THREE YEARS SINCE he stepped down as Galway manager, Micheál Donoghue’s return to inter-county management came as somewhat of a surprise.
While there had been no reports linking him with the Dublin job, it’s a move that makes sense for both parties. For Dublin, the attraction of bringing an All-Ireland winning manager on board is obvious.
From Donoghue’s point of view, his hunger to get back involved at the top level of the game was clear to those close to him.
Speaking on the Smaller Fish podcast last week, Donoghue’s former goalkeeping coach in Galway Christy O’Connor said he could detect “he definitely had the itch back” when they met recently.
Likewise, ex-Galway stopper Colm Callanan got the same sense after an encounter last week with his old boss.
“I’d have known alright that he was keen to get back at the coalface and get involved somewhere,” he tells The42.
“From that regard I’m not surprised. I could have seen it coming. 2019 is a while away when you think about it. So he has been looking to get back in.”
So what is Donoghue like to play for? What can the Dublin players expect when preparations begin for the 2023 season?
James Skehill recently described the “raise in standards” Donoghue brought about when he first took charge of Galway in 2016.
“He created an operation throughout where everyone was expected to be better,” he told Off The Ball.
“The standards were raised in training, the players were challenged a whole lot more. The emphasis was put on the players to take more responsibility themselves and in the heat of battle it was our team and not to be looking for excuses or reasons to why we lost.
“He said the players were in control of this and that he’d steer the ship. He put a major onus on the players and then tried to facilitate as best he could by putting good people in the backroom.”
Behind his quiet demeanour, Donoghue expects a lot from his players. Callanan paints the picture of his first meeting with the Dublin players and a word he’s likely to refer to time and again: standards.
“That’s what Micheál and his backroom are all about and what they demand,” he explains.
“The absolute highest of standards. He will know and understand that you can’t just come in and flick a switch and everything is tip top the following day.
“There’s a process there but I think for the Dublin players, anyone that’s not showing to be moving in the right direction in terms of those standards, their time mightn’t last too long in there. That’ll be the biggest thing.
“Not reinventing the wheel or anything, just the basics, the simple things. Looking after yourself on and off the pitch. When you train, you give everything. But off the pitch as well you’re representing the squad wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.
“And all the extras that go beside it, the gym work, everything has to go in. In a public domain, the Dublin payers will have to be aware that they are Dublin players and carry themselves in the right way.
“Micheál and the backroom team will probably lead that charge in terms of the standards but they’ll be expecting that everybody else takes ownership as the weeks and months pass and lead their own charge in that regard.”
When Donoghue first met with the Galway players, he told them he wouldn’t be dropping anyone from Anthony Cunningham’s panel. He gave everyone a fair shot to impress.
Galway lost the Leinster final to Kilkenny and suffered a one-point All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Tipperary. In the off-season, Donoghue wielded the axe and dropped five of the most experienced players from the panel: David Collins, Fergal Moore, Andy Smith, Cyril Donnellan and Iarla Tannian.
If similar decisions need to be made in Dublin, Callanan has no doubt he’ll return that ruthless streak.
“He won’t think too long about it. If he thinks a call needs to be made he’ll make the call and that’ll be it. It’s the same for the rest of the backroom team as well.
“They’re very experienced guys, they know what they’re looking at. He won’t be afraid to do that. Neither will Franny (Forde) or Noel (Larkin) either. That’s the way it will be but that’s just the way it is across the board in all inter-county teams really. That won’t be an issue for him anyway.”
Donoghue is a big believer in the importance of his backroom team. His ability to “pull a super management team around him” is what Callanan views as his best quality.
He’s already brought on board Francis Forde and Noel Larkin, two key cogs in Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland winning set-up. Former Westmeath boss Shane O’Brien is also part of the ticket.
O’Brien has enjoyed coaching and management stints with Oulart-The Ballagh, the Dublin senior camogie team, Trinity College and Kildare.
Donoghue will be busy forming the remainder of his backroom team over the coming weeks. Callanan has no doubt the final package will inspire the Sky Blues players further.
“Micheál will trust those people in their respective roles. That was clear to see for us in the early days. There was a lot of belief transmitted down to the players that the best in class was coming on board here in all the different departments.
“You see the calibre of people that are with him and that follow him, it gives you more confidence about him and the way things are done. That for me sets him apart. Before you even set foot on a training field.
“You’ll see it in Dublin now. We’ve already seen it really with the backroom team that’s been put in the media. That’s the biggest thing for me, his ability to get best in class around him. He wouldn’t do it otherwise. It’s all-in, all or nothing with Micheál.”
Forde generally led the training sessions in Galway, where Larkin was also heavily involved. Donoghue oversaw the operation and took over at certain stages, or came in to make his point during a drill or training game.
Donoghue’s man-management is another of his qualities. During 2018 when Callanan suffered a dreadful year with injuries that ruled him out for most of the season, “communication lines were always open with the manager” even when he wasn’t in the frame to play.
And he confirms that the Clarinbridge man “can work the tongue” in the dressing room when its comes to movitating his players.
“He’s very cool, calm and collected – that’s his demeanour and the way he is in most situations.
“But you close the dressing room door if something needs to be said, or the paint needs to come off the wall for whatever reason, he can do that. As can the two lads as well, no problem.”
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