Duff lays down law at merciless pre-season boot camp
Shels boss means business
“It’s a good help for our bonding”
PORTMARNOCK beach on Monday morning. The temperature is zero degrees and Damien Duff is in full Gunnery Sergeant Hartman mode as he oversees Shelbourne’s preseason boot camp.
As Paddy Barrett labours in the belly crawl along the strand, Duff shows zero sympathy to the experienced defender.
‘We were crawling 200 metres down along the beach and 200 metres back. A proper army crawl. You’re on your belly. I wasn’t great at it. I was one of the lads at the back,’ explained Barrett.
And then? ‘He (Duff) had a pole and he was slapping me on the back, saying “Come on, Beau Barrett. Beau Barrett is a better crawler than ye.” My young fella (Beau) is ten months old.’
Barrett kept going because Duff doesn’t do shirkers, not when he’s overseeing drills in the icy chill.
When the 21 Shelbourne players arrived in Gannon Park, they were unaware what was ahead.
‘We pulled up at Gannon Park in cars. It’s a beautiful area but I tell you, it wasn’t so beautiful on Monday.
‘The new lads didn’t know what they were getting in for. They were asking me and texting in, “Paddy, what are we doing?” but it was into the unknown for me too — I hadn’t a clue.
‘All I knew was we were told to bring spare shoes and a towel,’ said Barrett.
The first leg was straightforward enough. A short jog to a beach familiar to Duff when the Republic of Ireland trained at Malahide United’s ground.
‘We ran to Portmarnock beach where we found (coach) David McAllister dressed up as an army man. They were after bringing down all the equipment and gym from the AUL. It was gruesome,’ said Barrett. What happened next was about separating the men from the boys.
‘There were three groups of seven. We’d to join arms,’ said Barrett.
‘“Sergeant” McAllister took off out in the water. We had to follow him out. We’d sing songs on the way, take our mind off the cold water. Go out chest high. Then walk back in. Sit down in the water.
‘A few of the boys enjoy the water. I wouldn’t be one of them. I enjoy a dip in and out.’
Who was the strongest swimmer? ‘It wouldn’t be Cam Ledwidge anyway. He got out of the water,’ said Barrett. Ledwidge should have known what was coming next. ‘The gaffer (Duff) flipped a switch and he (Ledwidge) was soon back into the water.’ After the swim came ‘the front crawl’, as it were, across the hard, cold, sand. Barrett struggled but he didn’t quit. Duffer doesn’t do quitters. ‘It’s good for bonding and it’s good to bring lads out of their comfort zone.’ If Monday’s boot camp was taxing, it was a lark in the park compared to Duff’s pre-season torment a year ago at the Gormanston army camp. ‘It was mayhem,’ recalled Barrett. ‘In Gormanston, we crawled under a net, and we’d smoke bombs thrown at us. We were rolling about in the smoke while we were pretending to be shot at.
‘After being in the water and doing press-ups and planks, we’d to carry a 100kg manikin up and down a mountain.’ The mountain was akin to a gigantic sand dune but it probably felt like Everest.
Much-travelled Barrett, who played in the UK, Cincinnati and Cambodia, has survived plenty pre-season trials over the years.
‘Dundalk’s were very tough, running-wise. My first year at Pat’s with Stevie O’Donnell was very tough too.
‘I’d been abroad for a couple of years in the heat and came back to freezing cold.
‘One of the toughest days in my life was that pre-season in Gormanston with Shels last year. I was sore for about three weeks after. It’s an eye-opener to see what army training is like.’
It was also a signal of what Duff demands from his players. Seventh in 2022, fourth in 2023, he is aiming higher in 2024 which sees a return to European club competition for the first time since 2006.
For the club’s fans, Duff can walk on water. On Monday, he put his players through it. The full metal jacket.
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