IN 1890, an Irish businessman and goalkeeper called William McCrum, from the small village of Milford in County Armagh, invented the penalty kick. Up until that point there had been no definitive infringement for fouls that were committed inside of the 18-yard square as well as for intentional handball to stop opponents from scoring He took […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Making not taking
By Patrick Morrison IN the modern game of Gaelic football, we are under no illusions about the sudden rise in focus on restarts. This rise has also coincided with the rise in importance of the goalkeeping position as a whole. What the goalkeeper can offer to their team has grown exponentially over the past 25 […]
PATRICK MORRISON: W.H.Y: Will, hope and yearn
AS a goalkeeper it is necessary to have a solid set of reasons as to why you play the position. With the levels of skill and abilities a goalkeeper needs to hold ever-increasing and the weight of expectation to reproduce those skills to the highest of standards on a consistent basis, having a strong set […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Nothing compares to you
THIS week’s title stokes memories of that famous 1990 number one single of the same name, from Irish singer Sinead O’Connor. The song, originally written and sung by Prince, depicts the emotions of a heartbroken lover going through a difficult break-up and for the purpose of this week’s article it is a very fitting analogy in […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Box out
IT was back in the early nineties that I first experienced the game of basketball. As a tall primary six student I was afforded a place on the school basketball team. We were coached by Jimmy McKee (Pearse Óg) in the Christian Brothers PS and competed in a few competitions throughout the year. At the […]
PATRICK MORRISON: The goalkeeping spectrum
OVER the past 20 years we have really seen the evolution of the goalkeeping position in Gaelic football. So much so that we have seen possibly the greatest ever in Stephen Cluxton to the newest modern phenomenon of ‘keepers joining the fray. Over the past 20 years, and even before then, we have seen a dramatic […]
Saint Smyth of the ‘Bridge – Charlie Smyth’s story
Mayobridge’s Charlie Smyth recently signed for NFL side New Orleans Saints. Michael McMullan spoke with two men who know him well, clubmate Tom O’Hare and former coach Philip McEvoy CHARLIE Smyth is in dreamland. Five years ago, a fresh-faced 17-year-old punched send on an email asking for a shot at the NFL. It took a […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Should I stay or should I go?
By Patrick Morrison THIS week, I was invited onto the Gaelic Life podcast ‘Gaelic Lives.’ The show was hosted by Michael McMullan and also involved ex-Derry player Gerard O’Kane, both of this stable. We mainly discussed the NFL finals that involved Ulster teams while also discussing the phenomenon of warm weather training camps and their […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Rethink your restarts
By Patrick Morrison “IF you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a 100 battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” This is […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Deepening the well
By Patrick Morrison WE all know the importance of the goalkeeper position and how it has become one of, if not the most important positions on the field of play. With that said, the goalkeeping position should then also be one of, if not the most, important position to develop for your club and county. […]