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When the day came for Niall Ronan to hang up his boots, the former Leinster, Munster and Ireland backrow knew exactly what he wanted to do. Rugby had been his calling and thanks to a figure within his ranks, he was well prepared for his post-game career.
“When I was 24, I didn’t have a degree,” he explains. “One day Munster coach Declan Kidney came up to me. He was basically a teacher to us. He asked me what I was doing outside of rugby. I really had no idea.
“I went back to college to do strength and conditioning. I did all my rugby badges too, so when I retired, I said I’d stick with what I know. I went into training and set up a gym.”
That experience saw him take on the role of head of strength and conditioning for the Meath Gaelic footballers earlier this year. Today he will stay on the sidelines at Aughrim and hopes his work will help the Royals reach a Leinster semi-final.
For Ronan, it was a good opportunity to delve deeper into his first love.
Growing up he was a case of rugby one day a week, Gaelic football every day for the St. Colmcille clubman. Ronan was a minor from Meath and was on his way to an inter-county career when the two Drogheda rugby clubs merged. The new look team reached back-to-back finals across Ireland and Leinster Youths called.
He is quick to acknowledge that success in that code would not have been possible were it not for his education.
For one thing, it wasn’t naturally large. I was a skinny and fat young man
“He wouldn’t have made it as a rugby player if he hadn’t played Gaelic football. Not a chance. He wasn’t naturally big to begin with. He was a skinny, fat young man. He didn’t touch weights until he was 19 or 20 years old.
“But my awareness of space and confidence in the ball, even if they were going to tackle me, I still had confidence to face my man with footwork. Catching high balls was normal for me, while for some players it was not. My athletics helped. ”
That upbringing instilled a deep affection for the sport. Returning to him was a pleasure, but it also rekindled deep frustrations. Playing sports at the amateur level and as a professional ensures a complete perspective. With the weight of that experience behind him, Ronan points out important issues within GAA that need urgent attention.
“Club soccer needs an educational review. What team to buy, what should it invest in, have people appointed within a club to be S&C coaches from U16s to Seniors. If the GAA were implementing that it would improve tremendously the professionalism of the game.
“Unfortunately you have a mix of coaches who may not have the knowledge. Some clubs don’t know what to do. Look at the clubs in Donegal, Tyrone, Dublin. They have full-time S&C coaches. They are training really professionally at a high level.” .
Navigating the chaos that the coronavirus has brought has been challenging, but they have found it manageable. During the lockdown, Ronan considered the equipment available to each player and their injury profile before designing a personalized program. While the results of their Division 1 league campaign were disappointing, there were several positives to the performances.
Their real frustration are practices that started long before this period and will last long after.
“Ah, man,” she exclaims with an exasperated sigh.
“My level one training for GAA. I just did a training day on a course and that’s me qualified. Go ahead and get it. Whereas when I earned my Coach Badges with IRFU, I was interviewed and evaluated numerous times. In terms of coaching training, there is no responsibility.
It is ad hoc at GAA. With everything. Accessories are ad hoc. Is everywhere
“On the S&C side, there are people doing crazy things. If they had some kind of proper path, all these injuries would stop. The level would improve and the game would go in the right direction. It’s ad hoc at GAA. All in all. The fixtures. They are ad hoc. It’s everywhere. “
Together with Andy McEntee, Ronan has begun optimizing the county’s production line. They have developed a path from U15 to senior and have focused on improving the skills of club coaches. The goal is to have everything lined up from scratch. Each player’s fitness test, strength test and injury profile are recorded and monitored. Data that can be tracked and used to develop top talent.
A systematic approach enacted from the top down. The way it should be.
“This goes back to my prevailing opinion. Any organization, in this case the GAA, should rule the game. They should put in place a comprehensive structure, not leave it to 32 counties.
“There is a fixture nightmare because you are allowing people to change and configure it whenever they want. If a fixture committee could set the games and provide security, there would be more buy-in from the players and everyone knows what they are doing.
“I own a business. If I let 32 coaches decide on their own, it would be a disaster. How come people can’t see that? This should be set at the top and implemented at the bottom.
“I was the head coach of Boyne, my local rugby club, for two years after I retired. The last week of July, we got a list of matches for the first team and the second team. They knew that every weekend they were free. or when they had a game. They can only be canceled due to weather or duel. If you don’t show up, you will be fined.
“The IRFU is at the gates of the GAA. I would be receiving advice from them, a professional organization. How do we do this? How should we structure and organize our season?
“We reached the All Ireland Club Final the year I retired. I started training in late December and finished in February, more than a year later. What sport in the world has such a season?
“The GPA put forward their proposal for a split year, it makes perfect sense. Why do we need the finals in Ireland in August?
“It really frustrates me. Earlier this year we started planning and had a nine-week break from the championship league. What sport in the world gives you a nine-week break in the middle of the season?”
His first taste of championship action comes today as Wicklow waits. Eleven months of planning and preparation finally put to the test. However, the reality is that there is a bigger picture in which things must change. In Meath, Niall Ronan is determined to help change them.
“It wasn’t my long-term plan to do this and get involved in football again, but when the Meath job came up, I couldn’t say no. I’m from Meath. I’m passionate about this and I want to make a difference.”
Follow Wicklow v Meath via our live blog on RTÉ.ie / sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on GAAGO or listen to updates from the second half on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport.
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