Nemo Rangers boss Robbie O’Dwyer pays tribute to his late father Mick: A phenomenal man, end of an era
The 88-year-old GAA icon has passed away.
Robbie O’Dwyer, the manager of Nemo Rangers, was overcome with emotion as his team defeated Éire Óg in the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 1 Football League last Thursday night.
After four games, the Trabeg-based squad advanced to six points with a victory in Ovens by a score of 2-13 to 0-14. In true Nemo manner, it was a hard-fought triumph.
The week prior, O’Dwyer was back on the sidelines after his father Mick, a Kerry and GAA icon, passed away.
After the game, he told The Echo, “It has been a tough week, end of an era I suppose.”
“We enjoyed our time together. Over the previous week, you witnessed all of the coverage in the newspapers, news, and radio. He was an amazing individual. We were honored to be his sons, and he was a wonderful father. I have a lot of respect for him and his incredible accomplishments both on and off the field.
“A legacy will be left by him. My father taught me a lot about coaching, player management, and training techniques, but I won’t be able to replicate what he accomplished in the game. Both as a player and as a coach, he never stopped supporting me.
“Over the years prior to his death, he gave me that extra push. I have nothing further to say about him. He was a genius.
After a rather dull second quarter in which Nemo Rangers failed to score after falling behind 2-1 in the opening fifteen minutes, O’Dwyer’s address to his players at halftime last Thursday undoubtedly gave them a boost. At halftime, they were behind by one point.
Nemo’s play had a lot more urgency after the half, even though Donncha Kelly’s black card after 34 minutes helped them out before he was sent off with four minutes remaining.
O’Dwyer asserts, “I think we only had three real attacks in the first half, and we scored from them.”
“We scored three goals, two goals, and one point by moving the ball the way we like to. The first half was bad overall. At halftime, we talked to the boys, and they acknowledged that our style of play was lacking. The ball was too lateral and too slow, and we were throwing it away.
“Chris Kelly, the Éire Óg goalie, is excellent, in my opinion. In the second half, we switched from zonal to perhaps pushing up, and it was better as we played man for man.
“When we were zonal, Chris Kelly was able to locate his man, but he was unable to get his kick-outs where he wanted them to go. Last year, he served as Cork’s goalie. Pushing up had a significant impact on us. He had few choices at the time, and he had trouble locating his players.
We started moving the ball quickly after taking the lead in midfield, and we performed significantly better in the second half. We accomplished enough to win the game, and the players regained their confidence.
O’Dwyer is in his second season as Nemo Rangers’ manager. Last year, they competed in both the league and county championships but lost both times. The city squad appears to be in a good position to compete in the finals of both tournaments once more, even at this early stage. After their first four league games, they have six points.
For us, being competitive is the most important thing. As you can see, we currently lack a large number of players. Twenty bodies were torn out against Éire Óg. Stephen Cronin played despite having an injury, Ronan Dalton sustained an injury throughout the week, and Eoin Nation pulled up on Tuesday.
“Bodies are the issue, but the boys who enter must raise their hands, and I believe some did so against Éire Óg, which is fantastic.”
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