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Coen: 'I’ve learned a lot'

Stephen Coen has been involved in the Mayo senior set up since 2014.

Stephen Coen has been involved in the Mayo senior set up since 2014.

By Cian O'Connell

It has been a hectic three years for Stephen Coen. Having captained Mayo to All Ireland minor and under 21 glory Coen also won a Sigerson Cup with UCD this Spring.

Crucial matches for club, county, and college continue so living in the capital can be a good thing. "Yeah, when you are living in Dublin you are very anonymous," Coen admits. "Not saying you’re well known in Mayo or anything, but it’s nice that nobody is really talking to you about football in Dublin. So yeah it is nice to be up there and away from it all.

"Sometimes you can get really bogged down with the whole thing and thinking about it all the time. It has its benefits."

Coen has been on the senior panel for three seasons now, but doesn't think that the more established players are overly burdened by what happened in previous campaigns.

"The first few years I was just learning the trade," Coen says. "We lost to Kerry in the semi-final in 2014 and Dublin last year. There has been plenty of experience, I’ve learned a lot.

"I don’t think so, if you were thinking about all of that you’d have a lot of baggage in your head. Every year is a new year, a fresh start. This year there has been a new management and some new young players have come in, so guys have had different impact this year. It’s totally fresh."

Stephen Coen following the All Ireland Under 21 Final in May.

Stephen Coen following the All Ireland Under 21 Final in May.

In 2015 Coen came on in the closing stages of a gripping All Ireland SFC Semi-Final replay against Dublin. "It was disappointing at the time, but you move on from it you cant dwell on the past too much we have anew season this year, a new stall.

"It was floating away from us, I only came on in the last seven or eight minutes, it was good to get some experience of championship football but it wasn't the result we wanted."

Adamant that 'a new breed' is being developed Coen is thrilled to have been involved with successful Green and Red underage teams.

"Ever since I was young and the lads in my age group in Mayo they would have been very ambitious. We never got too low on defeat or too high on victory. 

"When we won we were delighted, but we knew we weren't the finished article and we are always trying to do that. Every cup you win is grand, but you want to progress and move on." Can Mayo take the next step?