Published: Wednesday, 8th September, 2010 3:06pm

Brady aware of enormity of challenge

by Paul Fitzpatrick

Paul Brady in action against Denn.
Pic by==: 97

After a dismal showing in the county semi-final against Denn last year - albeit on a an afternoon when they were decimated by injuries - Mullahoran have bounced back with a new manager, new players and, most importantly, a newly-acquired winning habit.

The form of wing-forward Paul Brady has been central to their run to the county semi-final but, ahead of an acid test against Cavan Gaels, the world handball champion is keen to hand the credit to his side's younger brigade.

"I think the introduction of a few young players has helped," he told The Anglo-Celt this week.

"We had to throw them in at the deep end last year because we had a lot of injuries but they seem to have matured a lot in the last year. Also a few positional switches have us moving a little more fluently."

Mullahoran, like Denn, have a real sense of unity and purpose about them this season. In a close-knit community, it is inevitable that there will be a large number of relations- brothers, cousins - on the panel but, unusually for rural Ireland, ten of Mullahoran's regular starting 15 are non-drinkers.

"I think it [the family ties on the squad] is an advantage and the fact that we don't have a problem with drink, but you would have thought that with Denn last year, I think they had four or five sets of brothers playing in the final and you saw what the Gaels did to them," said Brady, who turns 31 this month and is a holder of a SFC medal from 2006.

"So you would imagine that is the case but its not always and neither is the drink thing. You would imagine both those points would help but that doesn't always prove out. At the end of the day its about who goes out and performs."

"We put in a big effort every year, it's not much different this year than any other year, every year we put in a huge effort. We have been moving a wee bit better this year maybe."

Free of handball commitments, Brady's football form has impressed, a fact he attributes to the extra rest time.

"It's more than I'm able to rest a bit more before matches," he revealed.

"Personally I want to improve on my last performance but I'm just going to try to keep it going, do my best is all I can do."

The arrival of Darren Chapman, winner of a Fermanagh SFC with Newtownbutler and currently among the frontrunners for the Erne county manager's job, has been a boost to the Dreadnougts' preparations, according to Brady.

"Very much so, he is a good manager and he has us playing well all year bar a few blips here and there. There's something there obviously so in just hope we can keep it going I suppose."

Having switched between the half-back and half-forward lines during his inter-county career, Brady appears most comfortable in the attack at club level.

"I don't really know, I play wherever I'm put or told to play. I don't mind where I'm playing bar the full-back line, once I'm playing out the field and I can actually play football."

Finally, a prediction?

"I don't think you can predict hows it going to pan out normally its tight enough between both teams, hopefully it'll the case again."

Brady, it seems, is content to let his football do the talking.

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