Jonny Cooper: In season-defining moments, all you have is the preparation you’ve put in

We are now 77 days into the 183-day GAA season and the funnel is narrowing, rapidly. Break that down and it’s hundreds of hours that have been devoted by each intercounty panel, all to get ready for these weeks when the championship kicks into gear. Let’s do a quick stock take.

In mid-November the sun began to rise at 7.50am. Intercounty panels gradually started a training phase which likely worked on physical capacity and technical skill. In December, internal and intercounty practice games began. Christmas dinner was served along with a side of a small break.

In January, teams will have decided areas to develop in the preseason competitions. This is the time of year where conversations around mindset practice, nutritional strategies, tactical opportunity and decision making under pressure become more frequent than in the early months. Cue the official start to the GAA season with the league – and here we are having just turned our clocks forward and the championship has officially begun.

As an organisational psychologist, I work toward understanding culture, leadership and behavioural dynamics, all to ultimately enhance performance. When I think of the busy championship road ahead, it can be good to draw parallels to other global teams and elite individuals. The arena is different but the ambitions are comparable – having fun, sustainable performance, unrivalled results.

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Go watch the Cirque Du Soleil or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. On the face of it, they have nothing to do with Gaelic football. But if you look closely, they leave common clues in their footprints for us to pick through and learn from.

They aim to create a compelling and energy-positive environment that fits their people’s needs, rhythm and maturity. They allow expression to shine bright. They seek to unlock each personality. They consistently explore how to glean outside knowledge to stimulate them – and even sometimes to provoke them. And they have relentless focus on detail, knowing they only really come to be tested when it matters most.

Progressing in championship comes with great opportunity for players, but it also has some hidden landmines

There is plenty in there that would be recognisable to any elite intercounty set-up and lots to aspire to. If the championship games to date are an indicator, an enthralling 11 weekends lie in wait. What I’ll be watching with most intrigue is the expression and body language when the exam paper is turned over in the white heat of a battle by the players.

The specific thing I am drawn to is players’ ability to remain present and respond to each rapidly-changing play as best they can. I am always conscious that GAA players and officials are choosing to hone their craft, mind and body as a hobby in their spare time. Their response in a millisecond – which won’t always be right – is something I appreciate.

Those split-second moments can be season defining. When they happen, time almost slows down as you rapidly consider and choose your option. All you have is the preparation you’ve put in, going all the way back to those November sunrises. What you do in that moment will be a reflection of what you’ve done to prepare for it. You will defer to your level of training – how good was it? Can you remain present? Can you respond? That’s the test.

Twenty years ago in Sydney, the rain and wind cut straight into Jonny Wilkinson’s kicking path. With the game in extra-time and the clock at 99 minutes, Matt Dawson fired a ball back to him 25 metres out, to the left of the posts. As four Australians charged his way, he routinely dropped the ball on to his weaker right foot and split the posts with the last kick of the game to win the Rugby World Cup for England. His relentless practice and precise routine provided him this utter composure in the biggest of moments.

In the GAA, we’re lucky. The environment players are expected to perform in is uniquely challenging and exciting in equal measure. If you can imagine you are standing on the Old Airport Road in Dublin – just over the ditch, dozens of Airbus A320s take off daily, reaching noise levels of about 90 decibels. A full house in Croke Park in recent years has risen to 114 decibels. At that sound level, you simply can’t hear what a team-mate is saying just metres away.

[ James McCarthy on Cluxton’s return: ‘He’ll be pushing hard for a starting position’ ]

Of course, not all championship games will be that loud. However, high levels of hostility, stress and volatility lie waiting in each environment. This is especially true towards the top of the mountain where the incline is steep, the air is thin and the room to manoeuvre is finite. How will you respond?

Progressing in championship comes with great opportunity for players, but it also has some hidden landmines. Narratives are peddled in the media and on social media in ways that are often very deceiving. The truth is, unless you are embedded in any environment, an educated guess is the best anyone on the outside will have. What is the mood, the feeling, the energy of the culture? Only the players know.

The work you have done must bring you confidence and space. At the same time, you have to stay curious and open to new ideas

Look at the 2022 Australian Football League season. The Geelong Cats dismantled the Sydney Swans by 81 points in the Grand Final, yet the external narrative was they were too old. A former opponent of mine, Zach Tuohy, is one of 11 dads (soon to be 12) on their squad. But behind the scenes, the focus was on the right structure, leadership and training. By the end, they were making celebration videos called Too Old, Too Slow, Too Good. They focused on who they were, not on people’s narratives around who they were.

Intercounty players are intelligent, disciplined and ambitious people. They are accountable for their many habits, never more so than in the coming weeks ahead.

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Preparation is bespoke for every performer. A team will train collectively three or four times a week and the players will use the other time available to reach their targets. Lots of elements go into the mix. Daily planning in a personal journal. Personal reflection. Verbal feedback with peers. Meditation and mindset practice. Sleep, recovery, rest, mindfulness. These could all be a part of a championship week for many players.

With elite performers, there is always a balance to be struck. The work you have done must bring you confidence and space. At the same time, you have to stay curious and open to new ideas. Championship is about working smart. The idea isn’t to get luckier, it’s to put yourself in a position to be aware of on-pitch opportunities when they arise.

And, most importantly, to capitalise on them in the moment.