so effective with the players and as regards reading the game as well. He was a fantastic guy to work with. For a man that I never even had met before going to Kilmurry Ibrickane, we formed a bond over those two years that was absolutely magnificent,” McDermott revealed.

Although he has years of experience in management, McDermott doesn’t shy away from taking responsibility when he realises he has made mistakes. He cites Clare’s narrow Munster semi-final win over Limerick on June 9 as the most recent example.

“When you look at the Limerick game, there’s days that you don’t do things right and I’d be the first to hold my hand up and say ‘yes we did things wrong against Limerick’. It’s all about correcting those things and making sure they don’t happen the next day,” he acknowledged.

The Clare manager says that while he holds the ultimate responsibility, the Clare sideline is a democratic zone.

“It’s a big responsibility but it’s one that’s very much shared among ourselves. Even though I’m the ultimate decision maker, there’s never a decision made without input from James [Foran] or Liam [McHale] or Micheál Cahill on the fitness side, as regards how ready lads are. The main part of preparation is really the four-week lead-up – getting the logistics right, getting everything as regards our game plan right and making sure all the players understand what their role is,” he explained.

As he talks, Graham Kelly, still carrying a hand injury, is working alone with Clare physical trainer Micheál Cahill. McDermott cites the injured Miltown man’s approach as an example of the entire panel’s attitude.

“He still wants to make the Munster final. It’s amazing the work that he has done since the Limerick match. There’s great heart and great desire in an awful lot of these guys,” McDermott said.

He is confident Clare’s attitude and approach will be spot on this weekend. “Ever since the Limerick match, I think it has picked up to another level. They’re looking forward to the challenge of a Munster final, rather than the occasion. That’s what you get a lot of satisfaction out of. These guys have worked hard all year long and they want to do well on July 8.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a swagger about them but it’s a game they don’t fear. Rather than the occasion, the most important thing is to give our best performance possible,” McDermott stressed.

On a personal note, while McDermott said he loves being involved in management, if he walked away from it in the morning, he would have no problem filling the hours.

“I would find it hard to walk away but the other side of it is, I’ve a little girl Katie, who’s 10 years of age and just loves ladies’ football. Whatever chance I can possibly get to see her playing, I always try to. She’s involved with Doora-Barefield and is being coached by Tom Morrissey’s sister, Marie. The one thing about Marie is she’ll make footballers out of every one of those 10-year-olds. She’s managing three U-12 teams in Doora-Barfield and she’s doing it really well,” McDermott enthused.

“I’ve another young lad that’s madly involved in show jumping.  There’s no doubt about it, Paul has been ploughing a lone furrow but he’s 20 odd years of age and he’s able to do it,” he remarked.

As for Sunday, Micheál McDermott doesn’t want to overstate it but he knows these days must be grasped.

“It’s a once-off opportunity, it may never come around again. This is chance-in-a-lifetime stuff and you have to do everything in your power to make sure we’re really ready for it,” he said, before vaulting over the handrail in Clare Abbey and rejoining his Munster championship-chasing players.