Standing up to the test of character

Ian O'Riordan hears from coach Liam Moggan about inculcating mental skills in the Dublin squad

The defence is suddenly being questioned, midfield remains unpredictable and there are concerns about the forwards, but the one thing that hasn't been doubted about the Dublin footballers this summer is their character. Ever since they crushed the challenge of Longford they've shown cool nerves (against Meath), self-belief (against Wexford), and steely resolve at the finish (against Laois).

And it was character that ultimately clawed them back against Tyrone last Saturday week, thus ensuring another day out in Croke Park tomorrow afternoon. While Tyrone's second-half dominance the last day suggests Dublin can't relay on character alone to see them through, as long as the players get the best out of themselves as well, they have a real chance.

For manager Paul Caffrey the sight of his team holding up under the various pressures of the summer has been particularly rewarding. They've shown a bit of heart, as he's said himself, stuck with it, weathered the storm. Yet he's also been saying all along that it hasn't happened by accident.

When Caffrey took over last November he made sure to surround himself with the best back-up team available. He hasn't been afraid to spread the responsibilities, and certainly not the input. His selectors Paul Clarke, Brian Talty and Dave Billings all have well-defined roles, and it doesn't stop there.

At one recent training session there were 51 in attendance. Over half were players, of course, but the figure gives some indication of the levels of preparation.

Among those involved is former player Ciarán Duff, called in to work with the forwards, as well as a sprints coach, a video analyst and the various medical specialists.

In terms of developing character they've also looked to Liam Moggan, a coaching officer with the NCTC in Limerick who has had previous ties with various GAA teams both in Dublin and beyond. Moggan's main role is defining character and making players aware of it and how it needs to be specific to this Dublin team.

"If teams or individuals aren't absolutely sure about what it is they do well then they can't hope to replicate it on the big occasion," says Moggan.

"It doesn't matter what kind of training they do. So the question this Dublin team has been asking over and over again is what is it we do well. It is a mental skill, and involves some visualisation, and I think the key for Dublin is that players have been doing that.

"In doing that you can create the character of a team. I know it's a cliche, but it is about doing the simple things well. But doing the simple thing is not always easy. And it's definitely not easy when there's only a minute to go in a major championship match.

"You do try to replicate that in extreme situations in training in whatever way you can, mainly by ensuring the players are doing what they need to do, in say putting the ball over the bar and not letting it drop short."

Moggan suggests that character is usually specific to certain teams, and especially so to Dublin. He cites the work of a Canadian academic Dr Jean Cote, who developed a birthplace theory with regard to sport. Essentially it claims that areas with a population of over 500,000 don't produce athletes as readily as less-populated areas.

"Obviously there are more attractions and distractions in highly populated areas," explains Moggan, "and that can have a diluting effect on the numbers involved, and on character. One of the ways of getting over that with a team like Dublin is by trying to develop the character of the team in different ways, even by talking about it in a room.

"And not just when emotions are high before or after matches. It's about facing up to the discomfort, not just the physical discomfort, and talking about the things that really do matter."

Caffrey has also been maintaining all along that it's the players that are going to win matches for Dublin, and not the management, and that, agrees Moggan, is another crucial part of a team's character:

"It's like that expression 'playing out of their skins'. That's essentially saying the players got the best out of themselves. The management can help facilitate that, but ultimately the players need to extract that themselves, and get out of them what it is they've put in."

Clearly Dublin are facing another serious test of character tomorrow afternoon, and yet Moggan suggests it's not essentially different from any of the previous challenges.

"Yes, it is a different challenge. But the team hasn't been talking about it as a replay, or even another All-Ireland quarter-final. It's just another football match.

"So it's about trying to reproduce what the players have, and I think they have the character to do that. They haven't been over-analysing the last match either. If you start analysing the past too much you aren't actually preparing for the future. So that's another idea we've been trying to get rid of."