Aidan O'Rourke designed_Layout 1 19/12/2013 16:24 Page 1
AIDAN O’ROURKE
O’ROURKE INSTILLING GROUP MENTALITY
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idan O’Rourke’s first year as Louth boss was a learning process for both himself and the players. The Dromintee clubman brought an unprecedented level of professionalism and deep-thinking to the camp but – brilliant and all as preparations were – the team didn’t bring its A game to the field of play on a consistent basis. Reflecting on the season as a whole, the Wee County manager says the most pleasing aspect of 2013 from his point of view was the manner in which the players bought into the group mentality – a vital trait that defines all winning teams. The appointment of Armagh man Aidan O’Rourke as Louth senior football manager in October, 2012 was clearly a bold and progressive one – a
statement of intent from the County Board. Formerly a selector with both Kildare and Down, the 2002 All-Ireland winner is a card-carrying member of the new breed of young, thoughtful and meticulous gaelic football managers. He began the process of stamping his influence on Wee County football during the season gone by and the result was, for the most part, highly impressive. Reports from inside the camp – i.e. from the players themselves – are that O’Rourke’s regime is the most professional and organised they have played under. The project will continue unabated in 2014 and this time the abiding hope is that the team can kick on and achieve the kind of results that reflect the progress being made in terms of preparations, togetherness and application. What objectives did the manager set
Louth manager Aidan O'Rourke
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for his team in 2013? “It’s very difficult to set out clear objectives at the start of the year,” says the former Orchard County full back – holder of an astonishing seven Ulster SFC medals. “You assess it on a continuous basis as the year goes on. “In general, however, we hoped to be in a position to challenge for promotion in the league, but we didn’t manage to achieve that. One or two small things stopped us, but it was a good learning curve. In the championship, we set ourselves a target of winning a minimum of three matches, so we fell short there, too, which was disappointing. “The way the championship panned out – and the Wexford game in particular – was a big disappointment. A lot of people outside the county would have expected us to beat Wexford in Drogheda and to advance