CARLOW FORWARD PAUL Broderick says the support he has received since learning of his All-Star nomination has been ‘overwhelming.’
Broderick is the first player from the county to be nominated for the accolade since Colm Hayden in 1994, an achievement which rounds off a progressive 2018 for the Carlow footballers.
Reflecting on his nomination, Broderick says that this is a significant moment for his family, friends and everyone involved in Carlow GAA.
But when his father called him early one morning with the news, he could scarcely believe that he had made the cut.
“He rang me at about seven in the morning to tell me. I hadn’t known until then. I’d have that relationship with him, we’d ring each other.
When he said it I told him to feck off. And he laughed and said, ‘No, I’m deadly serious’. I’m a teacher and I went into school and they made a big deal of it in school.
“I know how big a deal it is from looking in frm the outside. But until I had the experience myself I never realised how big it is.”
Undoubtedly, the 2018 season was one to remember in Carlow GAA circles.
The footballers began their year by securing promotion for the first time in 33 years to book their spot in Division 3 for 2019. They followed that up with a first Leinster SFC victory over Kildare since 1953, with Broderick coming away from that tie with a tally of 0-11 (9f).
They narrowly fell short of qualifying for the Leinster decider following defeat to Laois in the semi-final, before and a qualifier loss to Tyrone saw them bow out of the All-Ireland championship.
Broderick’s All-Star nomination illustrates just how far the Carlow team has progressed in recent years.
“It’s a huge moment for family and friends as well, and certainly the Carlow management and players,” he said at the 2019 RTE Championship Draws recently.
I suppose going back four or five years there wasn’t a hope that any Carlow player could have gotten an All-Star nomination.
“There weren’t structures in place for players to be recognised because we weren’t playing to a certain level. It’s a credit to the current management that Carlow players are now being looked at in that way.
“That’s only through winning promotion and beating Kildare and stuff like that. That doesn’t happen by chance.
With regard to the support I’ve received and the messages I’ve gotten since, what it means to me is that… Carlow is a small place and the messages I’ve gotten from people that I know who go to these games and love Carlow football, their support has just been overwhelming to be honest.
Although Carlow have enjoyed an impressive season, they have also attracted some criticism this year.
Some commentators believe they are overly reliant on playing defensive football, with a lot of the negative remarks being directed at their manager Turlough O’Brien and coach Steven Poacher.
“I think we play a brand of football that has suited us to try and build,” says Broderick.
Steven [Poacher] came in and I think we were conceding the most scores in all four divisions to being third across all four divisions in the first year he was there.
“He wanted to build from a defence point of view. And, to be fair, a lot of these criticism are probably from people who haven’t gone to watch a whole lot of the games.
“I know we’ve played Laois and I’ve looked back at the game myself and it doesn’t make for great viewing. And that’s not because we lost. It didn’t make for great viewing in general, the style of play.
“But all our games all season weren’t like that. I think if you were to look at the likes of the Kildare game, and I’m not just picking that because we won.
“Look, I’m happy with the way we’re playing. And, like any team, we need to keep moving and evolving. If the rules change we need to evolve and move with them.”
With additional reporting by Kevin O’Brien
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