The DONNELLY EFFECT
Having cut his teeth in Cavan , Tyrone old boy Peter Donnelly is credited with turning the Red Hand county’s raw talent into honed power
BRIAN McGUIGAN was at pitch level in Celtic Park for Tyrone’s facile win over Derry last month. From that vantage point, Peter Donnelly’s effect on the players was crystal clear. McGuigan was blown away by the physiques of the players. After little more than a year under Donnelly’s watchful gaze, these young footballers have grown into powerful men.
It was impressive work by his former team-mate — and badly needed. Mickey Harte’s side have not been in an Ulster final since 2010 and in the intervening years, there was a sense that Tyrone have become bullied by more physical opponents. Donegal inside of Ulster and Mayo in the 2013 All-Ireland semi-final. For all their athleticism, they needed to add some brawn.
For all the talented footballers that Harte has drafted into his squad over the past 18 months, his most significant addition was to add his former player to the backroom team. In four years as a full-time strength and conditioning coach in Cavan, Donnelly had fostered a reputation as one of the best in the field and one of the main reasons why that county won four Ulster Under 21 titles in a row.
This afternoon in Clones, those players that he moulded in Cavan represent a sizeable obstacle for his native county. Terry Hyland may be nervous about the inside knowledge that Donnelly has on his players but as former Cavan star Ronan Carolan explains, the coach will always be held in high esteem.
‘Even though he is with Tyrone now, and he is part of their backroom team and standing in Cavan’s way, there is nothing but respect for Peter in this county,’ says Carolan, a selector with those U21 teams. ‘Everyone knows what Peter has done for Cavan, we wouldn’t have won all those U21 titles without him and going back to Tyrone, where he is from, was seen as a natural progression.’
Donnelly makes for an unlikely strength and conditioning guru. There was nothing in his past as a county player that suggested his career path. The Coalisland native was involved with Tyrone for most of the noughties, and has a couple of Celtic Crosses to show for his effort, but he was nothing more than a solid, if limited, squad player.
‘Peter would say himself that he was never the most mobile of players,’ McGuigan explains. ‘But the fact that he has gone into strength and conditioning work, it has helped him extend his own playing career with his club. He’s in fantastic shape himself now. Physically, he is in better shape now than he was in his early 20s.’
It was while he was a member of the Tyrone squad that Donnelly started out on his journey in strength and conditioning. He went to Ulster University, Jordanstown to study exercise science. Dr Eugene Young was GAA director at the college at the time and recalls a young footballer with a serious work ethic.
‘He was a very good athlete and an excellent trainer so it’s no surprise that he has made his mark in team preparation for senior football, but I didn’t see him heading in the direction that he did,’ says Young.
Under former county player Nicholas Walsh, who was then Games manager, Cavan county board had a vision to revolutionise their under-age development. Donnelly (right) was recruited with a remit
for all county teams – and it was a critical step in how Cavan developed so much young talent.
When Donnelly was initially employed as the county’s full-time strength and conditioning coach, it was an unique role in the GAA. But others have taken note of Cavan’s success in creating such a position — none more so than Tyrone, who created a similar position for Donnelly 18 months ago.
While it hasn’t all been plain sailing — there was a brief period in March when Donnelly stepped down from his role over a disagreement over his conditions — he has certainly had an influence in the county. The first thing he did in the winter of 2014 was to improve the lay-out of the gym in Tyrone’s Garvaghy centre of excellence. He also expanded it and he is there on a daily basis, overseeing one-on-one sessions with players if necessary.
Within six months of Donnelly’s appointment, a well-conditioned and extremely fit Tyrone U21 side became All-Ireland champions. And the suggestion is that Donnelly’s influence has made the transition to senior level easier for these young players, making them more comfortable in meeting the demands of Harte’s high-octane game plan.
Carolan says Donnelly’s manner is part of why he has been so successful as coach. ‘When you work with players, younger players in particular, it is always good to explain the purpose behind each drill, and Peter is excellent in that regard,’ the former Cavan forward explains.
‘Players respond to that and the fact that he is an All-Ireland winner, that carried great weight with our players. He walked the walk, and when you are working with young players, it is good you have that to fall back on.’
Although Donnelly arguably did more than anyone to kickstart Cavan’s underage revolution, he rarely put himself forward as the public face.
‘He’s a humble guy, so he wouldn’t go seeking attention,’ Carolan says. ‘But it is good to see his work getting recognised because he deserves all the public acclaim that he gets, both for his work here and in Tyrone.’
It’s a sign of how the modern game has evolved that for all the changes Mickey Harte has made in recent years — to his team’s style of play, to his selectors, taking a more hands-on approach at training — the recruitment of a former player may provide the impetus to capture a fourth All-Ireland title.