You’d need a heart made of stone not to be shook by it.
Tipperary had just won their first Munster title in 85 years and the camera turned to their manager David Power, who was looking up at the sky in disbelief. Raw emotion in his face, Tipperary football in his heart.
Power isn’t one of these managers who comes out with grand, attention-seeking statements about his own tactical nous or his own role in the part. He’s a man who’s in it for the right reasons which endears him even more.
If he wanted to beat his own drum in fairness, he’d have plenty to talk about anyway such as the increasingly impressive All-Ireland minor triumph in 2011 or the Munster final win at the weekend. But Power talks about those who went before him. The characters he has around him. The spirit of his team.
"Huge day, 85 years waiting… I'm ready to cry to be honest with you"
An emotional Tipp boss David Power speaks to @LawlorDamian after his side's Munster SFC final win #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/uNo6QZWEDX
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) November 22, 2020
On The GAA Hour, the ‘unassuming’ Kilsheelan Kilcash club man came in for particular praise after he masterminded another famous win for Tipperary football.
“David Power is an unusual one. He doesn’t strike me as an inspirational sort of a fella, he seems very unassuming. There were some great shots of him at the final whistle when he just looks up at the sky and goes ‘oh my God,” says Colm Parkinson.
“This is a manager who has won a Munster title for the first time in 85 years, won a minor All-Ireland against a Dublin team…and we know the list of players they had – Small, McCaffrey, Mannion and those.
“But just because David Power is the type of character he is – He took the attention off himself straight away, talking about all the other managers – He will never get the credit than if a Mick O’Dwyer for example, had achieved those two things.
Six of the lads who played on that famous All-Ireland winning Sunday played yesterday.
The football community is small in Tipperary but that minor team punched above their weight and this senior team has that same magical spirit about them too🔵🟡https://t.co/m24Aql0ZvB
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) November 23, 2020
“David Power will never get the attention he deserves because he’s so unassuming…and I don’t think he gives a shit that he’ll never get it!”
In his modesty lies David Power’s greatest strength. While some managers crave complete control, Power has assembled a strong backroom team in Tipperary with a wide-range of expertise and personalities. Men like Paddy Christie and Charlie McGeever are involved with the team in this sense, which shows that Power knows when to step back as well as when to step forward.
“I think he genuinely just cares most about Tipperary, he lives and breathes it,” says Conan Doherty.
“The way he mentioned all those other coaches from down through the years, he just knew everyone who was involved in it. He talked about that minor team, saying he knew they were going to win an All-Ireland.
“Conor Sweeney gave him a great nod – no bullshit, none of that – just ‘David, it’s your first year, you’re doing alright lad.’ He’s only 37, he might end up getting a bit more credit down the line, but he deserves it all.”
Right now, David Power is the man the Midas touch.
You can listen to the GAA Hour Football Show with Colm Parkinson, Cian Ward and Conan Doherty here.
