Prop O’Keefe proof of clubs effective youth system
By Thomas Conway
Nenagh Ormond’s AIL Division 2A success is the product of many different factors, but if there is a secret ingredient, then it has to be the club’s youth system.
For the past several years, a concerted effort has been made to develop and enhance the club’s underage structures in order to create a consistent stream of talent into the adult ranks. Jack O’Keefe is a prime example.
The Burgess native has evolved into one of Nenagh’s most intelligent and integral forward players, but he didn’t emerge out of nowhere. As the prop himself admits, he’s a product of the system, a system which has effectively been the bedrock of Nenagh Ormond’s success.
“A lot of the lads I’m playing with today for instance, I’ve played alongside since under-12s, under-14s, the whole way up,” he explained.
“To come to where we are now from the position, we were in two or three years ago is massive really. I joined the senior set-up in 2019 - there were four or five of us that came up from under-18s and it was tough to jump into adult rugby straight away, but I think after maybe two or three years we started to adapt, to adapt to the pace of the game and settle in. But we’re still relatively young, we have a good age profile so hopefully we can use that to our advantage and continue the momentum into next year.”
O’Keefe is Mr. Consistent. Time and again throughout the course of this season Nenagh’s pack has produced the goods, and he has played a crucial role in solidifying the forward unit week in week out. But he’s also a player with an acute awareness of tactics and strategy.
He reveals that the brand of rugby Nenagh play is embedded in each player as they work their way up through the underage system. He credits a number of coaches for cultivating this approach, all of whom have contributed to the senior team’s success via their input at juvenile level.
“In terms of the style of rugby we play, that starts at underage level,” O’Keefe added.
“The coaches that are there, the ones that I’ve played under - the likes of Dinny Farrell, Fergal Hayes, Brian Rainsford, Michael McMahon, Enda Murphy - all wanted us to play a good vibrant brand of rugby and I think that showed out there on the pitch today, and indeed throughout the season as a whole.”
Even in the aftermath of Nenagh’s victory last Saturday, O’Keefe remained grounded. While all around him were going wild in celebration, the forward made time to talk openly about the game, and about the direction in which Nenagh are headed in the future. He reckons Nenagh’s prospects are bright.
Just like he did several years ago, younger players are rapidly graduating from the underage ranks and joining the senior set-up. The underage set-up is thriving, and that surely bodes well in the longer term. Nenagh are a club that is currently firing on all fronts, and youth is key. There will be more successes. O’Keefe doesn’t just believe it. He knows it.
“The 16s, the 18s, the 20s, they’re all going well, playing a nice style of rugby. And we just can’t wait to get some of those lads from the 18s and the 20s in with us next year, and hopefully they’ll use the opportunity and work their way into the team as well,” O’Keefe said.