JOE caught up with Dublin midfielder and reigning Footballer of the Year Michael Darragh Macauley for a chat about the upcoming clash with Cork, the Samsung Night Run, Sky Sports’ deal with the GAA and scoring goals karate kick style.
Dublin might be the clear favourites to retain the All-Ireland title this year but the National League campaign has taught them that if they are going to do it, they’re going to hit a few speed bumps along the way. A dramatic one-point victory over Tyrone at the weekend was enough to secure their passage to the semi-finals, but they had already been beaten twice and needed a last-gasp Eoghan O’Gara goal to earn a point against Mayo a week previous.
Having experienced what it’s like to defend an All-Ireland title already, midfielder and reigning Footballer of the Year Michael Darragh Macauley is hoping that the Dubs can learn the lessons from the past this time around and in the run-up to the league semi-finals this weekend, we caught up with him for a chat about facing Cork, Sky Sports’ deal with the GAA and his role as an ambassador for the Samsung Night Run, which takes place in Dublin and Cork on April 27.
JOE: The Dubs have qualified for the semi-finals, but it hasn’t exactly been a clean run through. What have you made of your performances so far this season?
Michael Darragh Macauley: I suppose it was a learning experience for everyone in the team, there were a lot of new lads able to get a bit of game time and that’s always great because we’re going to need these guys later in the Championship.
By no means was it a perfect performance in the league and we found out that we’re far from invincible because we were beaten twice and drew once but if you want to take positives from it, we showed character numerous times coming back in games that we had no right to come back in so we’ll take positives from that and look to the future.
JOE: Before we ask about Cork we have to mention your goal against Tyrone last Sunday. Joe Brolly described it as ‘the rarely seen karate kick goal’. Was that something you had been practising or was it just instinct?
MDMA: Yeah I’ve been working on my karate kicks solidly over the last while; ten minutes at the end of every training session! No, I didn’t even know it was a karate kick until I found out from the good folk of Twitter a couple of hours after the match. I wouldn’t score too many so I was just happy to hit the net at all.
http://youtu.be/TKJxtKQ5Nzk?t=40s
JOE: You have Cork up next in the semi-finals and they’re the only team to have beaten you at Croke Park so far. They have a new manager and a lot of new players, have you been impressed?
MDMA: Yeah certainly. I think Cork have been the team to beat so far this year. They’re playing excellent football, they’ve a lot of new lads coming through and a lot of young lads we wouldn’t have seen before and are only getting a chance to play now with all the retirements they’ve had recently. Cork were deserving winners when they beat us in Croke Park earlier in the league so all we can do against them this time is do our best and we’ll give them a good lash on Sunday.
JOE: There’s always a danger of complacency setting into a camp the year after winning an All-Ireland. Was that a problem in 2012 and has your approach changed this season as a result?
MDMA: Complacency is always a thing that people are scared of and I don’t think there’s anything Pat Gilroy could have done in 2012; it was up to the players to really stamp it out ourselves.
When we won All-Irelands in 2011 and 2013 we won them by a fraction and we got through by a bare minimum in the semi-finals and the finals. Literally all it takes is one player to be one per cent off his best and you can lose an All-Ireland. I suppose we weren’t up to scratch in 2012, obviously we’re going to try and learn from the mistakes we made but there are no guarantees in sport; we definitely found that out in 2012 and will be doing our best this year not to let it happen again.
JOE: It’s hard to get complacent in Dublin with the conveyor belt of young talent coming through and while it’s frightening for the rest of the teams around the country, it must be frightening for the established players in the team when you’ve got so many young fellas trying to come and take your place?
MDMA: It’s brilliant. To be honest, it would be very rare for a senior team to be achieving success on a regular basis without a very good under-21 team behind them and I suppose we’ve had great success at that level for the last five years or so. That helps us no end and it’s no big secret that every year there are more and more of lads becoming household names because of the success they’ve had at underage level.
They seem ready and they are ready, physically and mentally, when they make the step up to senior and they’re winners. I suppose success breeds success and those lads are winners. It’s the same with the St. Vincent’s lads coming back into the panel and it’s all great for the whole team in general.
JOE: Cormac Costello has obviously made a huge impression during the league and with Dublin winning the Leinster under-21 title last week, there will likely be more following in his footsteps. Is there anyone in particular coming through that you expect to have a big impact in the next few years?
MDMA: Yeah, Cormac Costello is going to be a major feature for the next few years, Shane Carthy is a super midfielder and he’s going to be around for a long time, Davy Byrne is definitely one to watch as well. We have seven under-21 lads on the senior panel and they’re all staking their claim, they’re not just filling a place on the panel and are there to push players and to try and get a place in the starting 15.
JOE: The league has been great to watch for the neutral because of the increase in scores, but as a player, how have you found playing with the black card in place? Have you had to change your own game at all?
MDMA: It hasn’t been weighing on my shoulders too heavily to be honest. I haven’t got one (a black card) so maybe as soon as I do it might weigh a bit heavier! I suppose, overall, people are happy with it, I know the County Board in Dublin were strongly behind it and if it means more free-flowing football then that’s what we want. The record shows more goals have gone into the back of the net and to be fair, if I’m scoring goals there has to be something going on!
Michael Darragh won Footballer of the Year last season, and his brother had him backed to do so at 66/1
To be honest, it’s not one of those things that has changed distinctly in my head from last year, it’s not like ‘I can’t tackle this fella’ or anything but look, it’s making the games more free-flowing and it will be interesting to see how it fares out in the Championship.
JOE: There’s obviously been a lot of talk of the GAA’s deal with Sky Sports lately. Are you in favour it and would you see it as positive or negative in the long-run?
MDMA: I suppose it’s been everywhere for the last while. To be honest, I think Sky Sports are an exciting company to work with and it’s great that they’re showing an interest in our games. The only thing people are worried about is where this is going to go.
I’m not a mind-reader but it’s going to be interesting to see in three or four years’ time where Sky’s position is in relation to the GAA. There’s also the worry that the average John Murphy won’t be able to watch his team or won’t be able to afford to watch them and if that happens it’s a big issue. Working with Sky, there are a lot of benefits they can bring to the game, probably both financially and commercially for a start.
I’m definitely staying positive for the moment and they’re a big partner to have on board. We’ll see how it goes but I’m definitely optimistic.
JOE: If the GAA’s finances increased as a result of the deal, do you, as a player, feel that the players should be reaping greater rewards?
MDMA: I think the players have to get looked after, but we’re going to have to see how it goes. The GAA are saying that it’s not much more financially beneficial for the association as it stands but I don’t know the ins and outs of it so it’s kind of hard to comment. I think that everyone would like to see the players get looked after and not get cut out of the deal.
JOE: This week also saw the retirement of Johnny Doyle after a great career. You’d almost be glad to see the back of him having had to play against him but at the same time, it’s sad to see him go…
MDMA: I’m definitely sad to see him go, he’s a super player and I’ve had the misfortune to mark him and run around Croke Park after him; he can definitely get around when he wants to. Johnny is a super footballer, he’s one of those players who can light up Croke Park on his day, he can change a game and he’s done it many times for Kildare over the years.
He was all about the football as well, people weren’t watching him for his physicality or that sort of thing. He was a pure footballer and he was great to watch, he’s a big loss to the game in general and particularly for Kildare. He’s a sound lad off the field as well and he’s a big loss but he’s had a very successful career so he can sit down now and put the feet up for the summer.
JOE: Obviously you won Footballer of the Year last year and we believe your brother had you backed to win it at 66/1. First of all, did he share some of the winnings or at least buy you a few pints out of it and has he had a flutter on you again at 33/1 this year?
MDMA: I’m 33/1 this year, am I? I wouldn’t have a breeze! I think he’s still paying off his flights, he’s over and back every two minutes. He flew over and back for the final and he flew over and back for the All-Stars as well; he’s a mad thing. I reckon he still owes me a few pints and I’ll take him up on it the next time he comes over.
33/1 this year? He probably wouldn’t waste his money on that one.
JOE: Finally Michael Darragh, you’re an ambassador for the Samsung Night Run a little later this month. We imagine that in this age of modern training techniques in the GAA that running 10k is something that the Dublin footballers wouldn’t do on a regular basis so how do you think you’ll get on?
MDMA: Yeah, you’re right we wouldn’t be running 10k too often but I always did a bit of cross country in school and I think it’s a cool idea running through the streets of Dublin. When I wasn’t officially involved last year I actually went about trying to do it but it didn’t work out because we were actually in the league final on the same day last year.
Samsung Run Dublin @ Night 2013 from RAIC Productions on Vimeo.
I’m after signing up 11 of my mates to take part, some of them don’t even own a pair of runners so I don’t know how they’re going to get around but it’s a really good event and really well organised. There’s only a couple of weeks to go at this stage so preparations are being honed down for most of the participants – well, not for my mates but for everyone else – but it should be a great night.
JOE: If you had to pick one Dublin footballer you think would win it, who would you pick, or would you confident that it would be yourself finishing ahead of the pack?
MDMA: I’d always fancy myself yeah. Do you know who’d be close? Darren Daly, he used to do cross country as well so I reckon myself and himself would have a good tussle around the streets of Dublin.
JOE: Thanks a million Michael Darragh; all the best with the run and with the season ahead.
MDMA: Cheers.
Samsung Night Run will return to Dublin and take place for the first time in Cork on Sunday April 27th. The two 10K events will take place simultaneously at 9pm and each city will compete for the title of champion based on runners combined finishing times.
Runners can register for both races at www.samsungnightrun.com.
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