GAA: The Enda the Line - Enda Muldoon reflects on a 23 year club football career

For 23 years Enda Muldoon was a regular on the Ballinderry senior team and one of the most natural players of a generation.  Since calling time on his career, he has been overwhelmed with messages from all corners of the country.  He sat down with Michael McMullan to lift the lid on a lifetime of memories… THIS was no ordinary changing of the guard.  All sporting teams evolve.  New blood will emerge and others will step aside.  But a player like Enda Muldoon – they don’t come around too often.  If ever. After a decorated club career that spanned three decades, Muldoon had his mind made up.  Last Monday, he composed his farewell message and sent it into Ballinderry’s group chat.  After 23 years at the forefront of the Shamrocks’ annual drive for championship glory Muldoon called time on his career. Absent will be that effortless glide to pluck a kick-out dropping from the clouds.  If under the cosh and possession was scarce, Mickey ‘C’ Conlan would land one in Muldoon’s direction.  He was the safe option. They will miss his vision and trademark defence-splitting passes.  When Ballinderry struggled to break down Slaughtneil’s defence in the 2012 County Final, it was Muldoon who picked the lock.  His perfectly weighted pass found the run of Coilín Devlin for a game-clinching goal.  Perfection. And his ability to deliver on the big stage.  Five minutes into the 2002 All-Ireland Final, Muldoon and Declan Bateson combined to rob Nemo’s Kevin Cahill.  Seconds later Muldoon was in the scoring zone, soloing with his right and when closed down, he instinctively swung over a point with his left foot from an acute angle. Just snippets of what glistened from Ballinderry’s prize gem.  There was so much more.  A genius.  An icon. An unassuming leader – inspiring by action rather than words.  Uber competitive on the inside, yet radiating that impression of calmness on the outside.  The perfect mix. When Mark Sidebottom labelled him ‘The Big Easy’, it was only half of the equation.  One day Dwayne McNally decided to call him ‘Archie’ at school.  That’s how Ballinderry people know him.  It has stuck since. When the championship bandwagon rolls around next summer, they will miss him.  Everybody will.  No matter what colours you wear – Enda Muldoon was one of those players that lit up any stage. *** IT was time to unleash the real Muldoon – the man behind the magic. “I’ll have the kettle on,” were the words at the end of a text message with directions. I arrive and when the door is blue I know I’m in the right place.  A Ballinderry man would never pick any other colour.  Muldoon answers the door with a welcoming handshake and follows with the offer of a cuppa.  Unsurprisingly, Sky Sports News is the programme of choice on the telly. For Muldoon, his love of sport started like that of most: “It revolved around the football pitch.  We were always brought there.  Ballinderry teams in the early years, that my father (Martin) would have played on would have been pretty successful and would have won three-in-a-row.” There was a desire to follow in the footsteps. Further afield and later in his career came more inspiration.  Crossmaglen’s success and watching them strut into the Carrickdale Hotel, in their plush suits, on their way back from the 2000 All-Ireland win over Na Fianna struck a chord with Muldoon.  Would his beloved Shamrocks ever see the day? *** HIS earliest memory of Ballinderry in action came in defeat.  The Shamrocks were defeated in the 1987 semi-final by Castledawson at Magherafelt.  By then there was already a self-driven desire for football. “We would’ve walked down to the field ourselves – we were never really pushed out to it,” recalls Muldoon of the start of his underage career. Ballinderry’s youth coaching policy produced an unstoppable conveyor belt of talent: “At U12s, it was Patrick (McGuckin) - he was in charge.  At U14 we had different managers, Adrian (McGuckin), Kevin Collins and Charlie Conway and different boys.” The teams that came behind him may have swept the board but Muldoon had his fair share of disappointment. “The team I played on won the U12 and u14 but we didn’t win anything after that.  In U16, Bellaghy beat us and in minor, we were beat two years in a row – 1994 Bellaghy beat us and 1995 Loup beat us.” He was surrounded by the men who would make history on that famous day in Thurles when the Shamrocks ruled supreme. “Young Adrian (McGuckin), Paul Wilson, Gerard Cassidy and Mickey C (Conlan) – we had a good team, but unfortunately Bellaghy had better teams.  Of that group of players, we had a right few that came into senior.” Muldoon played ‘above his grade’ at minor with Sean Donnelly and Ronan McGuckin.  Glory eluded them. “We are probably going through a barren spell at the minute at underage.  But I remember playing an U14 game against Magherafelt and we never scored.  Everybody thinks that back then it was all rosy.  For some of it, it wasn’t that rosy. “I remember marking a boy Paul Shaw that day.  I was left-half back and I am not joking you, I never touched the ball.  I was just running up and down the field after him.” Muldoon’s frame and his ability to kick off the ground was recognised by senior manager Eugene McIvor who handed the lanky 16 year-old his senior debut as goalkeeper in the 1994 McGlinchey Cup Final. The following year Brian McIver came in as senior manager and opted for youth. Muldoon was one such prospect. It paid off and Ballinderry, after a gap of 13 years, were senior champions.  When youngsters Adrian McGuckin (Jr) and Gerard Cassidy were named as joint men of the match, it was the beginning of a new Shamrocks' era . “There were a few older boys who had left, so we got in and got a chance,” Muldoon explains.  “There must have been seven or eight boys who came into the team fresh that year, we were lucky enough to win a championship – we came at a good time.” As Muldoon recalls, Bellaghy were ‘missing men that day’ following suspensions from their semi-final with Lavey. Ballinderry’s 1995 Ulster campaign didn’t yield silverware but there was an epic game with Errigal Ciaran, who had hammered Killybegs in the preliminary round. “The chat around Ballinderry was ‘if we can keep these boys to 10 points’ we’d be doing well.  They were playing Harlem Globetrotters stuff in the first-half - waltzing through us.” The Shamrocks trailed as Matt Trolan announced ‘all-stewards to end of match positions’.  There was still time for Raymond Bell to punch two goals for an unlikely victory. “If ever there was a miracle, that was the day for it,” admits Muldoon.  The Ulster stage would have to wait, as Ballinderry lost to Baileborough after a semi-final replay. *** RIVALRY, in its truest sense, only presents itself at the cutting edge.  When titles are up for grabs.  Bellaghy.  Crossmaglen.  Lavey.  Loup.  Slaughtneil.  Most players have one regular sparring partner, two at most – but Enda Muldoon had five.  In his 23 years, he got to at least a semi-final in 20 of those seasons. I have had some career that way,” Muldoon points out.  “I think when you have a rivalry, you know you are in a good place – because you are around the top. “As they would know now around Slaughtneil, everybody wants to beat you.  That’s the way it is.  When Man United were at the top - everyone wanted to see them beat.” Did the close proximity of Loup, stoke that fire any higher than the rest? “Not really,” admits Muldoon.  “They were boys around the same age and we met in a couple of finals and a couple of semi-finals but there was never any real nasty stuff – it was never any worse than playing any other team.” After 1995, Ballinderry thought it was the start of a domination…but six barren years followed.  Bellaghy proved to be Muldoon’s early nemesis. “We were sick looking at each other.  We played them in three finals in a row.  In 2001, we were probably saying to ourselves, ‘if we don’t win this, that’s it’. “We had luck on the day.  Bellaghy had chances and if you are talking to Bellaghy men, it was one final they probably should’ve won and the year before, we should’ve won it.” Brian McIver had again delivered success, but Muldoon puts a portion of the glory down to the professionalism of Damian Barton’s previous three year term in charge. “Wherever he goes, he has no luck, but to be fair, he brought us on.  He changed the thing around completely.  He started bringing in weights and that was never heard tell of.  He was getting boys into the gym and fitness levels were massive.” Enda Muldoon captained Ballinderry in the 1999 final at a packed Ballinascreen.  Every vantage point was taken and the echoes bellowed from supporters hammering the zinc on the stand. “The final in ‘99 was the best ever for atmosphere.  There were fireworks and everything being let off that day.  There was some crowd at it - I always thought Ballinascreen and Glen were two great venues for a championship final.” The final whistle at Glen in 2001 was sweet music. “There was more relief winning that championship.  It’s hard to say it - but there was more celebration than winning an All-Ireland.  We just had that much baggage from Bellaghy over the years.” *** THE shackles were off.  The parochial nature of the Derry championship was parked for another year. “Going into Ulster, you don’t know teams as well and there is that bit more freedom to play,” explains Muldoon. Ballinderry beat Mayobridge at Casement Park to clinch the Ulster title they missed in 1995.  Like the following year’s All-Ireland Final, timing was everything, as Muldoon explains. “Mayobridge had a good team at that time too.  Wee things can go for you - they scored a goal and we went up the field right away and got a goal to put us back in front.  Even that year in the All-Ireland Final, we got two goals at the perfect time. “Both times we got them, Nemo (Rangers) were on top.  Especially the second goal, Nemo were in total control.  Good tackling, or maybe poor defending on their behalf got us through.  It is getting those wee breaks.” The All-Ireland semi-final against Rathnew brought a different challenge.  Heavy rain had the Pearse Park pitch virtually unplayable. “Before the game we wanted it off,” Muldoon states.  “We thought the conditions would’ve suited them better than us.  It was TnaG (television) that was pushing for the game to go ahead.  We were thankful enough after it that it did go ahead but the pitch was shocking.” With Croke Park being redeveloped, Ballinderry’s All-Ireland bid headed south to Thurles.  Muldoon scored the first point of the final to settle the nerves and it was his long, driven sideline ball that led to Gerard Cassidy’s late point to seal the game. The final whistle was greeted by sheer delight.  Two years earlier Muldoon looked on at the Carrickdale as the winning Cross team kicked-off their celebrations.  Wondering.  Hoping, it would one day be his turn. “It’s a long way to Tipperary,” the joyous Shamrocks’ squad chanted as they walked the Andy Merrigan Cup over Ballinderry Bridge - behind the pipers and the flashing hazard lights of the late Colm Scullion’s car, their team sponsor. “It was a long sail home,” remembers Muldoon.  “The homecoming we got that night was unreal.  I’ll never forget coming up over Church Hill and looking back and the crowd coming behind was just unreal.” *** EIGHT Derry championships is a commendable haul.  On the other hand, there were five final defeats. “To be honest, I thought I would have got another one before I quit but it wasn’t to be,” adds Muldoon.  Ballinderry were beaten by Slaughtneil in the dying embers of the 2014 decider.  It still hurts. “There is no covering it up – it does.  We were only seconds away from doing four-in-a-row.  That’s life and that’s football.  There is no hard feelings from me to Slaughtneil.  I said after, ‘good luck to them’ it’s not their problem – they’ve won it.  We’d have done the same.  You take it and you go on.” The Ulster stage brought its fair portion of heartbreak.  After winning the All-Ireland, Ballinderry failed to get back to the top of the pile but Crossmaglen were the obstacle. In 2008, they came closest – with Niall McCusker's injury time goal taking the game to a replay.  With a foot injury from a freak household accident, Muldoon could only watch, helplessly from the bench. “Whether we’d have beat Crossmaglen, I don’t know. People say the first day, we probably should’ve beat them. Should we?  I don’t know.  We were seven points down at some stage.  They took their foot off the pedal a wee bit and thought they were home and hosed.” Ulster had eluded Ballinderry too often.  It wasn’t trumpeted from pre-season meetings but winning Derry championships wasn’t enough anymore. “It was never mentioned, but it was there,” Muldoon admits.  “I am sure it was there with most of us.  It was definitely there in my head that we needed to push on.” Crossmaglen didn’t allow it. “We lost 0-5 to 0-3 in 2006, probably another game that should’ve never been played because of the conditions, but they had to play in them the same as us, they coped better.  In 2011 we ran into them in a semi-final and they beat us so we just couldn’t get over them.” Even though they could never tame the mighty Rangers, Muldoon had respect for them: “They were some outfit.  Everybody has their own opinions on them – that Cross were dirty.  Anytime I played against them, I never found them dirty.  I found them tough and hard – if the ball was there, they went and got it. “I marked Francie Bellew for Derry against Armagh and there was never any pulling or anything.  He was hard and he’d give you a rattle if the ball was anywhere in the vicinity.  That’s the game and that’s the way he played.” Bellew never resorted to the ‘verbals’ that has become rife in the game, something Muldoon feels very strongly about. “If it’s hard hitting and it’s fair and boys can get on with it, then well and good.  I have no time for this talking and stuff.  I am not into that – play the game and get on with it.  Don’t play with your mouth.  I know it goes on everywhere and I’m not saying we are any angels in Ballinderry, for it happens with us but I would be totally against it.” In the red and white of Derry, some of the abuse Muldoon was subjected too was directed at living on the Tyrone side of the Ballinderry River. “I would’ve got that a lot.  ‘You’re a Tyrone man’ and all this… that’s part of the game – I just got on with it.  I knew the boys I was playing along with knew I was there for the right reasons.  I played 15 years for Derry and I didn’t need to worry about anyone else or what they thought.” Muldoon retired from Derry in 2012 and made his debut in late 1996 against Cavan.  For all this achievements, missing out on Sam Maguire in 2001 was a huge regret. “That was the year, for me.  We let that one slip.  Meath were in the final and at that time we used to always be able to handle Meath.  We beat them the year before in the National League Final and we always seemed to have their measure, so that was one that got away. “We had a strong team.  That was the big thing – that we didn’t win enough with Derry.  Some of those boys went through their Derry career and never won an Ulster championship.  Paddy Bradley, Patsy Bradley, Fergal Doherty and boys like that – who soldiered for years and didn’t really get anything for it.” *** THE 2017 season will be Muldoon’s last.  A decision he didn’t take lightly. “It hit home when I sent the message into the WhatsApp to the boys – saying I was finally gone.  Up until that, I was still thinking could I play,” Muldoon explains. “It has been a hard decision and I am still thinking ‘is it the right one,’ it goes through my head every day…I still think it is the right decision. “At least last year (2017) I thought to myself I had a decent enough year, I got on all right - call it quits at that.  I could go out this year and be terrible and boys shouting at you over the wire ‘what are you doing out again, you’re done.’  Not that I’d worry, I have had plenty shouted over the wire at me.” “I just think – get out of there, you’ve done on alright, on you go and let the rest of the boys work away.” Muldoon was ‘overwhelmed’ with the messages he has received since his retirement.  “I would like to thank everyone.  Thanks to all the past and present players/managers who I played with or were managed by a club and county.  And I’d like to thank all the people who have supported me throughout my career.” Next season, Ballinderry’s loss will be Banagher’s gain as Muldoon steps into management as joint boss, alongside Declan Mullan. “I would be doing a disservice to Ballinderry and Banagher,” he replied, when asked if juggling managing and playing was an option.  “I just wouldn’t to it.  That’s the way with me – I’m either committed or I’m not.” It’s hard to imagine him getting too flustered along the line.  If he does, he won’t show it.  Like his playing days the easy going nature will mask the competitive furnace inside.  His desire comes from within. “People would say I am easy going and I probably am really easy going.  But within me, there is still that drive – even though people mightn’t see it. “I am the sort of person, if somebody said to me ‘you can’t do it’ – I’ll try and do my best to prove them wrong.” Enda Muldoon has nothing to prove to the people of Ballinderry.  After 23 years, someone else needs to carry the can.  Archie’s work is done.