All-rounder Coffey leads by example
By Thomas Conway
Willie Coffey was chosen as Nenagh Ormond captain for the coming season for a very specific reason: the man exudes leadership.
This writer would know. In another time, he played alongside Coffey on a North Tipperary Under 14 Kennedy Cup Soccer squad. Coffey, the soccer player, is a mirror image of Coffey the hurler, a former Tipperary minor and current Toomevara senior. Both are broadly similar to Coffey the rugby player - rigidly determined, rambunctiously powerful, and ruthlessly effective.
The 26-year-old centre has all the attributes of a modern-day captain. He leads on the field through his steely performances, but off the pitch he is a man of humour and playfulness. In an age where sport is too often taken too seriously, it counts to have a man who can shoot the breeze and crack a joke.
Coffey is relishing the prospect of the upcoming AIL campaign. Both he and his fellow teammates are in exuberant form. Nenagh have had a successful pre-season progressing to the semi-final of the Munster Senior Cup and the final of the Limerick Charity Cup.
They have banished last year’s demons of a relegation battle, albeit successful, and started again from scratch. Playing numbers - which had been unsustainably small for much of last season - have suddenly skyrocketed, and the mood in the camp is exclusively positive.
“I think our squad depth has improved hugely,” Coffey began.
“Loads of boys are back from injury, and that is a huge help. Training has been amazing as well. We had been suffering with maybe twenty or so players last year, but we had forty out on the pitch at training last Tuesday night. And when you’ve that many players out training you can get more plays going, you can try things and correct things, and that means you are prepared come match day.”
Nenagh’s pre-season form has been hugely impressive. The surprise victory over Garryowen in the Munster Senior Cup quarter final raised eyebrows, but the squad are remaining grounded. As uplifting as that win was, it would be negligent to read too much into a single result. Coffey himself cautions against doing so. The Toomevara native is more interested in the technical aspects of Nenagh’s performances, as opposed to the actual outcomes of each game.
At times last year, Nenagh’s forwards looked tired and almost dishevelled, which was understandable, given the extent to which the squad suffered with injuries and absences. They took the summer as a much-needed opportunity to replenish, and they seem to have bounced back with force. Their level of organisation has improved dramatically. The scrum looks more powerful, the lineout more structured, the breakdown more efficient.
Coffey appreciates the efforts of the forwards because he knows how important they are. Without a functioning scrum, or a coherent lineout, attacking becomes next to near impossible. However, when those elements are working properly, the backs’ job becomes significantly easier.
“The pack are doing well every time,” he added.
“They are giving us a good platform and allowing the backs to do their job. So yeah, we’ve a good set-up this year, I think this is the closest the boys have been in a long time, and we just seem to be clicking on the field.”
Should things continue to click, and should Nenagh continue to perform, 2022/23 may well produce some kind of trophy for Coffey to hoist above his head. It seems almost far-fetched to suggest that Nenagh are capable of securing promotion this season, considering what happened last year. That is not a topic of conversation in the Nenagh Ormond dressing-room. But just because something isn’t said doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.