Damien Duff: 'I did something I was scared of and I'm thoroughly grateful'

"It's literally non-stop and that side of it is the one bit that has blown me away. It is what it is, no problem. I'm enjoying it."

That was then and this is now. So how is Damien Duff feeling exactly 12 months on, with a season of SSE Airtricity League management and an FAI Cup final both under his belt?

It's the tenor of the questions he was fielding on Wednesday afternoon as the former Republic of Ireland wing wizard stood between the pillars and under the dome of Dublin's City Hall for the launch of the 2023 League of Ireland campaign.

"First game I was a nervous wreck," he recalled of Shels' 2022 opening night against St Pat's when the hotseat was burning vociferously given the enormous spotlight on him from all and sundry considering his stature within the game.

"Probably like to think I hid it well. RTÉ under the lights. Second round I was markedly better, third round I was markedly better, fourth... cup final now... I'm a million times better. That's me saying it. Some people might disagree."

Getting a first-hand look at players whether from his own squad or from the opposition has also been a boon in terms of immersing himself in the league and deepening his reservoir of knowledge beyond the confines of scouting tools like Wyscout.

The full-on nature of the job means management takes over the lives of people who dare to dip their toes into it. Has the experience so far changed him fundamentally as a person?

RTÉ Sport put that question to him and the 43-year-old's response suggested the last year has helped him prove something to himself.

"You can do anything you really want in life. It would have been something that I always would have thought I couldn't do and I wouldn't be up to it and I have done it and I've grown as