Down's Danny Magill driven by football obsession
Danny Magill of Down celebrates after scoring a first half point during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2 match between Down and Louth at Páirc Esler in Newry, Down. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile.
Danny Magill says he isn’t playing inter-county football to be a nobody.
The Burren club man is “completely obsessed” with football and has a fear of being average.
In some ways he had no choice but to go after the Down dream, with his father, Micheál, a Mourne County All-Ireland winner back in 1994.
Magill is currently sidelined as Down prepare for this weekend's Ulster quarter-final encounter with Donegal at O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny.
But the 24 year old coaching officer in St. Louis Kilkeel has found he has ‘fallen in love’ with the rehab process as he nears a return from a ruptured cruciate knee ligament sustained last August.
“If you don't know me - know me personally - I've become sort of a psychopath with it all,” he explains.
“I'm at one with it in terms of, I know what to do every day. If I do that every day, I sleep a wee bit better at night and I know how to attack the next day.
“I'm working out twice a day, four days a week and the other three days I'm hitting something else. I'm either on grass or in the gym for upper body.
“I'm at one with it in terms of I can't change it. The only thing I can affect is how I come back and the plan is to come back bigger, better, faster, stronger. That's a want and a desire in me.”
Magill says that comes from himself, his Burren and Down team mates and from the management teams, physios and strength and conditioning coaches he is working with.
“Everyone knows where I want to get to and everyone's pushing me towards that goal,” he continued.
“I think it's just in me. I do, genuinely. I think the group itself and the boys that I go to training with every day are completely obsessed with wanting to play for Down.
“I think that I am obsessed with playing for Down. I'm playing at the highest level. I have a fear of being average. I don't like the word average.
“I want myself and the group to play at the top level and to take on the likes of Donegal, Kerry and Galway. I don't see why you go play football just to be a nobody. You want to be remembered.
“You want to leave your own legacy. Obviously playing for Down, there's a proud history there. You've won five All-Irelands but you don't want to be a nobody playing for Down.
“We want to leave our own mark. I suppose I have the drive to get back there for myself, and to be back playing for Down on a regular basis. And to play at the top level on a regular basis.”
Danny Magill of Down with supporter Callan Magee after the 2025 GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Clare and Down at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg in Ennis, Clare. Photo by Tom Beary/Sportsfile.
Magill says the hurt of missing out is driving him on to do those 5.30am/6am sessions, and then return to the gym later that day.
“It definitely hurts and I suppose the more games you miss the more it does hurt inside,” he added.
“But there's light at the end of the tunnel, it won't be long until I'm hopefully putting the red and black jersey on for Down again and again for my club.
“It's not an easy injury. There's no point lying here, sitting here and saying, ‘It's been an easy run.’
“It hasn't been. There's been plenty of dark nights. Coming home from training, maybe the boys have clocked up 10 to 15k and you've maybe sat on the bike for an hour.
“It's definitely been a tough place to be but the only attitude you can go and get at is to try to be better every single day and if I do that. I leave myself in the best place possible to play at the top level for Down.”
Magill continued: “I think to play at the highest level, there has to be that bit of want in you.
“Every man (inter-county player) wants to play at the top level. Everyone wants to win personal awards and team awards.
“That's the only way it gets you training early mornings and training late at night. With the history of Down and obviously my father playing for Down, it was sort of just bred into me from early doors.
“My mother and my father are probably the two people in my life that I've always looked up to and always will look up to.
“My mother away from football, in terms of different battles and health and stuff and how she came through. I suppose my daddy too in terms of his health and his football ability.
“My dad still slags me. He's one All-Ireland and I've none. So he still goes on about that. It's always good craic with that. I want to write my own history with this Down team.”
