Nathan Collins: I could never have had Kevin Moran’s ‘crazy’ career

Collins, like Moran, was equally talented in GAA as football. Unlike his fellow centre-back, however, combining the two was impossible

HIGH HOPES: Nathan Collins poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland media conference at Calista Luxury Resort in Antalya, Turkey. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Motivational videos have been a sore point during Stephen Kenny’s reign but for Nathan Collins the choice of Kevin Moran’s Codebreaker documentary for Friday’s qualifier in Greece was apt.

Although a portion of the Ireland squad were too young for the exploits of the dual star to be recalled, and the UK-born cohort struggled to connect, Collins could resonate.

He, like Moran, was equally talented in GAA as football. Unlike his fellow centre-back, however, combining the two was impossible.

The notion of returning in his late teens from Stoke City to his native Leixlip and switching sports during the summer recess is unthinkable within the modern era.

Many Irish players did so with their local club surreptitiously but that was prior to the advent of the camera phone.

“He was mad, wasn’t he?,” Collins said in complimentary terms about one of his central defensive Ireland forefathers.

“That’s bizarre and crazy. You wouldn’t get away with that now because of social media.” 

Collins, from a family steeped in football traced back to his grandfather lifting the FAI Cup in 1950, possessed some prior knowledge of Moran’s juggling. Those who didn’t were similarly enthralled.

“We watched it the other day,” he said, noting how the nine-day training camp in Antalya, Turkey was broken by novelties such as replaying the recently screened RTÉ feature.

“It was interesting because I played a lot of GAA. I had a decision when I was 14 in terms of what I was going to do because I had to take one sport seriously.

“I couldn’t do both and I chose football but I still love watching GAA.” 

From Codebreaker to history maker, Collins this year has the opportunity of completing a German circle first sketched by Moran and his peers all of 35 years ago.

That Ireland team blazed a trail by smashing the qualification ceiling and putting Ireland on the Euro ’88 map. The latest defensive braveheart is at the vanguard of trying to lead Ireland back to Westphalia.

To succeed, through the front door anyway, victory against Greece on Friday is imperative.

Humidity will be a factor in the June night in Athens but Kenny learnt the lessons of last year’s wilting in Armenia by reconditioning his players in the Mediterranean sun.

“I got five days off after the season finished and I went straight to France,” said Wolves man Collins.

“Once I linked up with the Ireland squad, last week was intense training but we’ve relaxed too.

“There’s been pool and table-tennis tournaments, people playing water polo altogether and a bit of golf – won by Mark Travers, of course. Now it is down to business for the week coming up to the match.” 

Collins finished the Premier Division campaign with one of the highest returns for an Irish player in terms of minutes.

Much was expected of the towering colossus when Wolves paid £20.5m to make him the most expensive Irish player in history last summer but a turbulent season for his new club, who were bottom of the table on Christmas Day, was reflective of his status in the team.

That entailed being first-choice when available up to January, losing his spot when headhunted boss Julen Lopetegui secreted new recruit Craig Dawson as his experienced stopper, before returning to the line-up for the final pair of games.

Lopetegui’s future appears to be intertwined with the level of funds bestowed for strengthening and Collins hasn’t been given any indication of becoming a casualty in the overhaul. Dodging the same fate that his previous club Burnley suffered by going down 12 months earlier was the overall mission in year one.

“Football is an awkward game, isn’t it?,” he muses. “Stuff does not always work out but the main objective was to avoid relegation and that was achieved.

“I wasn’t playing as much as I’d like but the club needed me to step into a role of supporting the lads.

“I talked to the manager a few times but it (being dropped) was never fully explained. I know he wanted more experience in the back because we had a young enough back four.

“There was nothing to play for in the last two matches, so he gave everybody minutes. I wasn’t really looking at needing to prove myself. I didn’t want to go down again so I just said I’d bite the bullet and be a team player. Get on with it.” 

That’s the mantra for Friday too in a tighter version of his club circuit. He’s willing to put his head in where it hurts, Moran-style, to enliven their tilt to feature at a first major tournament for eight years.