The omnipresent Conor Laverty is the man to turn Down football around, says Aaron Branagan.
Having been strongly linked with the job last year before it eventually went to James McCartan, the Kilcoo stalwart has now taken it on ahead of the 2023 campaign, though he’s still lacing up the boots with the club as he chases another All-Ireland.
Branagan smiles: “I actually think that in about 10 years' time it's going to come out that Conor was a triplet and that there's been three Conor Lavertys on the go this while because I genuinely don't know where he gets the time.
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“He has all the wee ones, he farms, he has two coffee carts and he's the Down manager. He is a man with… I don't know where he gets the time.
“No, Conor gives absolutely everything to Kilcoo. When it's his night with Kilcoo, he gives everything to Kilcoo and I'm sure when he goes to Down he's all Down and everyone is totally respectful of everything he's going because we all owe Conor.
“You know, nobody can say anything, what Conor has done for our club is amazing. There's not one person would question anything he's doing.”
And he reckons that Laverty will bring “a different mindset” to the county team.
“The first Championship I ever won, it would have been our under-12 championship, and Conor was our first manager.
“He was 17 and we were 12. That was the first thing I've ever been involved in so Conor has been managing me the whole way through.
“He's an exceptional coach and he's an exceptional motivator and I'm sure he's learned loads from all the different managers he has had throughout his career and even with Mickey [Moran] and stuff like that.
“I do think he is going to bring a different mindset to the county that they've probably never seen before, an intensity to training that they've never seen before. In turn, that could bring success. I know it is tough but I think he will get success.”
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