A natural selection
Alan Dillon intends to lead by example
Mike Finnerty
NEW Mayo captain Alan Dillon has called on his team-mates to ‘be professional’ and ‘stay calm’ when they come face-to-face with London in the Connacht championship in less than five weeks time.
Speaking to The Mayo News shortly after he was named as Trevor Mortimer’s successor as Mayo skipper, the 28 years-old talked candidly about his new role and the unique challenge of squaring up to the Exiles in Ruislip on May 29.
“You have to prepare for every eventuality,” he explained. “It’s championship, at the end of the day, and has to be treated like any other championship game.
“There are a lot of distractions and side-shows but you have to be professional about it.
“When the game starts you have to be relaxed and express yourself, let your football come out. The days of blowing teams away in the first 15 minutes are gone.
“Guys can get anxious and let their emotions get the better of them. You have to stay calm and keep doing the right things. At the moment, we can’t look beyond London.”
Dillon, who made his championship debut in 2003, said he was “honoured” to be asked to lead Mayo into battle this summer.
“It was a very proud moment,” he admitted. “It’s a huge honour for myself, my family, and my club. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ve followed Mayo since I was five-years-old,” he added. “Being made captain makes you think back to the hard work that went in down through the years, and the transition from underage football to being an experienced member of the squad.
“It’s been a long journey through good days and bad days and to lead the county team was probably the next logical step.”
THE Ballintubber play-maker has won three Connacht senior championship medals and an All Star award during his eight previous seasons with the Mayo squad.
In that time he has observed captains like Noel Connelly, Fergal Costello, David Heaney, Peadar Gardiner, Ronan McGarrity and Trevor Mortimer, and name-checks them all as major influences on his career.
“I’ve seen, and played with, some great Mayo captains down through the years,” he said.
“For me, I’m sure it will mean a slightly different approach in terms of how I prepare and in terms of driving the team on. It will be up to me to ensure everyone in the group is aware of their responsibilities.
“I would be vocal on the field, and I’d be the kind of person that would have a quiet word in a guy’s ear, and just make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them. Things like commitment, desire, and preparation would be very important to me.
“But, to be honest, there are a lot of strong characters in the Mayo dressing-room and on the team.”
In the wake of last season’s humbling championship defeats against Sligo and Longford, Dillon was one of the few Mayo players to speak publicly, and frankly, about what had happened, and what needed to be done.
Nine months on, he feels that things are moving in the right direction again.
“There’s been a total sea-change. The change in personnel in terms of players, the medical team, the coaching staff and the entire backroom has given everything a lift.
“I’m under no illusions that we were in a bad place after last year’s championship, and this summer we’ll be looking to work hard and put in some big performances.
“The dressing-room has changed a lot,“ he continued. “Some lads have passed on, some guys are not involved for one reason or another, and we also lost two big characters in Austy [O’Malley] and Billy Joe [Padden].
“But the new lads have been a real breath of fresh air and there’s a good environment in the dressing-room now. There are a lot of senior lads too so it’s a nice mix.”
By the time London rolls around, Alan Dillon will have finished his Higher Diploma in Education at NUI, Galway and will be pondering his next career move.
This is a big year in more ways than one.
We wish him well.
Fact File Alan Dillon
Club: Ballintubber
Age: 28
C’ship debut: 2003
Occupation: Student
Nickname: Dillo’
Did you know? His uncle, Ollie, is the King of the Tubber!
Alan Dillon on…
The 2011 League
“It was probably a success overall. We also saw strengths and weaknesses in each game and that might not have been the case in other years. It also created huge competition for places and that’s a good thing.”
The 2011 Championship
“We need to get a settled squad and everything after that will be built around desire, commitment and work ethic. That’s something we will really hone in on. We can’t look beyond London and Galway at the moment.”
