What marks the unsung hero in a GAA dressing room?

© Provided by Irish Examiner

There are certain players who do not attract headlines and are only accurately treasured in the dressing room.

Speaking on the Irish Examiner’s Gaelic football podcast, former Mayo footballer and manager James Horan highlighted the importance of understated figures in Gaelic football and how they help the team.

“Every team has players who are the bedrock or heart of the team. They might not be showy and flashy with big spectacular plays. They are guys who the team get their reference off. They are critical. Physical plays and presence that display the character and attitude of a team.” 

Former Galway captain Gary O’Donnell, who logged 13 years across six different managers, was a guest on this week’s podcast.

“This man here today is one of them. He drove Galway forward for years. Sometimes in tough years. Kept going and kept doing it,” said Horan.

“The most underrated player in our team? There are a couple. You mentioned Jason Doherty. An amazing guy around the place. I would say the guy for me that was so important and I don’t think many realised was Séamus O’Shea. He was one of those rugged strong guys who wanted to do what he could for the team.” 

O’Donnell pointed to former Galway footballer Eamonn Brannigan and current centre forward Johnny Heaney as two examples from his former team-mates.

“Over the last five or six years, I probably would have gone for Eamonn Brannigan,” he said. “Even defining an unsung hero, I am thinking in my head how would you define them? They are the guy who you can hang your hat on. You know at any training or match; he is not going to let me down. He is going to stick to a gameplan.

“He is going to play the way he always does. If you have a job, he will do it. If you are looking from the outside in, you might think that is what every inter-county player should do. But it is not always the case.

“The other thing, the likes of Johnny, Eamonn, Dylan (McHugh), they are never injured. Always available. When I was in with them for national league games that come thick and fast, you might have a few lads cry off on a Tuesday with a tight hamstring, those lads were always out regardless of the session.

“Johnny has been an ever present. When Kevin came in first, himself and Johnny are the same club but he was there on merit, never mind the club thing.

“The first year he didn’t play any FBD, any league, any championship. He was there all year and the second year, he played everything and has been an ever present. His first year he wasn’t injured, he just learned the trade, kept his head down, always available and always ready. In the league final, I thought when he went off injured it showed how pivotal he was.”

Would you like a lunchtime summary of content highlights on the Irish Examiner website? Delivered straight to your inbox at 1pm each day.