Down v Donegal: Marty Clarke hails Conor Laverty's 'unique' coaching ability
- Published
Conor Laverty's arrival as Down boss has convinced more more Kilcoo players to link up with the squad managed by their fellow club-man
2023 Ulster Championship quarter-final - Down v Donegal |
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Venue: Pairc Esler, Newry Date: Sunday, 23 April Throw-in: 14:00 BST |
Coverage: Watch on BBC Two NI & BBC iPlayer; live text commentary with in-game clips, report and highlights on the BBC Sport website |
Down assistant manager Marty Clarke says Conor Laverty's ability to deliver his message in a very practical way is among his greatest coaching attributes.
Laverty is aiming to restore Down's footballing fortunes and many are tipping them to beat struggling Donegal in Sunday's Ulster SFC tie.
"If he sees something he doesn't like, he'll grab the ball and execute exactly what he wants to see," said Clarke.
"That's a really unique way of being able to coach."
Speaking to BBC Sport Northern Ireland ahead of Sunday's provincial quarter-final in Newry, Clarke added that the Kilcoo man "just has such a brilliant feel for the game and players".
An important by-product of Laverty's arrival also was that more of his fellow All-Ireland title winning club-men joined the squad after a number had not made themselves available for previous Down panels.
Laverty 'a motivator of the highest order'
"He's a motivator as well of the highest order. He motivates his entire management team but players in particular, they'd do anything for him," continued Clarke.
"We've tried a lot of players and gave everyone that we invited on the panel four weeks to get to know their personalities, to see how hard they worked, to challenge them.
"Some of those lads left on their own account. Others….younger players we had a word with and said 'you've been good but go and work on this and we'll hopefully get you later on the journey'.
"It is good to have more Kilcoo players than in previous years with the quality that they bring and that success of being the dominant team in Down for over a decade."
Laverty was appointed as Down boss last August when the five-time All-Ireland champions were at arguably their lowest ebb after a 2022 campaign which saw them fail to win a single competitive game as they suffered relegation to Division Three of the National League before comprehensive defeats against Monaghan and Cavan in the Ulster Championship and Tailteann Cup.
Laverty's Down team reached the Dr McKenna Cup semi-finals where they lost an exciting contest to Ulster champions Derry after a penalty shootout
An encouraging Dr McKenna Cup campaign saw Laverty's Down reach the semi-finals where they lost an exciting contest against Ulster champions Derry after a penalty shootout.
A narrow one-point defeat by Fermanagh, when they conceded a late goal, ultimately cost Down promotion in Division Three of the Allianz Football League but despite that, the mood music around the Mourne County still appears positive going into Sunday's Ulster tie against a Donegal side that have been bedevilled by turmoil in recent weeks, which included the dramatic departure of manager Paddy Carr after only five months in charge.
"We felt it was necessary to get that spike early in the year with the McKenna Cup and the energy coming in as a new management team," said Clarke.
"It is hard to sustain it and drive it on and National League football is so even and especially some of the away journeys that we had.
"The defeats in Fermanagh and Cavan ultimately cost us promotion and there were so many learnings in both those games. To get to 10 points, it's normally enough to get you up but just the way it worked out this year, it wasn't to be."
Clarke believes both the management team and players have responded positively to the "high standards" that Laverty demands.
"It's an environment that we [the backroom team] are really enjoying. We hope our players feel the same.
'The last few years haven't been good enough'
"I even said to my wife recently that some evenings I've gone out the door exhausted to training and come home energised and I think that's a sign that you're doing something that you are enjoying.
"It's obviously important being Down people ourselves, that responsibility of trying to get the county back higher up the rankings and challenging for Anglo-Celts because the last few years, we know it hasn't been good enough."
Laverty has also brought in some influence from outside the county in the redoubtable shape of 2012 Donegal All-Ireland winning boss Jim McGuinness, who has taken occasional Down training sessions at the manager's request.
Whether Laverty has attempted to glean any insider knowledge from the Glenties man on Sunday's opposition is anyone's guess but Clarke insists that Down have been aiming to get their own house in order rather than over-analysing Donegal's recent woes.
"It's never nice to hear of a GAA manager leaving in the middle of the year but we are obviously fully aware that this is a top Division One team and have been for a number of years," added the Down assistant boss.
"Yes they got relegated this year but they came to Newry less than two years ago and scored 2-25 in an Ulster preliminary round tie and with a lot of those players, there will be no fear of Down and we know we'll be up against it and we'll obviously be planning for a bit of a wounded animal as well."