From Crossmaglen to Nemo Rangers: The secret to GAA club success

BEFORE the recent Galway county football final, a picture of Kieran Fitzgerald was doing the rounds on social media under the caption, ‘Fitzy’s search for la decima’.

After Corofin defeated Mountbellew/Moylough, Fitzgerald equalled Seán Purcell’s haul of ten medals with Tuam Stars.

It was a huge achievement but Fitzgerald still wasn’t even the most successful player in his own club. Trevor Burke holds the record for the most Galway SFC medals, having helped Corofin to 11 titles between 1991-2011.

Corofin’s success was their first three-in-a-row but it was their 17th county title, and 14th in 25 years. Their second All-Ireland club title in March confirmed their status as a club superpower, but there has still been only one real superpower in club football over the last two decades – Crossmaglen Rangers.

In any discussion about county title records, Paul Hearty is peerless; 19 county titles, ten Ulster crowns and six All-Irelands. Along with Oisin McConville, Hearty is the only player in history with six All-Ireland club titles.

The chase now is on for a seventh but Hearty is first looking to win an 11th Ulster medal on Sunday.

Crossmaglen’s crusade over the last two decades has been relentless. Before the 2000 All-Ireland club final, then manager Joe Kernan said that there were “six or seven young lads at U-14 who are going to be even better than the current group.”

Cross were then seeking three All-Irelands in four years. Great club teams usually operated in cycles and any projections of maintaining that kind of dominance seemed overly ambitious.

 

Yet most of those young kids went on to win three All-Irelands, just like their predecessors. The standard has been set and it never changes. The current squad is loaded with minors who are seeking to win what Crossmaglen expect to achieve.

At the GAA’s annual Coaching Conference in 2013, Tony Brady and Peter McMahon delivered a presentation on Crossmaglen’s story. “The secret of Crossmaglen's success,” said Brady, “is that there is no secret.”

As the two men spoke, their path to glory was still signposted a little more clearly.

The club has three rival outfits within a three-mile radius and there are only 1,300 families in the parish, but they always manage to keep members attached to the club.

When they won their first All-Ireland in 1997, ten of those players could be traced to a Féile-winning team in 1988.

They strive to have every underage player still active in the club when they're 25, be it as a player, coach, administrator, or helping out in the social club.

The club executives also look carefully at who they appoint over teams at every level. A coach and manager must have a positive manner and disposition to complement their technical knowledge.

In so many ways, Crossmaglen’s template mirrors the one that Nemo Rangers have long patented. Although Nemo have never been popular within Cork – naturally because of their success – they were long regarded (before Crossmaglen came along) as the standard every other club around the country hoped to reach.

Beyond Cork, Nemo have always retained a level of respect amongst the GAA intelligentsia that is only reserved for the truly great teams and clubs.

Outside of all their achievements though, along with their unreal facilities, Nemo have long been nationally regarded as one of the best examples of inculcating kids with the basic principles of how the game should be coached and played properly.

The club have never been as dominant at underage as they traditionally were at senior level, but the club nonetheless continually implements a system.

In a way, Nemo adopt the same attitude as great sporting clubs like Manchester United; they’re more interested in developing players than winning underage tournaments.

They are currently led by Stephen O’Brien, a former Nemo and Cork great. That is just following a long-held tradition, where all Nemo’s coaches come from within.

The model is instantly recognizable in Crossmaglen. They are currently managed by John McEntee and Oisin McConville. Tony McEntee was at the helm during their last period of national dominance.

Crossmaglen have never hid their respect for Nemo. So much so that Cross – deep down – crave a shot at Nemo in an attempt to prove that they have reached, and possibly surpassed, their level.

Nemo have won one more All-Ireland (7). They have more provincial titles (15). Yet Nemo’s dominance stretches over a 43-year period. Crossmaglen have managed to win nearly as much in just two decades.

“I think that we’re the greatest club of all time, no question about it,” said then Cross manager Donal Murtagh before the 2007 All-Ireland club final. “But Nemo keep coming back and we’d love a crack at them sometime.”

In the meantime, though, Cross have hoovered up three more All-Irelands. They are the club who now keep coming back on the big stage. So what must they think now of their record in comparison to Nemo’s?

In the mind’s eye, the one great club football battle that has yet to take place is Crossmaglen and Nemo. The two teams have more pressing matters to concern themselves with for now than that potential match-up.

But if they both win on Sunday, and negotiate an All-Ireland semi-final, they will meet in a highly anticipated All-Ireland final. It’s the game every serious GAA follower in the country would love to see. The ultimate against the ultimate.