Power’s journey takes new turn
At 31, the Tipperary native will be the youngest inter-county manager in the country in 2015, but that doesn’t mean he is short on experience. In 2011, he led Tipp to the All-Ireland minor title while they achieved back-to-back Munster titles in ’12. He has also been in charge of the Premier County’s U21s as well as combining managing the senior team in his home club, Kilsheelan-Kilcash, with being chairman.
All told, the involvement on the sideline stretches back a decade.
“I was only 20 or 21, I was at an agm and I was asked if I’d manage the minor football team,” he says.
“I said ‘yeah’ because organising would be one of my big strengths. I enjoy coaching and I always likes football. We won a county minor league, that was my first as a manager or coach and it grew from there.”
Involvement with the county underage development squads led to his appointment as minor manager for the 2009 season. A famous extra-time win over Cork was the result to make people take notice, but it wasn’t always plain sailing.
“In October 2008, they couldn’t find a county minor manager, I think I was sixth or seventh on the list,” he said.When I was asked to do it, I didn’t care what number I was because I knew I’d do a good job. Two weeks before the Cork game, we went to Good Counsel in New Ross to play Wexford and they beat the crap out of us. I turned around to the management team and asked, ‘What the hell are we going to do?’
“We came up with a game-plan and it worked on the night. Then, even in the Munster final and against Mayo, we were competitive and that’s one thing about my teams — every team that went out under my guidance was at the very least competitive. They weren’t going to fold. The big thing I had to change was the mindset of the young lads.”
While 2010 saw them fall to a Cork team who had luck on their side in every game, the following year showed the county were going places. After getting past Limerick, in the Munster semi-final against Kerry they looked to be a beaten docket only to mount a comeback.
“We conceded a couple of soft goals and we were 10 down at half-time,” Power said. “We knew they weren’t 10 points better than us but, at the same time, when you’re down by that much against Kerry you’re facing the end of the barrel, really.
“The courage and the honesty of the lads in the second half – we dominated Kerry. We got 2-8 or 2-9 in the second-half, we played with style, and from that day I knew we had something special.”
The journey went all the way to All-Ireland glory in Croke Park. The following year’s Munster win was more impressive, beating Kerry twice and Cork, but Mayo beat them in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Moving up to U21 level, people might have expected similar results automatically, but often Power found himself and his team squeezed due to players’ other commitments. When the Wexford senior job came up, he jumped at the chance and has been working frantically since then,
“The first two weeks after I was appointed I had to search for a management team and that was a process in itself. Then I got the panel that was there last year and rang everyone on that last, there were a good few yes’, a couple of maybes and a few nos’, which was grand.
“I opened it up then to a trial and in that process I saw over 100 faces, that’s including the current panel as well. I’m involved with the U21s too, I find it’s a lot better when you’ve some control over both.
“I’m happy with the set-up. David Power can’t function without a good team around him, you can’t do it all on your own. You need good back-up and luckily enough I have that.”
And targets for 2015?
“The simple target we have – and I’ve said it to the player – is every game we play, no matter what competition, is that we go out to be competitive and to try to win.
“From my short time down in Wexford, the players are lacking confidence and belief. If you were to ask me if they’re talented, yes, there’s an abundance of it. We have to take that quality and get the belief and the will to win, that’s what I’m working on at the minute.
“There are areas they’re weak on and this process will take time. I’m not saying that we’re in a transitional phase, it’s a word managers use to take the pressure off.
“We’re in a phase where we have to improve but that’s going to develop over time.”
