GALWAY BOSS ANTHONY Cunningham praised the impact that former Galway hurler Eugene Cloonan has made on the current team.
Cloonan was a member of the Galway senior side between 1997 and 2008, and is still only 36-years-old, but Cunningham insists that the Athenry man’s relative youth is a good thing.
“He is sort of a modern player, really, he’s played with a lot of these guys. His views and his coaching skills and his knowledge of the game have moved on with time, really,” Cunningham said.
“He’s not an old stager, really! He’s very, very smart and very intelligent and I think he’s brought that intelligence he played with for Galway onto the training field and without a doubt he is highly respected.”
He has a way with the players, he creates a great environment of learning, and he’s a very talented man.
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Cloonan has proven to be a valuable member of Cunningham's backroom team. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Galway have enjoyed a fine start to this year’s championship, blowing Dublin and Laois out of the water to advance to the Leinster final where they will take on Kilkenny, who impressed in their own win over Wexford two weekends ago.
Cunningham, who signed a three-year contract extension to stay with Galway up until 2017, says that the exuberance shown by not just Cloonan, but his selectors as a whole, has brought a bounce to the players this year.
“It’s huge, really. We have Damien Curley and Pat Malone on board as well. Damien, he’s a full-time coach with the Connacht Council, and Pat as well has his son on the minor panel, so his head, neck and heels are in it.”
Kilkenny's Cillian Buckley competes in the air with Galway's Joseph Cooney in the side's national league clash. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Cunningham chose to appoint Cloonan and Curley as his backroom staff in 2014, and Curley says that working alongside the former Galway sharpshooter is thoroughly enjoyable.
“We all get on together, which is probably a good thing. Eugene has made a huge contribution, no more than Pat Malone has made a massive contribution as well,” he said.
Look, we’re in the backroom and we’re behind the white line, and it all comes down to the lads who cross the chalk-line. They do the business.
“At the same time it’s important to have that connection between the two.
“Everybody talks about team spirit and panel spirit and everyone getting on. There are days you’ll get on and days you don’t but at the end of the day everyone’s doing it for the good of Galway.
“We all try to make a contribution whether big or small towards achieving the ultimate.”
'He's not an old stager, really' - Anthony Cunningham hails the impact of Eugene Cloonan
GALWAY BOSS ANTHONY Cunningham praised the impact that former Galway hurler Eugene Cloonan has made on the current team.
Cloonan was a member of the Galway senior side between 1997 and 2008, and is still only 36-years-old, but Cunningham insists that the Athenry man’s relative youth is a good thing.
“He is sort of a modern player, really, he’s played with a lot of these guys. His views and his coaching skills and his knowledge of the game have moved on with time, really,” Cunningham said.
“He’s not an old stager, really! He’s very, very smart and very intelligent and I think he’s brought that intelligence he played with for Galway onto the training field and without a doubt he is highly respected.”
Galway have enjoyed a fine start to this year’s championship, blowing Dublin and Laois out of the water to advance to the Leinster final where they will take on Kilkenny, who impressed in their own win over Wexford two weekends ago.
Cunningham, who signed a three-year contract extension to stay with Galway up until 2017, says that the exuberance shown by not just Cloonan, but his selectors as a whole, has brought a bounce to the players this year.
“It’s huge, really. We have Damien Curley and Pat Malone on board as well. Damien, he’s a full-time coach with the Connacht Council, and Pat as well has his son on the minor panel, so his head, neck and heels are in it.”
Cunningham chose to appoint Cloonan and Curley as his backroom staff in 2014, and Curley says that working alongside the former Galway sharpshooter is thoroughly enjoyable.
“We all get on together, which is probably a good thing. Eugene has made a huge contribution, no more than Pat Malone has made a massive contribution as well,” he said.
“At the same time it’s important to have that connection between the two.
“Everybody talks about team spirit and panel spirit and everyone getting on. There are days you’ll get on and days you don’t but at the end of the day everyone’s doing it for the good of Galway.
“We all try to make a contribution whether big or small towards achieving the ultimate.”
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Anthony Cunningham Leinster SFC damien curley eugene cloonan Good relations Galway