Darren Gleeson - Tipperary’s No 1 sets the standard

Your brother’s a keeper, you’ll likely see a number-one jersey yourself. Darren Gleeson found that out with his club, Portroe, and now the big man is the Tipperary netminder.

Replacing an icon like Brendan Cummins had to be a challenge, but Gleeson articulates his own attitude well:

“When you go in to wear the Tipperary number 1 jersey, there’s an expectation, what’s gone before you and you’re conscious of that. You want to give it the respect it’s due. The big thing was getting used to the responsibility of it. Before, when you’re playing a League match here and there and challenge matches, internal matches, you’re trying your best to get there but when you step up to it, there’s a new responsibility and it’s getting used to that.

“How you do it is let everyone know that you’re there, you’re in charge, being vocal and assertive. That gives the men outside you the confidence that they need as well in the goalie behind them.”

He inspired plenty of confidence last year. Gleeson’s superb puck-outs in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final were lauded by Dónal Óg Cusack, but while the Tipperary man himself notes how influential Stephen Cluxton has become in starting attacks for Dublin, he emphasises a different part of the game.

“I’d put more emphasis on breaking ball, guys winning breaks more than puck-outs.

“There’s a lot more breaking balls in a match than puck-outs: you might have 80 or 90 breaking balls, you might have 50 puck-outs. So there’s more of an emphasis on that. It’s just a trend when you have a sweeper that you’ve more room to hit short ball and people are more conscious of successful percentages. So I’d analyse the success rate in a different area more than puck-outs.”

Those restarts can be a challenge, though: the keeper gets the credit — and the blame — but he depends on movement out the field.

“Great point, the movement has to be there. You can’t hit a statue the way the game has gone — the ball may cover the ground in two or three seconds, and a lad could have 15, 20 yards covered in that time, wouldn’t he?

“There has to be movement from the lad receiving the ball, you can’t hit a statue. I don’t take the advice of the crowd, we know what we’re doing and if the right ball is on, it’ll be hit. That’s my job and the half-backs, the midfielders, the forwards, know that. They know if they move they’ll receive it, that’s the trust we have.”

He suggests a ‘keeper has always been able to influence a game:

“If you analyse it, a goalkeeper has the ball in his hands 30 or 35 times in a game. If your key forward had it in his hand 30 or 35 times, you’d be happy. It’s always been the way but people are now looking more at how you’re using it, or the space you have to use. Obviously if there’s seven or eight back at the other end of the field, there has to be an opening somewhere.”

That confidence has driven his game up a level, surely.

“Levels are relative, you might feel you’ve been at a different level at different stages, there’s always peaks and troughs. I’d say enjoyment is the thing, when you’re coming over in the car and overthinking the game — then you can switch off when you come in here. When you come in after work or from family, you can just switch off and enjoy what you’re doing. It’s like Eamon (O’Shea) says, we’re coming here to enjoy ourselves, to be successful but definitely to enjoy ourselves too.”

That helps a player to stay focused. To enjoy the game.

“There’s moments, you’d see an opposition defender doing something outrageous at the other end of the field and you’d take it in. You have to know what’s happening in the game, because if there’s an opposition defender going well that’ll influence your next decision (in terms of a puck-out), it might relate to that. Some of our players are a joy to watch when they’re in full flow, and Galway have those players too, you’d be aware of the magical moments.”

Gleeson doesn’t scrutinise ‘keepers in other codes on his evenings off, though Cork’s Ger Cunningham would have been a childhood hero (“He was facilitating the Cork forwards for years when they were successful,”). He didn’t go out of his way to watch Galway in the Leinster final either — he’d played a club game — but having faced Joe Canning at the Kilmacud Sevens, he’s well aware of the Galway man’s ability.

And of his teammates’ ability. He’s delighted Noel McGrath is back training after treatment for testicular cancer.

“Eamon has had him involved all along. It was important for the group he was there the whole way through.It was important for Noel as well because a lot of his best friends are in there as well so he had a good support network and he was always involved. It’s not like he’s just back in and we are seeing him for the first time, he’s been through it with us and vice versa. It’s been handled very well and we get a great boost of seeing him back on the field.”