Legendary Kilkenny hurling boss Brian Cody is playing a part in Stephen Bradley’s development as a manager and coach.
And seven-time All-Ireland winner Jonny Cooper has also provided insight into what drives elite teams, which Bradley has found relevant to his work at Shamrock Rovers.
The Hoops manager has been at the helm of the Tallaght club since 2016 and the 40-year-old has delivered four league titles, an FAI Cup and historic European runs. But after seeing Shelbourne pip them to the league last season, Bradley has stressed the importance of refreshing his own approach and that of the team.
Cody won 11 All-Irelands as Kilkenny boss - including four in-a-row - between 2000 and 2015 and Bradley revealed how he shared valuable insight on sustained team success.
Bradley said: "You have to look at all the codes and learn from the best in their field operating at an elite level. You watch Cork and Limerick go at each other in the hurling last week and it was an incredible level of skill, grit and determination. Tactically it had a bit of everything.
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"If you can’t watch something like that and learn from the outside, you’re doing something wrong. You’ve got to be open to learning from all codes.Then you’re meeting people from different codes, picking their brains on what they do and how they continue to be successful.”
Bradley explained: “Myself, Stephen (McPhail) and Glenn (Cronin) were at a talk with the old Kilkenny manager Brian Cody last year. It was an event by South Dublin County Council about leadership that we were invited to. There were other people in the room too. We could ask questions to pick his brain which was gold dust. To have that sustained success, there was so much in it that we were talking notes all day.”
Bradley said: “It was about how he maintained standards and culture. It seemed he was a brilliant person to work with and want to work with. You could see why he was so successful. Within five minutes, he had the room. He was so special and you can’t turn down opportunities like that.
"It’s brilliant to learn from people who’ve been there and done it, seeing what they’ve gone through and how they sustain success. You have to keep reinventing and refreshing. He’s done that for so long it was important to listen and ask questions. We still go through the notes and talk about it.”
Cooper, the brilliant defender who was key to the Dubs six-in-row triumph , is another interesting figure from outside the football sphere that Bradley has spoken to.
“We met quite regularly for coffees and chats,” he said. “He was a big part of what that Jim Gavin team did. It was great. I haven’t met Dessie Farrell, but I would love to.”
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