Veloping future stars
setting was just brilliant. They’re the things we’ll look to build on. The people behind the club are really the driving force and hopefully we’ll be able to build a bit of a connection with Sligo Rugby Club down the line.”
Munster were supportive of his decision to accept the role as Director of Rugby with UL Bohs, and Sheridan is hopeful that sometime in the near future he can build a closer relationship between the two.
He loves his role as mental skills coach with the province, it’s clear for anyone to tell once you speak with Sheridan.
“Before I would have considered taking the role I would have spoken with Munster to make sure that this is OK because that role with Munster has been fantastic and the guys we have who are coming through the system are so easy to work with, they’re very driven and the goal is for them to be the next generation and to not just be willing to wait until their mid20s to go and lift a trophy, which maybe has happened for too long.
“We’ve got such a good bunch of guys who have the necessary talent and physical capacity but now these guys are at a stage where they are just really driven, motivated, organised and respectful young fellas so that role is something that I love doing. Thankfully those two things can work alongside each other.
“When they’re being done well, hopefully we can make a symbiotic relationship between the University and Munster and between Bohs as well.”
It’s probably a cliche at this stage but since the release of ‘The Last Dance’ on Netflix, a documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, there has been much talk about Jordan and how the mental side of the game can play such a huge part.
Jordan’s ‘win at all costs’ mentality got him over the line on many occasions even when his body could not take any more.
Sheridan has always understood the importance of that side of the game, but now others are beginning to see it too.
“I’m biased because I work in that area so I obviously do think it is very important and you’re starting to see it more and more. It’s an area that very rarely you see in a news report or an evaluation of a player. The reason they lost was because they weren’t fit enough, or because they’re not strong enough.
“Sometimes that is it, sometimes you do go ‘they’re a more physically impactful team and we just couldn’t handle it’ but for the most part it comes down to your decision making and handling situations under pressure.
“So much of the game comes down to your decision making and in an open skill sport like football, soccer, hurling, rugby where there’s so many things going on and you need to make so many decisions, you need to put time into training that and trying to work on that.
“We talk about skill development, it’s OK being able to throw a 20 metre pass in your back garden when there’s no-one watching you but you can’t really call it a skill until you can perform that on demand and under pressure in a high stakes environment. That’s a skill.
“So skill development is not just the physical capacity but the mental capacity. These guys are challenging as far as they want to know how to be better all the time. When you work with kids at any age group, the one thing you look for is being coachable.
“If they are coachable you can do anything with them and they can achieve anything. It doesn’t matter how fit, fast or strong you are, if you’re looking to progress and develop, if you’re coachable you can get anywhere.
“That’s the number one thing that we would look for on the mental side as well.”
Sheridan’s attitude is refreshing. He studied while playing rugby professionally, and having something else to focus his mind on other than playing was beneficial.
He didn’t know where his studies would take him in life.
“One thing in professional rugby and we’re lucky with is that the players union and the work that those guys do for trying to set people up for after the game is really beneficial.
“When you look into the actual research into what makes better players and better performers, having other aspects to your life is really important, having that holistic and well-being side to it. It’s not just self care and making sure you take care of your mental health and well-being but it’s also about going ‘this is probably the best route to high performance on the pitch’.
“It’s something that was in my head. I came down originally to do my undergrad, I never envisioned a career in sports psychology, I didn’t think there was one and even right now the world of sport is very fickle, every industry is very fickle and being prepared for that and after that it’s about how you respond.”
As for now, numerous surgeries later, Sheridan cannot play rugby anymore, not even recreationally. But he can still run and exercise.
He misses playing to some degree, but he won’t take any risks with his body.
“I always said to my mates that I’ll have no problem going back playing if I can wear one of those Red Cross bibs and we can play non-contact! No, unfortunately I got to the point with the ankle, the last surgery I had with it was the fifth surgery and that was just trying to get to a point to being functional and being able to run and move again.
“It’s limited in its movements so I wouldn’t be able to go back and play a full game. Thankfully now I can run, I can exercise and I can do 90% of things. I’m not going to be doing a lot of things that I was doing when I was playing. I’m not going to be doing agility, I’m not going to be loading weights up on to a bar and doing deep squats or anything.
“Like everything you just listen to your body and push it where you can. but you don’t be foolish about it.”
He is now in a position where he can be thankful for everything that the sport has given him in life, and it’s not just about the wins and silverware. It’s about so much more than that more Sheridan.
“I’m very lucky. It’s a fantastic game. I love it, I love what it’s given me in the relationships and support around me in good times and bad. I could spend ten lifetimes and never be able to give it back. I place a lot of value in the relationships that come out of this game and in sport in general.
“Over the last few months, as communities you see the impact it can have when sport is removed. It’s not about winning or losing a game, it’s not about lifting a trophy even though I love competing, but sport is about more than that.
“It’s about community. It’s about what sport means to the people around and what it means to supporters, members, because the game is going to end for everybody but being in the community aspect and the relationships, that doesn’t have to.
“To me, that’s the bit I love about it. It’s what I love about working with Munster, I want them to go on and win trophies and to take the club where it wants to go. I think they’re the ones to go and do it combined with some of the guys who are there at the moment.
“At Bohs, I feel very honoured to be given this role because of how important this club is to me and with that comes great responsibility.”