How Donal O'Grady helped the Cork hurlers during lockdown

The 2004 All-Ireland SHC winning manager was contacting members of Kieran Kingston’s panel during the extended Covid-enforced break

Cork coach Donal O'Grady: Did video analysis with players during lockdown. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Seánie McGrath has revealed how Cork coach Donal O’Grady worked on improving players with video clips during the lockdown earlier this year.

Soon after O’Grady was confirmed as being part of the 2021 management team in January, the 2004 All-Ireland SHC winning manager was contacting members of Kieran Kingston’s panel about what they had to work on for the upcoming season that eventually began in May.

Speaking on the Irish Examiner All-Ireland SHC final podcast special, McGrath said: “He did some individual stuff with players during lockdown time. Some of the players I would be close to said he might have rung them and sent them little video clips and then tested them and challenged them ‘what did you do right’, ‘what did you do wrong’ and ‘what could you have done better?’

“That’s the modern game now. In the past, it was ‘do you remember that incident with 10 minutes to go?’ and you’d vaguely remember. Whereas now it’s there for you and you go into micro detail.

“We had a snapshot of it with (video analyst and statistician) Seán O’Donnell in 2013 with Jimmy Barry-Murphy and he is now with Limerick and has done incredible work. What Seán could do would blow you away.”

Anthony Daly, Mark Landers, TJ Ryan and Seanie McGrath on Friday night's Irish Examiner podcast looking ahead to the All-Ireland SHC final between Cork and Limerick

McGrath, who is involved with Glen Rovers’s intermediate hurlers this year, recalled how Cork captain Patrick Horgan warmed up with friends at the club a few days prior to the All-Ireland semi-final. “We were training on the Thursday night and some of these really top-class players carry an aura and so does Hoggie but he was pucking around with the boys. He’s one of the boys.

“We were training up at the field and were saying, ‘Is this fella going into an All-Ireland semi-final?’ He was so composed and so relaxed. He is a top player, arguably one of the best Cork players in my lifetime. I never saw (Christy) Ring but he’s definitely up there with Jimmy Barry-Murphy and all those greats.

“It would be marvellous if he got over the line. Regardless of the scoreline, he will still have that tag of being a great player but just to put the medal with it would be special.”