Micko and the magic garden

JOHN SLATTERY may be on course for unexpected fame on the pub quiz circuit.

The Cork man captaining Wicklow footballers with a Kerry legend as trainer in the Leinster championship has all the hallmarks of a six pointer or tie breaker in bar and lounges.

Slattery gives the background to his unexpected claim to fame in Championship 2007.

He explained: “I lived in Cork until I was a 14. I spent seven years in Carrigaline and seven in Midleton. Then we moved to Wicklow town when my father, who worked for AIB bank, was transferred. I joined up with St Patrick’s club in the town and the rest is history.”

The 25-year-old captains the side that faces Louth in the Leinster SFC opener at Croke Park on Sunday. But it has not been all wine and roses for Slattery. Though a member of John O’Leary’s squad, he fell out of favour with the Hugh Kenny regime and had to watch frustratingly for the sidelines.

Then late last year came a man from Waterville who issued a call to all fit men to come and join his revolution. Slattery didn’t need to be asked twice. Now he is the on-field general to Mick O’Dwyer’s commander-in-chief.

Said Slattery: “The introduction of Micko has been great for the football and the profile of the game in the county — and outside. There is huge hype and it has generated a great buzz that wasn’t there before.”

Wicklow GAA bosses are making the most of these glory days. They have developed an innovative training system which is tapping into the newfound interest in Gaelic football. The side trains at various venues around the county each Sunday, a move which serves a dual purpose, according to Slattery.

“First and foremost, it is great for the players. It means that some guys don’t have to travel huge distances to go training. One Sunday session will suit the lads coming from the east of the county, the next will suit the ones coming from the west. It gives everyone a fair shot.”

Then there’s O’Dwyer’s magic.

“The small local parish clubs are delighted to have such a household name coming to their pitch on a Sunday morning. We would have huge crowds out watching us train. All clubs are getting to see how a county team prepares. So they are learning, and enjoying it at the same time.

“Ours is a very well run set-up. The management team has gone into great detail to make it as professional as possible. They have put a foundation in place. We have made great progress this year: we had a reasonably good O’Byrne Cup and league campaign. But from early on in the year the focus was always on May 20, Louth and Croke Park.”

Rarely has a Wickow outing in the Leinster SFC garnered such national publicity. County PRO Sean Napier has been busy fielding calls from the media machine.

“There is big interest in the game and a lot of Wicklow people are going to Croke Park on Sunday. There is always a big interest in the Championship but the Micko factor is certainly making it more interesting.

“It is ironic that we played Louth 45 years ago to the day (May 20) in the Championship. We were beaten that day (Louth 1-11 Wicklow 0-6) and, as Micko said recently, we have never won a Leinster SFC game at Croke Park. We often had them won and then lost in the last minute. In 1991 after the four games between Dublin and Meath, the Royals beat us in a replay. The worst though was 1954. That was the day of the long count. We were beaten by a last-minute point after Bill Delaney of Laois played nine minutes additional time. Wicklow people say that was the best Wicklow team ever. Now we’ve got to get the Croke Park monkey off their back. Hopefully we can do that this weekend.”

Small rainforests in South America are under threat should their adventure continue past 3.45pm on Sunday. In an era of predictability in the Championship, the underdog tale is a surefire hit. “It is a great experience and a great pleasure working under Micko. His approach and his focus is hard work and hard work alone. His attitude is if we put in the hard work, we will reap the rewards. Hopefully the results will prove that theory at the weekend.

“Everyone knows Micko is big on having a strong stamina base. We put in a lot of hard work in the early months. We are now working on the more technical stuff and getting into game sharpness. We are focusing on the ball work and that is the thing I enjoy most.”

Slattery is an auditor based with Price Waterhouse Cooper in Dublin, meaning two midweek commutes for training before spending each weekend in the Garden County. He puts in the same hours on the field, in the pool and in the gym as say, Colm Cooper or Kieran McDonald, yet can walk down any street without a fawning mass of GAA-mad humanity surrounding him. Not that he is bothered.

“Not at all,” he admitted. “I just get great enjoyment out of playing the game. My primary goal is success with Wicklow. The profile that the big names get is great and there should be greater profile of GAA players across the board. But it is not what I want. I just want success with Wicklow.

“A win on Sunday would be justification and reward for all the hard effort we put in since October.”

But Slattery is also a realist. He isn’t planning to take the Monday morning after the Leinster Final off just yet.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day. There has been a great effort this year but we are looking at the models like Armagh, Tyrone, Kerry and Dublin. These weren’t one-year programmes. They were three to five-year plans. We are looking at the bigger picture about what the future holds for Wicklow football. Our short term goal is May 20. But we also want to look beyond that.”

The Slattery clan will be at Croke Park en masse on Sunday. But more than one will have an ear cocked to the wireless as the homeland begin their Munster title defence against Limerick down on Leeside.

“All the family is from Cork. My dad is from Bandon and played for Bandon and Carbery. My mother’s side are all from Innishannon, Valley Rovers territory. My roots are in Cork but my loyalties are very much with Wicklow.”