Ollie Canning set the precedent by establishing himself as one of the game’s best corner backs over a 15-year career, and since his departure from the inter-county ranks in 2010, his brother Joe has added to that legacy with performances that have marked him out as one of the most gifted forwards in the modern game.
The 2017 hurler of the year continues to play a significant role for Micheál Donoghue’s side, but now another Canning has joined that famous pack.
Jack Canning produced a man-of-the match display as Galway lifted the All-Ireland minor crown last year, pocketing a personal tally of 2-2 to defeat Cork before the senior team completed an historic double at Croke Park.
That performance helped the youngster to establish his own identity in the game, and shake off any references to being a nephew of the Canning brothers.
He has already had a taste for senior inter-county hurling too after playing in a few of Galway’s training matches, and while he’s blossoming into a brilliant prospect for the future, Joe points out that ‘he’s young and he has a lot to learn yet.’
Joe understands what it’s like to develop as player under increased public attention, and knows all the perils that come with it.
“He gets a lot more attention and a lot more abuse as well, that comes with it unfortunately,” he said. “He needs to be his own person at the end of the day. He needs to plough his own furrow and be himself.
His name shouldn’t really come into it in an ideal world but unfortunately, people look at that.
“The minor [All-Ireland title] parachuted him a little bit into people’s minds but he’s still young. He’s 19 on Saturday. It’s only his second year playing club senior. When I was 19 I had four or five years, I was playing at 15.
“So I grew up a little bit quicker. He has a lot to learn in a way. You need to let him figure it out for himself. Let him be him.
I don’t want him to be like Ollie or me, or how we deal with things. He’s his own person at the end of the day. He has to live and learn, sometimes by his mistakes as much as anything, and how well or bad he plays in matches.
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Canning is naturally a seasoned campaigner at this point, and he was fortunate to have Ollie to turn to during his younger days as ‘a good sounding board’ for advice whenever he needed a steer.
But times were slightly different back then. His nephew is now trying to mature as a player in an age that is dominated by social media.
“Even since I grew up, it’s a different age of social media and stuff like that. It’s very easy at the touch of a button to criticise or big them up to be something that they’re not.
People live in a fantasy world nowadays where they think you can expect more of people. At the end of the day, he’s an 18-year-old kid who plays a bit of hurling. He’s the same as any other young lad growing up. He just needs time.
“Just because he won an All-Ireland last year at minor level doesn’t mean he’s any better or any worse than anyone else.
“He’s 6’3. He has still a bit to fill out upper body but he’s a big boy for his age. It’s more to learn headwise than anything. Cuteness and experience.
“He saw that as a great training ground for what to expect at minor when you got to Croke Park. There was pressure on me when I went in at 15 to play senior for Portumna or else I wouldn’t be on the minor panel.
“He’s only played two years of senior club hurling. When I was playing minor with Galway, Mattie Murphy was over us and he used to say if you weren’t playing senior with your club you were no good to him.
“He’s missed that few years so it will take him a few years to progress but he’s got U21 now so that’s his main priority, to try and make that team. He needs to knuckle down and do that.”
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Connacht legend, and local Portumna man, John Muldoon retired recently from rugby on the back of an illustrious career, which included him captaining his province to Pro12 glory two years ago.
Canning knows Muldoon well but was unable to attend his last outing at the Sportsground last month, where Connacht produced a seven-try rout of Leinster to send Muldoon off on the best possible note.
He is now set to join Pat Lam’s coaching staff at Bristol as defence coach next season.
Canning however, is hopeful though that Muldoon might make a return to hurling with Portumna once again some time in the future.
“A lot of the other guys from Portumna went in, I think it was nearly all Portumna at The Sportsground that day. An unbelievable servant to Connacht.
“We might get him back playing a bit of junior hurling. He played minor [with Galway]. Obviously, his first love is rugby, no doubt about that.
He’d need to slim down a little bit I think to get into the tight-fit hurling jerseys,” he says jokingly. “They’re a little bit smaller than his rugby No 8 jersey.
“Hopefully we’ll get him back playing a bit of junior. He always used to train with us during the summer to get a bit of fitness up, until the last few years.
“We’ll look forward to getting him down running around again and trying to knock him over.”
Ambassador Joe Canning was on hand to launch Bord Gáis Energy’s summer of hurling.
Throughout the Senior Hurling Championship, Bord Gáis Energy will be offering fans unmissable GAA rewards through the Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club.
For more, see #HurlingToTheCore
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'He needs to be his own person at the end of the day. His name shouldn’t come into it in an ideal world'
EXPECTATION IS A word that follows the Canning family in the hurling world.
Ollie Canning set the precedent by establishing himself as one of the game’s best corner backs over a 15-year career, and since his departure from the inter-county ranks in 2010, his brother Joe has added to that legacy with performances that have marked him out as one of the most gifted forwards in the modern game.
The 2017 hurler of the year continues to play a significant role for Micheál Donoghue’s side, but now another Canning has joined that famous pack.
Jack Canning produced a man-of-the match display as Galway lifted the All-Ireland minor crown last year, pocketing a personal tally of 2-2 to defeat Cork before the senior team completed an historic double at Croke Park.
That performance helped the youngster to establish his own identity in the game, and shake off any references to being a nephew of the Canning brothers.
He has already had a taste for senior inter-county hurling too after playing in a few of Galway’s training matches, and while he’s blossoming into a brilliant prospect for the future, Joe points out that ‘he’s young and he has a lot to learn yet.’
Joe understands what it’s like to develop as player under increased public attention, and knows all the perils that come with it.
“He gets a lot more attention and a lot more abuse as well, that comes with it unfortunately,” he said. “He needs to be his own person at the end of the day. He needs to plough his own furrow and be himself.
“The minor [All-Ireland title] parachuted him a little bit into people’s minds but he’s still young. He’s 19 on Saturday. It’s only his second year playing club senior. When I was 19 I had four or five years, I was playing at 15.
“So I grew up a little bit quicker. He has a lot to learn in a way. You need to let him figure it out for himself. Let him be him.
Canning is naturally a seasoned campaigner at this point, and he was fortunate to have Ollie to turn to during his younger days as ‘a good sounding board’ for advice whenever he needed a steer.
But times were slightly different back then. His nephew is now trying to mature as a player in an age that is dominated by social media.
“Even since I grew up, it’s a different age of social media and stuff like that. It’s very easy at the touch of a button to criticise or big them up to be something that they’re not.
“Just because he won an All-Ireland last year at minor level doesn’t mean he’s any better or any worse than anyone else.
“He’s 6’3. He has still a bit to fill out upper body but he’s a big boy for his age. It’s more to learn headwise than anything. Cuteness and experience.
“He saw that as a great training ground for what to expect at minor when you got to Croke Park. There was pressure on me when I went in at 15 to play senior for Portumna or else I wouldn’t be on the minor panel.
“He’s only played two years of senior club hurling. When I was playing minor with Galway, Mattie Murphy was over us and he used to say if you weren’t playing senior with your club you were no good to him.
“He’s missed that few years so it will take him a few years to progress but he’s got U21 now so that’s his main priority, to try and make that team. He needs to knuckle down and do that.”
Connacht legend, and local Portumna man, John Muldoon retired recently from rugby on the back of an illustrious career, which included him captaining his province to Pro12 glory two years ago.
Canning knows Muldoon well but was unable to attend his last outing at the Sportsground last month, where Connacht produced a seven-try rout of Leinster to send Muldoon off on the best possible note.
He is now set to join Pat Lam’s coaching staff at Bristol as defence coach next season.
Canning however, is hopeful though that Muldoon might make a return to hurling with Portumna once again some time in the future.
“A lot of the other guys from Portumna went in, I think it was nearly all Portumna at The Sportsground that day. An unbelievable servant to Connacht.
“We might get him back playing a bit of junior hurling. He played minor [with Galway]. Obviously, his first love is rugby, no doubt about that.
“Hopefully we’ll get him back playing a bit of junior. He always used to train with us during the summer to get a bit of fitness up, until the last few years.
“We’ll look forward to getting him down running around again and trying to knock him over.”
Ambassador Joe Canning was on hand to launch Bord Gáis Energy’s summer of hurling.
Throughout the Senior Hurling Championship, Bord Gáis Energy will be offering fans unmissable GAA rewards through the Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club.
For more, see #HurlingToTheCore
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