Laverty brings Clarke and Boylan into Down U-20 backroom

Laverty brings Clarke and Boylan into Down U-20 backroom

16 December 2020

CONOR Laverty has been confirmed as the new manager of the Down U-20 football team.

The Kilcoo man’s ticket will include Martin Clarke and former Meath boss Sean Boylan. Laverty’s appointment was confirmed on Thursday evening. 

Former All-Star Clarke played alongside Laverty in the Down team which reached the 2010 All-Ireland Final. Declan Morgan is the other member of Laverty’s management team.

Legendary Boylan, who is now 71, managed Meath to four All-Ireland titles. During his reign, Boylan’s Meath also lost the 1991 All-Ireland decider against the Mourne county. 

Boylan has admitted the call to take the Down role on came as a shock to him, but that he is looking forward to linking up with Laverty.

“Our paths would’ve crossed through football and a little bit through people coming up here as well. Conor is also involved with Trinity, with whom I would’ve had a connection over the years.

“Conor is extraordinarily capable [as a coach]. He’s incredible. One time one of my own family had come back from Australia, he was at a crossroads, and Conor was a great help to him as well. I love people like that.”

Boylan added he had no inkling the opportunity was in the offing. “This thing was totally out of the blue. 

“I’ve talked to Conor over the phone, we haven’t been able to sit down yet, but we will and we’ll go through it. He knows what I think of Marty as well so if I can be any help at all, in whatever small way that might be, then I’m happy to be part of that.

“These boys are saying to me they’re learning their trade - they’re far more capable of doing it than I ever was when I started out to be quite honest with you.”

While continuing to play for Kilcoo in recent years, Laverty has also earned a growing reputation as a coach. The Down native is GAA Development Officer at Trinity College in Dublin, and he was part of the back room team of Monaghan manager Seamus McEnaney this year.

Laverty brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to his new role. The talismanic forward helped propel Kilcoo to the Down championship title in 2009, ending the club’s 72-year wait for the Frank O’Hare Cup.

Since then the Magpies have dominated the county’s club scene. This year’s victory was Kilcoo’s ninth in 12 campaigns, an unprecedented era of success that included a six in-a-row between 2012 and 2017. There was also a maiden Ulster title in 2019, and an appearance in the All-Ireland club final later in that campaign.

A veteran of the inter-county scene as a player, Laverty has been the architect of Kilcoo’s much-admired coaching programme. He is currently employed as GAA development officer with Trinity College, Dublin.

Elsewhere, Richard Thornton has been named as part of the Kilcoo back room team under boss Mickey Moran.

The Tyrone native has been in charge of St Eunan’s, Letterkenny for the past two years, but decided to part ways with them in October.