Seán Deane enjoying Breaffy journey

By Cian O’Connell

“Ultimately, you live in a community, and you want that community to be proud of the senior football team,” Breaffy manager Seán Deane says.

The highly regarded Deane played for Kiltane, but has been heavily involved with Breaffy teams at every level from U6 to senior throughout the past couple of decades.

Sunday’s Mayo SFC quarter-final success over Westport at Breaffy’s home pitch brought a sense of satisfaction. Football matters so much, in many ways. “It is at the heart of the community,” Deane adds.

“So, you've a responsibility to ensure you do the best job that you can. Giving it 100 per cent, making sure you're giving time to as many players as possible in terms of building that relationship, and that relationship isn't just for a couple of games.”

Connections must be formed. “That you're helping them on and off the pitch in any way that you can,” Deane explains. “It is about a sense of pride in a community which is important. Guys, knowing where they are from and knowing what that means, is very, very important.

“It is something we’re building incrementally, on an ongoing basis. I'd say the amount of people that take a lot of pride, really, in the senior footballers in Breaffy is heartwarming.

“The support we get from the club, the support we get from the supporters themselves is very much appreciated. It helps us tremendously. It helped us get over the line against Westport.

“They were the 16th man, I know it is a cliché, but they definitely were in terms of the support we got. Hopefully we can go a little bit further, but we'll take it game by game.”

Such an approach is serving Deane and Breaffy well. Three years spent as Mayo minor manager was about balancing development and trying to win. Finding the correct balance between Breaffy’s emerging and established players is vital. “The one thing is on Sunday you had a number of players that were 18, 19, and 20, they are blending into the squad very, very well,” Deane says.

“The average age of the team on Sunday was about 25 which is a good mix of youth and experience. That is what we're trying to do. Obviously, we're trying to deal with what is in front of us and cater for the future too, in terms of blending guys into the squad.

“The older members of the team or the more mature members of the team, they've been brilliant supporting and helping and giving advice to the younger lads, that is great.”

Far from the senior grade, the sheer hard work being carried out counts. “The bottom line, to a certain extent, is if Bord na nÓg wasn't working as well as it is in Breaffy over the last 15 years, you wouldn't be seeing the guys coming through that we're seeing,” Deane reflects.

“All you need is a couple of guys every single year jumping into the senior squad, pushing other guys on, which is important. The young guys in our squad at the minute, and we've a squad of about 34 players at senior level.

“The young guys are pushing everybody else on which is great to see too. It is like everything in life, that blend of youth and experience is an important factor.”

Breaffy have been well represented on the grand stage. “You've the household names like Aidan (O’Shea), Mattie (Ruane), Robbie Hennelly, Conor O'Shea that have played senior for Mayo,” Deane responds.

“Obviously, Seamie (O’Shea) isn't there at the moment. You've an awful lot of younger guys that have played minor and U20 too, particularly minor over the last number of years.

“Their experience of an inter-county set-up is very helpful, particularly on days like Sunday when you had a big crowd. There was a lot at stake, they are very level headed guys. The squad itself showed huge character to play against a team that I would classify as one of the best teams in the county in Westport.”

Another demanding assignment awaits against Knockmore at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park on Sunday. Deane has never forgotten where he came from in Kiltane, and the welcome subsequently received in Breaffy. “I played for Kiltane in my playing career, and then, work took me to the UK, I played a bit of soccer when I was over there,” he recalls.

“When I came back a did a little bit more with the home club in Kiltane, but was a resident in Breaffy. My oldest son, John, started school there, and we got involved with the GAA. I would have been involved in every age group from U6 all the way through to senior.

“In 2013 I was involved with two other guys, a fella called John Moran, God rest him, he has passed away, and John Hall.

“We managed Breaffy to a second ever Minor A title. That team was the backbone of the senior squad over the last number of years, we still have some guys there that togged and played on Sunday, who were part of the minor winning team in 2013.”

Deane relished being involved and took charge of Mayo at U16 and minor. “In the last five years I've really been away from Breaffy, doing little bits and pieces, I did a little bit with the U20s last year, not a huge amount,” Deane says.

“Circumstances dictated that there was an opportunity there, two months ago, late in the season, myself and the new management team, who are fantastic came in.

“We've two guys that soldiered with me with the Mayo minors for three years in Shane McCann, who is originally from Armagh, but resident in Ballina, and Danny O'Toole, originally from Inisturk, but resident in Ballintubber now.

“We've two other guys, Colm Kelly, who is born and bred in Breaffy, he played all his career for Breaffy, and Colm Flynn, originally from Longford, but he has played with Breaffy for the last number of years.

“So, I'm very fortunate that I've a very, very good management team. They will challenge me at every stage. That is effectively what you want. The management that is there, I couldn't speak highly enough of them.”

Operating in the inter-county arena was a challenge to be embraced. Overall, Deane enjoyed trying to capture silverware, while also being aware of the fact that improving and enhancing players was critical. “That is the reason I got involved, to be honest,” Deane responds.

“My philosophy has always been to get to know the person first and the player second, to build a relationship with players. It is up to me to get into the players head as opposed to the other way around.

“How can I get the best out of guys individually and collectively? So, in a Mayo context - absolutely you’ve to win some silverware, that is what is expected in Mayo. We were fortunate over the three years I was there.

“The first year was Covid, it was very difficult for that squad of players, who only got one game, then it was all over. The next year we got to the All-Ireland final, but got pipped by a very good Galway team in the final. We won two Connacht titles along the way.

“Ultimately, what you're looking to do is to make sure is that when the player goes back to his club, that he is better than he was when he came in, that you're building something for the future for each individual.”

It is similar with Breaffy. Right now the impending match with Knockmore in Castlebar is on the agenda, but a bigger picture exists. A solid foundation has been created by the club. “With Breaffy, for me, it is always about looking to the future,” Deane says.

“It is always about ensuring you know exactly the guys that are playing U12, U14, U16, who are they? How can we develop them? How can we help them? We've to ensure that Breaffy sit at the top table of senior football into the future.

“You deal with what is in front of you in 2024, but you're looking at '25, '26, '27. Not that I will be there, but you want to make sure you leave the place in a better place than when you found it.”

Helping footballers is vital. “That, ultimately, is about bringing as many players with you as you can, developing them as best you can,” he adds.

“Obviously, not everyone can play. There will be guys that aren't happy that they aren't playing, their form mightn't be good enough. Everyone goes through peaks and troughs. I know anything we're doing at the moment, there is a squad of 34 approximately, they are pivotal to the run we're on.

“They are pushing the guys, who are getting game time. The most difficult aspect of the job is picking a starting XV for any of these games. You've a lot of guys pushing exceptionally hard and a lot of guys with very little between them.

“That is good in one way, that is what management is about. You've to make decisions. Sometimes you get them right, sometimes you get them wrong.”

There is joy in the journey. Momentum has been generated, but it is a Mayo SFC where all the four contenders believe. “We've been here before at this stage in the championship, we know what it is all about,” Deane says.

“We know what it takes to get across the line, to get to the next stage. Obviously, Breaffy have never won a senior county title, we don't know what that feels like, but that is the Holy Grail.”