Summary

(2:30) Paul Flynn’s career highlights

(3:15) The GAA championship

• The highlights of the final and the replay

• The difference between ‘trying not to lose’ vs ‘trying to win’

(4:35) Kerry’s performance

• Their competition and performance history

• Comparing Kerry with Dublin as they were in 2011

• ‘ These guys will be household names in the future ‘

(6:30) Dublin’s 5 consecutive All-Ireland wins

• How this achievement affected different players

(8:35) Watching from the sidelines during the finals

• Staying focused on his work as CEO of the Gaelic Players Association

• Focusing on family

• The difficult replay day

(10:48) Recovering from a final

• The challenge of always being on edge

• Wanting to get back to normal life and sacrificing trips and holidays

(13:31) Strength and conditioning

• The teams’ training age

(15:39) The buildup to All-Ireland’s

• ‘It was like the whole world stopped around me’

• Experiencing powerful emotions and excitement

• Watching your boyhood dreams come to life

(17:40) Paul’s Dublin debut

• His memories of being on the panel in 2007

• Why he stood out: ‘They felt like i was raw, but they could work with me’

• His connection with his grandmother and her support of Dublin

(20:27) College years

• The impact of his years at DCU

• How his working-class family affected his perception of college

• Feeling out of place with his educated Dublin teammates

• Paul’s gratitude for manager Pat Gilroy, who provided career and education help to players

• Going to college as an older student

• Balancing sports and education

• Experiencing high-performance culture

(23:12) The Sigerson competition

• The advantage of mixing different players from different counties

• Online game streaming

• The drive of seeing other players get nominated for all-star

(25:15) Kicking

• The impact of coaches on Paul’s technique

• The humility of going back to basics

• His 3-stage kicking practice process

• Finding his foot’s ‘sweet spot’

• Why it’s an advantage to go down to 80%

• The importance of being composed

(28:44) Manager Pat Gilroy

• His investment in the team and its players

• His vision of the team’s financial situation and commercial structure

(30:40) Dublin’s first All-Ireland win in 16 years

• A career and life highlight

• The team’s subsequent fame and public appearances

• How this win allowed the team to spend time together after the season

(33:25) Wing forwards

• The new generation and new tactics of wing forwards

• Different players’ techniques and skill-sets

(35:35) Influences

• His parents’ commitment to the GAA

• The importance of minors training with seniors

• Why finding good mentors is key

(38:34) Mickey Whelan

• Meeting Mickey at an impressionable age

• Sports science as a science and an art

(40:05) Losing to Mayo in the 2012 semifinals

• Regime changes

• Jim Gavin’s ambitious win goals

(42:34) 2014: a pivotal year

• Paul’s memories of the Donegal defeat

• The effect of the high heat

• Dublin’s skillful halftime assessments

(47:00) Inside the dressing room at halftime

• Each person’s role

• The advantage of the team being allowed to figure things out on their own

(50:00) After the Donegal defeat

• How the team evolved based on their strengths and weaknesses

• Adapting to different teams

• Adapting to new sweeper systems

• Spreading wide and using the space

(54:00) Process

• Process goals vs outcome goals

• Staying in the ‘now’

(56:10) Rules and team culture

• The influence of the All Blacks

• Choosing the best parts of different successful teams: ‘You don’t have to reinvent the wheel’

• The importance of respect

(58:35) Intelligence and sports

• The recent shift from teams of working-class players to college educated players

• How intelligence prepares you for the other demands of the game

• A new practice: taking notes at practice

(1:03:00) Jim Gavin’s managerial style

• ‘He’s an exceptional manager’

• His strengths: remaining calm and collected and treating everyone equally

(1:05:20) Winning his 4th All-Star in a row

• How significant this win was

• Potential future winners

• Accepting that this achievement will be surpassed

(1:07:55) Understanding short kick-outs

• Goal 1: Getting the kick-out as far away from your own goal

• Goal 2: Not losing the kick-out

• The potential consequences of losing a kick-out

(1:11:10) Prioritizing

• The importance of preparation and planning

• Defining ‘smart training’

• Working on mindset

(1:13:58) Joining Pieta House

• Dealing with the suicide of a close friend

(1:15:23) Wins and opponents

• Dublin’s rivalry with Mayo

• How the team helped them to stretch their limits

(1:18:04) Turnover

• Having a culture of giving youth a chance

• Prioritizing skill above all else

(1:20:10) Transitioning to the business world

• The skills that carry over from team sports to business

(1:23:15) Retirement

• GPA’s pilot scheme for transitions to retirement

• Potential post-retirement spirals towards mental health issues and substance abuse

• The importance of having goals

(1:28:33) Other sporting organisations

• Learning from other organisations: ‘The fundamentals remain the same’

• The importance of getting preventative measures in place

(1:30:33) Paul’s plans for the year

• The GPA’s 3-year strategy

• Priorities: balancing life on and off pitch and making sure everyone understands the role of the GPA