Graham Cummins: Joey O'Brien - a leader without ego who had everyone's respect

The former Bolton Wanderers player has been exceptional with Shamrock Rovers, and has had nothing but a positive impact with the club

PROPER PRO: Retiring Shamrock Rovers defender Joey O’Brien will be hard to replace. Our columnist was a big fan of how O’Brien interacted with his team-mates. Picture: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Tonight brings an end to the 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division season, and also Joey O’Brien’s time as a Shamrock Rovers player. The former Republic of Ireland international has decided to end his successful four-year stay with the Tallaght club and become part of Damien Duff’s coaching staff at Shelbourne.

Whenever a player arrives back from the UK, many fans are sceptical about whether he is joining a League of Ireland club for the right reasons. Is he joining because he genuinely believes he still has a lot to offer, and can make a difference? Does he value the standard of the league? Or is he joining because it’s convenient and a little bit of extra money towards the tail end of his career?

In O’Brien’s case, it was certainly because he was motivated to win trophies with a club that always had a special place in his heart.

The former Bolton Wanderers player has been exceptional with Rovers, and has had nothing but a positive impact with the club. He leaves having helped them win back-to-back league trophies, and was a key member of the side that ended Rovers’ 32-year wait for FAI Cup success in 2019.

I remember having a deep conversation with O’Brien in which he shared his love of Rovers with me. He explained that it was always his ambition during his time in the UK to return to Ireland and win a trophy with Rovers, stating that winning with Rovers meant more to him than winning with any other club he had been with. He deserves a rousing send-off from the Rovers supporters tonight, and I’m sure it will be an emotional night for him. It will be a fitting end to his career, seeing him lift the league trophy above his head.

I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a dressing room and pitch with him, and he is one of the most genuine people I have met. I still remember the kind message he sent me after I announced my own retirement from football. He didn’t have to do that. I had only spent four months in a dressing room with him, yet he was considerate enough to text me, when other players I’d played with for several seasons didn’t.

Considering the career he has had, O’Brien is one of the few players in the League of Ireland who has earned the right to have a big ego, but he doesn’t. He trains every day and plays every game as if he has something to prove.

I admired how he treated everyone equally in the dressing room. It didn’t matter to him if a player had played over 200 games or hadn’t yet made a first-team appearance. He didn’t talk down to players — like a lot of senior players do — and the respect he gives people is replicated. O’Brien is a role model for the young players, and he will be a big loss for Rovers.

I was intimidated by him the first time I walked into the Rovers dressing room, because of what he had achieved in the game. I expected him to be the loud one in the room, demanding all the attention. But he only spoke when something needed to be said, or if standards were dropping.

He was in charge of the fines and organising the cleanup roster, which can be difficult jobs. With fines, some players will refuse to pay because they believe they can get away with it. Often, when players clean up the dressing room after training, or the tables after lunch, they tend to do an inadequate job. But because of the respect the players had for O’Brien, he never had to chase anyone or lecture them about their behaviour. Everyone knew the high standards that were expected.

Although he suffered a number of injuries in his time at Rovers, O’Brien was a naturally fit player, meaning he didn’t need to train to play in games. I was surprised by how fit he was.

One game that comes to mind is my first Dublin derby. He had spent several weeks out injured and returned to training the day before the Bohemians match, yet still put in a man of the match display. Many players use the excuse of needing five or six training sessions to be match fit, but O’Brien certainly wasn’t one.

Stephen Bradley trusted him more than any other player, and he was always first name on the teamsheet when it came to big games. He was a leader on the pitch, and I don’t think any player in the league would say they enjoyed playing against him. It’s going to be difficult for Rovers to find someone as influential, both on and off the pitch.

Rovers’ loss is Shels’ gain, and O’Brien’s addition to the newly-crowned First Division champions is another signal of intent from them.