‘Why is he doing that?’ Why Sam Mitchell wants this Hawk to ‘play Irish’

, register or subscribe to save articles for later.

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell likes to tell midfielder Conor Nash to “play Irish”.

It is a directive open to interpretation, but the lad from County Meath knows what he means.

“It’s just [doing] some of the quirkier things, like a lot more of the kicks around the corner, running to a bit more unusual spots. They’re the things that he doesn’t want me to lose. It’s just keeping that difference and being able to see the game in a different way,” Nash said.

Nash does see the game differently, having been an elite rugby union junior in the renowned Leinster rugby program in Ireland, his height and athleticism making him a brilliant full-back. He also played Gaelic football at school and won a County Meath men’s title with Simonstown Gaels in 2016 and 2017.

Mitchell wants the lessons learned on rough fields under overcast skies to become an asset, an instinctive point of difference that confounds opponents. He encourages Nash to express those talents in games.

“To the natural eye of the Aussie punter [the decisions might seem] a bit strange [thinking] why is he doing that? Well, they’re things that Mitch probably wants me to keep doing.”

Advertisement

Nash has flourished under Mitchell, first training with him as a 15-year-old when invited to a session at Croke Park during the international rules series when Australia lobbed in Dublin in 2015 with Alastair Clarkson as coach.

He remembers Jarryd Roughead laughing as he reminded the ultra-competitive Cat, Harry Taylor, that the kid helping out with the round ball was a teenager after he saw Taylor’s fist go into the back of Nash’s head in an attempted spoil.

Nash was already on the Hawks’ radar. He had been spotted playing Gaelic football at his school, St Patrick’s Classical School, in Navan, a 33,000-strong town about 50 kilometres north-west of Dublin. But in reality his one wood was rugby union.

“If you ask me, ‘what do I miss?’ Rugby union is what I miss,” he said.

Nash’s sporting heroes were Brian O’Driscoll, the legendary Irish centre, and high-scoring Irish fly-half Ronan O’Gara, and there was no way he was missing the British and Irish Lions match against the Wallabies at the MCG in July.

Advertisement

But he became fascinated with AFL, visiting Melbourne regularly for short trips, staying with a host family and becoming used to what his life might look like if he jumped sports and shifted across the world.

Loading

Nash made the leap in 2016, and recalls the battle to develop his game was more of a mental than physical challenge.

It was humbling, Nash said, to go from being among the best at his sport to being average in comparison to those he was training alongside.

He realised it was important in the early days, therefore, to be kind to himself and have a positive mindset as he learned a new skill.

“I’m starting from scratch. Some guys get really frustrated then, and it is frustrating not being the main player or being able to do things that you could do back home,” Nash said.

“You have to work through that mentally, and I would go to sessions early and just hitting a simple kick is nothing for most, but, for you, it can take an entire session.

Advertisement

Loading

“Little wins or little gains, [like] just hitting a simple kick… It’s something to get out of the session rather than doing cool things, real sexy kicks or big marks, and stuff like that you might have been able to do previously.”

Nash made his debut in 2018 and played finals in his fourth and fifth games, developing under Clarkson without becoming a permanent fixture.

That changed when Mitchell started as Hawks coach in 2022 and Nash went into the midfield, where his 198-centimetre frame and ability to do a job made him a key part of the Hawks’ mix. He also took his turn in the ruck when required.

Mitchell’s “play Irish” message also helped him relax on the field, with chaos part of what he added.

“I’ve become a real student of the game in terms of knowing the game and strategies and tactics and that but, at the end of the day, it’s when you get bogged down by them that it’s probably hurt me in the past,” Nash said.

“It’s being too selfless and worrying about different structures and being in the right place. It’s more instinct, which [Mitchell] was phenomenal at doing, so that’s why it reminds me [to relax].”

Advertisement

Nash took some time to find his feet against the Giants’ Tom Green in last weekend’s elimination final, but began to flow as Hawthorn settled – his clean hands and decision-making showing his growth.

He even took his second bounce for the season on Saturday as he drew Jack Ginnivan’s opponent and took the pressure from behind, before handballing to his teammate in space, who was able to goal.

Loading

Now he is a regular in the midfield, with 118 matches behind him, the only hiccup this year was when he collected Geelong’s Gryan Miers in the head in a clumsy act that cost him four matches. He had already apologised to Miers before the penalty.

Nash has settled as he has in Melbourne with his fiancee, the Sydney-raised Gracie Ireland. He smiles as he admits a few jokes came his way when he told friends and family her second name was Ireland – their recent engagement announcement on social media carrying a joke from Gracie, “surname decision pending”.

Nash’s knowledge of the Hawks’ history and their former greats has grown, and he expands his understanding by looking up footage of players he hears about. He’s even seen former three-code player Karmichael Hunt’s match-winning goal for the Suns against Richmond.

Click here to read article