Cillian Brennan: ‘There were some comments I came across on Twitter this week, it is disappointing to see it’
Cillian Brennan of Clare. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Let’s talk about the fashionable cliché in Gaelic football: learnings. They are referenced endlessly; they are a constant takeaway and they are necessary. For Cillian Brennan, they all led to Sunday.
For years an idea existed in his mind that is finally made flesh. He is the captain of Clare’s senior footballers, preparing for a Munster final in their home of Cusack Park. Brennan is steeped in this. His father Martin spent years involved with county minor teams. His brothers Shane and Gary both represented Clare previously. There Cillian found a template. His schooling began on the road with his father supporting his siblings.
“We travelled around the country going to games,” he explains. “This is back in the days of Division 4 when there wasn’t too many going. Out to London, over to Kilkenny, I could count on one hand the games I missed when Gary and Shane were playing. That was my football education.
“I remember once we were above in Fermanagh for a Division 4 game, I think it was Peter Canavan’s first game in charge. There were no more than 10 or 15 Clare fans there. His first game, there was a huge home crowd obviously. Talk about intimidation.
“There is now a loyal core group of Clare supporters that are fantastic. I suppose I was part of it for years. They’ll follow you through thick and thin. They might be quick to tell you what you did wrong too, but it is always in the interests of Clare football.”
Gary and Shane were constant crutches and capable teachers. In his first year as a minor, Cillian was dropped from the panel. Gradually he gravitated back the field and found a home at fullback. In 2018, Colm Collins handed him a championship debut against Limerick. He’d finally made it as Clare footballer. The nature of this pursuit is that it would quickly try to break him.
His second championship outing was a taxing affair. Kerry 0-32 Clare 0-10.
“Paul Geaney did serious damage. I was on him. I remember… I learned lessons about looking at social media after games that day. I suppose you see as a back, if you make mistakes, the forward naturally gets a lot of attention after. It is our job to keep them out of the limelight. I learned huge lessons from an experienced footballer.
“Kieran Donaghy actually came on at the end that day too. I ended up on him for a while as well. That campaign in the qualifiers actually allowed me to put some of those learnings into practice.”
That scarring by social media is something intercounty players increasingly dealing with. Brennan works as an Assistant Professor in PE at DCU. His worlds collide online. He is still learning how to deal with that.
“It is difficult in today’s world. For my work, there is quite a lot of research on social media and it is used for communication. It can be hard to draw that line. It’s about lads managing it as best as possible.
"I don’t think this evening is the right time to talk about it, but we have some brilliant ambassadors in the Clare team. There were some comments I came across on Twitter this week, it is disappointing to see it. It’s a dark place that you’d hate to associate with football.”
He doesn’t elaborate on the specific recent comments. The grim reality of a quick look at that toxic sphere means he doesn’t need to. There are supports available to the group. Brennan has witnessed the work the GPA do in this regard. Geri Maye is part of Mark Fitzgerald’s ticket as a sports psychologist.
The Clondegad man has his own code. Drive is a quality required in leaders, not just in sport but in all walks of life. His is obvious. He credits it to an experience provided by a current member of Kerry’s backroom team.
“I got an opportunity as a 15-year-old to go to Canada for two weeks with Tony Griffin as part of Soar Foundation. It had just started. There was a camp and they wanted to see how it would work with Irish teenagers. I was lucky enough to be one of four who got to go to a leadership camp called Catapult.
“We had phenomenal speakers. Kerry Max Cook who spent years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. Will Njoku who ended up in the NBA from a challenging background. It was incredible to be exposed to that at a very young age and to have that awareness that you are in control of what you want. You have full control over what you engage with, your mindset and approach.”
Which brings us to Ennis on Sunday. A home Munster final is undoubtedly a benefit. But only if they weaponise it. He points to a remark from Leinster’s press conference ahead of their Champions Cup clash at Croke Park about how the venue can be a double-edged sword. Play well and it brings energy. Don’t and it can be pressure.
“I saw a quote from Leo Cullen referencing Declan D’Arcy and the Croke Park influence, he mentioned that you have to give the crowd something to shout about. It can become a tough spot if you don’t. It is our job on Sunday to make sure we give the Clare fans something to shout about.”
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