The Return of Connection

The All-Ireland Final was packed with brilliant moments—team-driven phases of play, and  individual flashes of genius. But it wasn’t just that one game. 2025, as a whole, felt different.

After years of systems, structures, and rigid roles, something shifted. The shackles came off. Players played. And with that freedom came the return of something we hadn’t seen in a while: real connection.

Not just passes or patterns. Real, intuitive, unspoken and spoken connection. The kind I first saw years ago when Greg Blaney floated balls into Mickey Linden’s path like he had a remote control. Somewhere along the way, we smothered that. But it’s back.

True connection can’t be coached. It’s not in a drill or a team talk. It’s something players build themselves. Coaches can create the environment, but it’s in the chats before training, the bit of craic after a session, the reps done when no one’s watching, the coffee meet up —that’s where it’s born. And when players become intentional and specific about what they want to do in games, and expect from others to help them do it, it adds rocket fuel to performance. 

Everyone’s talking about that pass from Paudie to David—an instinctive backdoor cut met with perfect timing. A move born not just in practice, but perhaps a childhood spent reading each other’s form. Most teammates won’t have the benefit of growing up under the same roof. But that doesn’t mean connection isn’t possible.

Whether you're a coach or a player, if you can find ways to build those playing connections—on the pitch, off it—you'll gain an edge no system can teach.