Lockdown lesson for athlete Bri
much it means and what it means to my mates who will be acting the maggot on Hill 16.
“I know from speaking to people how much it is missed. It’s no secret. It’ll give a great boost if we can get it up in any form.
“I have no idea how finances of any county board work, to be honest with you. I am sure people will make a way.
“Covid aside, I think we’ll just make it happen. If it has to be done, on a more voluntary basis, if it has to be done to a lower scale, I think it’ll happen, all things going well.
“Maybe that’s me being ignorant, I don’t know the ins and outs of it, but I can’t see financials getting in the way.”
Playing an All-ireland final in an empty Croke Park is not something that Macauley has poured too much thought into, it wouldn’t be as much craic, that’s a fact.”
When asked how he and his already highly decorated teammates would get themselves up for a winter campaign with no fans, Macaulay cites Dublin legend David Hickey.
“He’s an unbelievable character. He was suggesting how a team like ours might motivate themselves and his suggestion was everything has to be fun.
“Everyone has to be enjoying it and I think that’s going to be huge for the lads.
“I’ve no doubt the lads will train their ass off, that happens without anyone having to ask Leinster
them to do that.
SFC titles
“But I think if there’s a sense of fun around the dressing room this year, that’ll be huge and I think as soon as that goes, I’ve no interest in being there as well.” though he recalls: “One of the best games of football I was ever involved with was Leinster against Ulster in Croke Park.
“There was about 14 people at the game and it was an unbelievable game but dead silent, so it was a strange one.
“But look, it can be done and lads will be happy to do it but
Dublin SFC debut
All-stars
Player of the Year
All-ireland club titles
MICHAEL DARRAGH MACAULEY has lamented Paul Clarke’s exit and says the Dublin legend “bleeds blue”.
Clarke left the Dubs management team earlier this month, as revealed by Mirror Sport, despite having only been brought on board by manager Dessie Farrell (below) at the start of the year.
The 1995 All-ireland winner had been part of Jim Gavin’s regime for the 2018 and ‘19 seasons, while he was the team’s coach during Paul Caffrey’s reign from 2005-08.
News of his departure came on the back of star wingback Jack Mccaffrey surprisingly opting out in June, when county players were supposed to be in training with their clubs only – a ruling which remains in place until September 14.
Clarke has always been a hit with the players and Macauley speaks affectionately about him. He said: “Look, it’s a shame Paul’s not around. Paul’s someone who I have an unbelievable amount of time for. I told him that before.
“I always rate people as they are as humans more so than they are as coaches. Paul happened to be excellent at both. He was someone who I really connected with.
“He put a lot of time into me, in midfield in particular.
“Paul bleeds blue as well. Everything he does, everything he has done. He’s done so much for that jersey.
“It’s a shame not to have Paul around but I’m sure we’ll see him involved again at some stage, no doubt, knowing Paul.”
With Clarke declining to comment on the affair, the reason behind his departure remains unclear, though it came shortly after manager Dessie Farrell had appointed coach Brian O’regan, who is well known to Macauley from Ballyboden St Enda’s.
“Brian’s great,” he said. “I actually played with Brian many moons ago and I would have been under management with him for a long time. “Brian is a man who I think has earned this opportunity to be honest. He’s really rose up through the ranks, I think he’s coached every team in Ballyboden and I think across females and males and hurlers, I think he’s won everything at this stage.
“He’s really come on as a coach. He’s hugely organised and he’ll just bring a fresh voice around the Dublin team.”
OLYMPICS hopeful Brian Gregan admits lockdown taught him a valuable lesson about his ‘obsession’ with reaching the Games.
The 400m runner missed out narrowly on qualifying for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
His dream remains to make it to Tokyo 2021 – though he’s able to put it all in perspective now.
Speaking at the launch of the European Week of Sport, Gregan said: “Lockdown taught me that it was actually too much of an obsession and that when you get too clued into something it can be a negative.
“Obviously you need to focus everything you have on it but sometimes you become too obsessive with it and that brings stress and anxiety with it.”
Gregan missed out on
Rio 2016 after being ‘wiped out’ by a mystery bug that attacked his system after pushing hard in training.
He explained: “Again, it was probably that obsession with the Olympics that cost me an Olympic spot. I was doing absolutely everything I could possibly do to get on that team, overtraining and undereating, because with athletics you need to be pretty much as light as you can but also as powerful.”