MONAGHAN MARKSMAN McMANUS IS ONE OF A KIND
Former Down star Clarke hails Farney’s ace attacker
FOR someone with a reputation f or making t he ball talk, Marty Clarke watched in wonder at the genius of Conor McManus in Omagh. Clarke was the conductor of Down’s attacking orchestra in 2010, before making a swift transition to the pro ranks of the AFL, and he was hugely impressed last Sunday.
Pound-for-pound, he has no doubt the Monaghan man is the best footballer in Ireland right now. His opinion was confirmed by McManus’ breath- taking point from the right touchline late on in the tie.
‘It was unbelievable. I would be a massive McManus fan, always have been. He’s definitely my favourite player in the GAA — he’s probably the best, too. He does it so often against the top opposition. That was just unbelievable that score. He knew it was over straight away, turned to the Tyrone fans and gave it. ‘Thomas Niblock, who was doing the commentary, said earlier he had scored 170 points in the Ulster Championship or something, he’s used to seeing the ball going over but he knew how special that one was. It was unreal. I’ve nothing to compare to that. That was the best one I’ve seen in a long time.’
Clarke was on commentary duty as well with BBC for the heavyweight Ulster match-up and he claimed that the Ulster final is already a fore gone conclusion.
‘I think Tyrone, Donegal and Monaghan are miles ahead of the other six counties — it’s scary how far ahead they are getting. Even though Donegal have two more games to get to the final and Monaghan have one, you can pretty much say that’s going to be the final.
‘Donegal are a very good side as well. Very disciplined and have that sprinkling of stars as well. So that will be a great game if that is the Ulster final.
‘Those three are up there, I think they are all Super 8 teams. They’ll make that last eight. You couldn’t really make a strong case for any of the other six counties. They might make it in any given year but those three are very consistent, have such good players.’
Clarke was in Dublin as part of the official launch of the Benetti Menswear GAA Ambassador campaign and was asked about his native Down, who f ace Antrim at Páirc Esler in Newry on Saturday in the Ulster quarter-final.
‘People will say Down had an unbelievable year last year — they had two wins. Fair enough, they were against good opposition in Armagh and a very good team in Monaghan. But two wins shouldn’t get you too excited the way it did so it shows how far we’ve dropped down and how far we have to go again. Hopefully, we’ll get a win on Saturday and go from there.’
Clarke announced his retirement as a footballer at just 29 after being diagnosed with Addi son’s disease — a disorder which results in the adrenal glands not producing enough steroid hormones.
That prompted his return from a second stint in the AFL, having been a driving force in Down reaching the 2010 All-Ireland final in between.
‘I’m not playing anything at all now this year,’ he revealed.
‘It’s been a year where I’ve just kind of done my own training, which I’ve enjoyed. If I want to train on a Tuesday afternoon or whenever I’m free, you don’t have to wait until Wednesday at 7 with the group.
‘You miss playing and getting out there but with the two wee ones and I’ve just finished a degree, I’ve just decided this year that I wasn’t going to play.’
He said he has made his peace with not being an elite sportsman, despite arguably being cut off in his prime.
‘It’s just too far out of reach now for me to get there. I still love training and I want to get fitter if I can and keep down the gym. In terms of getting up there, it hasn’t crossed my mind but, if ever I felt that I was capable again I’d have no problem putting my hand up, but it’s not on the radar at the minute.’
To fill the void, Clarke coaches St John’s in Down, with whom his brother plays, as well as doubling up as selector/trainer with the Cavan Under 20s.
He looks at his former coach Steven Poacher’s impact with the Carlow senior footballers, viewing him as a perfect fit for Down in the future.
It is something that interests Clarke, too.
‘No question, you always want to manage your own county and train them, be involved with them. It’s good to cut your teeth i n club f ootball, underage, maybe a different county for a while — build up your skills and contacts and stuff. It would be a dream to win the All-Ireland with Down in any capacity.’
‘You always want to manage your own county’