Jesse Corcoran of St Pats Donabate

Jesse Corcoran, St Pats Donabate Senior captain.  

Twenty eight year old Jesse Corcoran personifies the resilience and determination seen in the St Pats of Donabate senior panel over the last number of years. It is no surprise that this Donabate native has reached the pinnacle of his career by captaining his team to the highest level of Dublin club football.

Jesse is born and bred in Donabate and started playing Gaelic football at a relatively late age. As a child he played a lot of soccer. The only GAA outlet he had at the time was through his school. When Jesse was younger, St Pats never had any underage setup. It wasn’t until he was 16 that he began his illustrious career with St Pats starting off playing minor football for the Black and Green.

A lot of the players he plays with today at senior level started off together playing minor football. Jesse recalls that “ we started our own minor team from nothing, just the local lads started playing. We always had adult teams but they were in Division 6 and Division 10. We came out of minor level into Division 6. We gave it a bash and now we’re up in Division 1.”

The confidence in the group has always been prevalent. “It’s been the same group of lads all the way up. We probably only had 15 lads in that minor team but we stuck together through it all. When we progressed, we figured that we were too good to be playing in Division 6 and our aim always was to be playing at a much higher level.”

The club have enjoyed three successive promotions under the captaincy of Jesse Corcoran. Jesse attributed the success of these promotions to hard work on behalf of the whole panel. “We trained hard and when we originally won Division 6, we knew that this was the start of something special.”

“I wouldn’t say there’s any key to the promotions. We train hard and everyone believes in the lads around them. There’s a good mentality in the team. Everyone’s friends; we all grew up together and we’ll always fight for each other. That’s the type of hard work which has pulled us literally from Division 6 to Division 1."

Adrian Henchy has managed the side from when they were lingering in Division 4. During his first two years in charge of the team, they got to the play-offs both years but unfortunately lost in the final. The third year they gained promotion from Division 4 to Division 3. St Pats' first year in Division 3 saw the Donabate outfit secure promotion to Division 2 through the play-offs.

Adrian Hency’s first silverware with the club came when they won the Division 2 title, a year after promotion. Jesse appreciates the effort Adrian has made turning this St Pats side into a title winning team. Jesse notes that when Adrian came on board things “really started to look more professional.”

“There was no more messing about when Adrian came in. He brought his own strict rules and we all bought into it. He is one of the main factors that we were able to take it to the next level. Before Adrian, we had Charlie Redmond coaching us and that was a very high standard. When Charlie first left us, we were thinking who’s going to take us further?”

Jesse is aware of Adrian’s respectable management background. “He has a good previous record. He’s managed Na Fianna at senior level and he has captained them as a player. He’s got that bit of experience that instilled professionalism in us.” Jesse elaborates on the lifestyle Adrian demanded from the players.

“The training changed gradually. We worked a lot more on fitness. He told us to knock the drink on the head so we all got into good shape. We started to feel like real athletes. When we were playing in Division 6 we were a pub team and that mentality was still in the panel when we got to Division 4. Too many lads enjoyed their weekends and their few pints.”

Adrian saw the potential in the team and Jesse recalls that the manager “demanded that old lifestyle had to be knocked on the head.” Jesse admits that the drinking ban was a “shock to the system” but “everyone has bought into it and everyone has genuinely stuck by it."

St Pats Donabate Senior panel 2014

Jesse is ambitiously confident about the season ahead. “Obviously you’re not going to stop, you’re always going to want to be better and go further. Staying up is obviously the goal this year but that was the same goal last year and we ended up winning the league. All we can do is take every game as it comes and try to win them all.”

The management team along with Jesse, and vice-captains Niall Collins and Michael Lynders, met at the start of the year to assess their goals for the season. They agreed that “it’s obviously a massive step up." In Division 1 there will be matches against inter-county players on a weekly basis. The team know that “staying up would be a good achievement.”

However, Jesse is adamant that they don’t limit themselves. “We’ll go out to beat every team and we want to hold Donabate as a fortress. We want to make sure teams don’t like coming out to Donabate because they’re in for a massive game. That’s what we as a team set out to do.”

Aside from the league, Jesse has unfinished business with the Intermediate Championship. “We’re definitely aiming to win the Intermediate Championship this year. That’s the real goal because we’ve found ourselves stuck there over the last few years. We see ourselves as a senior side and so we should be playing in the Senior Championship.”

The St Pats captain envisages a bright future for the club who mark their 90th anniversary this year. They are the biggest sporting organisation in the area, with nearly 600 active playing members and 200 non-playing members. When Jesse started playing there were only two adult teams; one in division 6 and the other in division 10.

Now the club is packed at the weekends. There are nurseries, juvenile teams, and there are hundreds of children who enjoy being part of this club which thrives on its community spirit. Blitzes are played on a regular basis in the club and the minor team are competing at a higher level than the team Jesse and the senior panel of today were playing at. There is an extremely positive vibe around the club at the moment. Jesse notes the importance of integrating everyone within the club.

“I think we’re setting an example for the younger lads. We started training with a few of the under 16’s this year, purely just to try and break them in. They’ll get used to the squad easier that way. They’re really enjoying it and they’re looking up to some of the older lads.”

“They can see where we came from and where we are now. I think it’s massively impacted a lot of them to even knock the drink on the head. Committing to our hectic training schedule and giving up the weekend for matches is a huge commitment for a young lad at the age of 16. It stops them acting the maggot as well.”

Jesse goes on to say that: “it is a lot of training that we are doing but to be fair they’re all buying into it. I really think that’s down to the success of the first team. Nobody wants to come up as a 16 year old and play Division 6 football. I find it great to see the hard work pay off and to do it with lads you grew up with, your best friends, it means an awful lot to me. But now we want to push on even further as a team, as a bunch of friends, and as a parish.”

Jesse speaks about the positive energy which is resonating in Donabate as a result of the success the senior team has achieved. “It’s huge for the parish. You can see the rise in attendances now. It went from basically nothing to two or three hundred watching our games. It’s great to see. It’s had a ripple effect right down through the parish. Everyone has seemed to notice us and it has given everyone a lift around the club.”

The team have infinite ambitions and Jesse reiterates his desire to achieve success in the Intermediate Championship. “We really are out to win the Intermediate Championship this year. However, we are aware that the competition is even tougher this year. Castleknock and Naomh Barrog are two teams on the up who have recently broke into division 2 and they’ll be looking to get into the Senior Championship too. Fingallians will also be a threat. They’ve beaten us in the past but we really think it’s ours to win. Hopefully we can do it this year.”

Jesse is aware that there are plans for the club to celebrate their 90th birthday and he tentatively remarks that: “nobody wants to mark a 90th by being relegated.” He goes on to say that: “we want to give a good account of ourselves for the club and for the parish.”The team are aware that there is an added pressure as the club prepare to celebrate their milestone. 

“We want to do well for everyone that comes up to support us. We’re grateful for the club backing us. There’s always pressure on us to stay up, especially after we’re coming off the back of a promotion. Other clubs are looking at us and presuming that we’re going straight back down. But we know what our abilities are and what we are capable of. For that reason, we’re always confident going into games.”

Jesse contemplates the notion of reaching the unfathomable heights at the top of Division 1. “If we make Donabate a fortress like we have done over the past couple of years then anything is possible. Reaching the top four isn’t a million miles away and that would secure a play-off. If we play to our strengths and to the best of our abilities, we reckon we can take anyone on our day. It’s a good mentality to have. But it is our first year in Division 1 so we’ll see how it goes.”

Jesse's St Pats Donabate are taking on Ballymun Kickams on Sunday at 10.30am in Donabate.

S.DAWSON 06/03/14