Andy Moran tells how becoming Mayo manager has changed his life

NEW Mayo manager Andy Moran and his backroom team have been kept busy over the short number of months since being appointed.

Moran said he hasn’t had too much time to reflect on his new job since taking up the role back in August because it has been so busy.

He elaborated: “I haven’t really had the chance to sit back and reflect on the fact that I am the manager.

"I am unbelievably honoured, and it is probably a little bit strange as I probably always wanted to be in this position.

"Even when I was still playing, I was thinking down the line that at some stage I would go away and get my coaching done and to hopefully come back and have a role like this.

"It is a great honour for me, my family, and my club, and I am just savouring it at the minute.”

Andy added: “A lot of people have said to me 'Have you been enjoying the new role as Mayo manager?' and if you don’t enjoy it in November and December, then you have no chance of enjoying it in January, February and March!

“Away from the playing group, we have done a lot of travelling meeting supporters in London (Mayo Association event), and it has been very busy, especially with the five-day training camp in Portugal.”

As a player, Moran made his senior inter-county debut for Mayo away to Down in a National Football League game in Newcastle.

He lasted just over 20 minutes before being substituted, and he explained that senior inter-county football is not all plain sailing.

“What happens to a lot of players is that they come into the team and play really well at the start for the first couple of games.

"But then, what might happen after that is that a back might get overplayed by a forward, or a forward might get taken out by a back, and then all of a sudden you see a massive confidence dip.

“Some of the younger players need to realise that this is not a straight line here and you are not going to go in and be that star that you were at 18, 19 or 20 years of age, and that things will just continue that way at senior level.

“I remember that day well in Newcastle, Down. I lasted 22 minutes and I had to be taken off with exhaustion. John Maughan had put me in at wing-forward and told me just to run as much as I could. I was 19 at the time and I ran as much as I could before being called ashore.

“But the big thing that John did for me was that he started me again in the next game, which was the following weekend against Laois in Ballinrobe.

"He realised that I wasn’t able to balance the fitness yet. However, all of a sudden, my career took off after the Laois game. My career could have ended that day against Down, but John had the experience to know to give me another chance.

“After the Laois game, I also played against Cavan and then John took me out of the team, and I didn’t start a game again until 2004.”

Andy went on to make his senior Connacht Championship debut away to New York in '04.

"He recalled: “Even from my own experience back then, I can learn a lot from that and realise that it takes time for players to make the breakthrough.

"At that time, we had the likes of Conor Mortimer, Alan Dillon, and them guys were superstars from day one until the day they finished, whereas I was more of a longer-term process along the way.”

Moran also values the experience that the likes of Cillian O’Connor and Robbie Hennelly have added to the team since their return to the panel.

“They have great footballing ability. I think Covid really affected some of the younger players, where they social distanced, trained two nights a week, and you didn’t socialise with your team-mates. The older players were there before Covid, so they have seen the way that a dressing room should work and the banter that a team has.

“The likes of Robbie Hennelly, Cillian O’Connor and James Carr are good to have around the place, and they bring good character to the dressing room.”

Two-pointers could have a big bearing on the outcome of games under the enhanced rules, and that's where the free-taking ability of the likes of Robbie Hennelly and Kilmaine’s Adam Barrett could be key.

“I think Rory Beggan from Monaghan scored over 50 points between the league and the championship, and that shows the importance of what players like that can do,” noted Moran.

“It a huge area that we need to bring into our game. Michael Plunkett, Adam Barrett, Cillian O’Connor and James Carr are all well able to shoot from outside the arc, and that is a key area of the new game.”

Highly regarded youngster Kobe McDonald has been training with Mayo and made his debut against Meath in a challenge match before Christmas.

Moran said it is great to have him involved in the squad but is unsure how much game time he will see next season as he is doing his Leaving Cert before jetting off to the other side of the world to take up an Aussie Rules offer.

The Mayo manager said: “Kobe is only just 18, and he is such a good person around the place, and he is training with us.

"We will wait and see, as I don’t like putting objectives on anything. Leaving Certificate year is obviously a big year for him, and he will be joining up with St. Kilda at the end of the year.

“We will give him every opportunity, but let’s just play it as we see it. We would love to have him involved and I am sure Keith Higgins would love to have him involved with the Under 20s, and we should be very proud of these players.

“I was involved with Ballaghaderreen when Pearse Hanley and Cian Hanley left to play AFL. While it is difficult for the club, it is really an exciting opportunity for Kobe. It is hard for us to take it as he is one of our own, but we were always proud of Pearse and Cian Hanley and we will be the same with Kobe.”

The pre-Christmas training training trip to Portugal was of huge benefit, said Moran.

“The last trip that we had as team I was involved in back in 2019. With Covid, there was no real position for the team to get away for a training camp and bond by having a meal together or go for a coffee.

“For the likes of Eoghan McGreal, Hugh O’Loughlin, Darragh Beirne and John McMonagle, it was a great chance to sit down and have a chat and coffee with Aidan O’Shea.

"That’s why, as an amateur sport, these trips are important. Between college, work and family life, players are heading away after training. It is always nice to get a reset. That is the way teams connect and bond.”

AFL star and Kilmaine native Oisín Mullin was also involved in the training camp in Portugal. Moran said his inclusion benefitted the younger players.

“Colm (Boyle) and I were only about a month into the job, and we had a coffee and a chat with Oisín.

"We were kind of thinking about asking him if he would like to do some gym work and training with us, but he asked: ‘Do you mind if I join up with you for a couple of months until the end of December to train and to keep myself in shape?’

“We as a county developed him as player, along with his club Kilmaine, and for him to be now playing professional sport is brilliant.

“The character that he brings around the panel, the professional attitude, the way he practices, trains...it is also great for our younger players to be able to watch him train.

"We asked the county board and he asked Geelong is if was okay to go to Portugal, and we got the green light, and it was too good of an opportunity to turn down.”

The age profile in the current Mayo panel is strong, according to Moran.

He explained: “A lot of players have played an awful lot of football over the years.

"From that 2020 team that I was involved in, a lot of those players – the likes of Enda Hession and Jack Carney – are now reaching 25 and 26 years of age, and they are right at the peak of their careers and will be the spine of the team for the next five or six years.”

Evan Regan had an outstanding season for Ballina Stephenites and the sharp-shooting corner forward was asked if he wanted to play for Mayo.

“When Evan was playing inter-county football we got on really well, and he left the panel nearly the same time as me, so we have always kept in touch.

"When I took the job, I wanted to get the best players in the county playing for Mayo. Evan was asked ‘Do you want to be the team nutritionist or a player?’ and he decided to stay in his role as team nutritionist.

"It would have been remiss of me not to ask him considering what he achieved in the county final and replay.”

Mayo GAA is set to appoint a CEO in the new year and Moran believes this will be of great benefit.

“I think it is going to be brilliant. I was so happy to see it being advertised and at least we are moving in the right direction. The weight it takes off senior managers is huge, and the organisation of team meetings, etc, will be taken care of.

“We need to understand that the Mayo GAA executive is made up of all voluntary positions and they have to do that on top of their own workload. Apart from their various roles, they will now be able to have a formalised approach to all of that.”

Finally, Moran said that Mayo GAA can be a global brand.

“We have such a good Mayo diaspora across the world. We need people to believe that the players and management are doing everything in their power to represent Mayo people all over the world.”

Mayo defeated Sligo in an FBD League game in Charlestown yesterdayt as Moran's charges displayed character and conviction to come from behind and seal victory.