The Goalkeepers' Advice

Gary Connaughton

Aoife Murray

Brendan Cummins

Ciara Trant

Niall Morgan

Eoin Murphy

Brendan Kealy

KERRY FOOTBALLER 2010-2017

Kealy made his senior debut during the 2010 National League; he immediately became a regular member of the starting fifteen, winning seven Munster Championships during his career. He won an All-Ireland in 2014, followed by an All-Star in 2015. He has worked with both the Offaly and Kerry footballers as a goalkeeping coach.

Advice for a young Goalkeeper

One of the most common questions I get asked by young 'keepers is 'How can I make my kickout better/longer?' My answer is always the same - focus on technique rather than length. If you can get your kicking technique right, then the rest will follow and as you get older the length and power of your kick will naturally increase.

In terms of perfecting your technique, begin by kicking off the grass in an unstructured type of way. For example, just kicking around with a friend, 'soccer style', and not placing the ball deliberately before each kick. This helps to train the body and brain to work out different ways of manipulating the ball for different types of kicks (i.e. hooking, curling, slicing, drilling, chipping etc.) as it is not always going to be lying perfectly on the grass. Being able to kick the ball cleanly off the grass is very important as it allows for a wider variety of kicks, including free-kicks and 45s, and if you do choose to use a tee you are then more likely to use a lower tee. I feel I have greater control over the ball when I kick off the grass or use a low tee. Another positive thing about this approach is that you don't always need somebody with you to practise it and you don't have to be running around the field chasing footballs. Kicking into a net is ideal for improving technique, such as the large net behind the goals or else into the goal itself. Why? Well, if we are kicking to a target out the pitch we naturally tend to focus on reaching that target, whereabouts on the field has the ball landed - 45-yard line, halfway line ... By removing this it allows us to focus on things like hitting the sweet spot on the ball, keeping your head up to see what's on, what type of run-up suits best (ideally a two or three step run so it is difficult for opposition to read your kick and you can get it out there quicker) and a punchy, driven type of strike. Over time you will know by the connection when you strike the ball if it is an acceptable kick or not. Then progress it onto the pitch where you introduce a target out the field. They can be stationary or moving, or even boxes marked out with cones.

As with any skill, repetition is key and it's the work you do outside of the days you train with your team that will make the difference. Getting over to the pitch on your own to work on things like this kicking practice, arriving early before training to go through this routine so that once training begins you are already a step ahead, making sure that in between sessions you are stretching and improving your mobility (particularly hips and shoulders for goalkeepers), getting adequate sleep and nutrition ... all of this helps massively and makes it all more enjoyable. And at the end of the day that's what it's all about, enjoyment! If you are enjoying yourself on the pitch then that will shine through in how you play.

Eoin Murphy

KILKENNY HURLER 2011-PRESENT

The complete goalkeeper, since breaking into the Kilkenny team Murphy has proven to be one of the top goalkeepers in the country. The four-time All-Star captained WIT to a Fitzgibbon title in 2014, lining out at centre-back. A key part of the Cats' recent success, he has won five National Leagues, eight Leinster titles and four All-Irelands. He has also won a Kilkenny Junior Championship, Leinster Championship and All-Ireland Championship with his club, Glenmore.

Skill:

Skill is the easiest attribute to practise, but probably ignored the most. When I was younger, I wasn't blessed with speed or physical size so had to rely solely on being very, very skilful. I practised my striking off both sides every day and with that comes a good first touch. The basics of hurling, such as first touch, catching, striking off both sides need to be developed from an early age. The gym work can come as you're older and in your late teens.

Nutrition:

Something that has become vital in more recent years is teams' prep for matches and even training. Once gym work becomes compulsory and training gets harder on the body, the players have to fuel their bodies in the right way. Everyone is completely different so no black and white template can be used, but depending on the type of training the body will need protein and carbohydrates. It's also very important to be taking on enough water each day. Going to training or matches dehydrated will lead to poor performance and eventually injury.

Shane Curran

ROSCOMMON FOOTBALLER 1990-2005

One of the only players to play in Croke Park across four different decades, 'Cake' was a goalkeeper ahead of his time with his rampaging runs beyond his own 45, free taking and even penalty taking. His honours include a Connacht minor medal in 1989, a Connacht title in 2001, an All-Star nomination in 2003, six Roscommon club titles, two Connacht club titles and an All-Ireland club title in 2013 with St Brigid's. He has managed clubs in Roscommon, Offaly and Westmeath and also the Carlow Footballers.

Football, sport and indeed life has changed so much since I started out. There are many outside influences that help us make informed or uninformed decisions regarding our sporting and life ambitions.

When I started you were criticised by your manager or maybe some teammates. This criticism was for your own good, helping to make you a better player and in some cases a better person. Nowadays there are 'keyboard warriors' in every room, every crevice they can find to spout some form of abuse to anyone who dares become much better than they in their chosen sport or career.

For me this is one of the biggest challenges facing young guys and girls. How you deal with setbacks, defeats and uninformed critics will have a major impact on your mental health and your ability to perform to your maximum in your chosen discipline. Some will take it personally, others will continue through the barriers and come out better players/athletes over the course of their careers.

There are many choices young people have to make when deciding to commit large chunks of your time to an amateur game. These may have consequences, loss of career opportunities, loss of social time, and in some cases financial loss due to committing time and energy to sport.

On the flip side, sport offers up huge opportunities. Lifelong friendships are forged. The discipline of practice, good routines - maybe not so good routines after celebrations or disappointments - are all important things to experience. To be successful or indeed to maximise your abilities; practice is a vital pillar of gaining improvement. Gary Player, the world-renowned golfer, once said, 'the more I practised the luckier I got.' I appreciated that quote more as I got older.

There's also the notion that one can't enjoy the normal things in life. Of course, one must be disciplined but it's important to enjoy some fun, a few sociable drinks, eat the odd greasy chip or Chinese, have your holiday, enjoy family or friends' days out. If you're not allowing yourself these excursions, you're highly unlikely to enjoy the huge commitment it takes to become the best you can be.

You hear a lot of comments about sacrifice and you do sacrifice certain things, however no matter what you choose to do there's sacrifice. My advice garnered from twenty-five years playing inter-county and senior club football along with almost ten years as a League of Ireland soccer player, is enjoy, keep everything in perspective and above all keep good company and friends.

Yours in sport,

Shane Curran.

Brendan Cummins

TIPPERARY HURLER 1995-2013

Following his retirement, Cummins has been remembered as one of the greatest of all time. At underage he won a Munster Minor championship, followed by an u21 Munster and All-Ireland Championships. His shot-stopping ability and booming puckouts (he's won the Poc Fada nine times) made him a pivotal figure for the Premier County. The five-time All-Star won four National Leagues, five Munster championships and two All-Irelands during his long career. Cummins first represented the county's...