Fintan O’Toole
JUGGLING both codes successfully on the pitch is impressive but managing to achieve that feat on the sideline is even more noteworthy.
Anthony Cunningham barely had time last Saturday night to reflect in the warm glow of Galway’s All-Ireland U21 hurling triumph when he had to shift his focus elsewhere. The following afternoon his Garrycastle side had a Westmeath semi-final date with Tyrrellspass yet the magnitude of two games in a short space of time did not deter Cunningham. He calmly went about his business and steered the Athlone based outfit to an 11-point victory that was every bit as emphatic as the Galway U21s success the night before.
It rounded off an immensely satisfying weekend for the Kilchreest native. Next month he will aim for a three-in-a-row with Garrycastle as they face a county final showdown against Mullingar Shamrocks. That is a superb level of success yet nothing new for Cunningham. Over the border in Roscommon, he previously achieved that feat with Kiltoom club St Brigid’s between 2005 and 2007, lobbing in a Connacht crown in 2006 for good measure. It’s a staggering amount of success and it’s surprising no county board has managed to secure his services as a senior football boss in recent years.
But he does now look on the cusp of assuming inter-county managerial reins. In hurling. The moment John McIntyre tendered his resignation this week as Galway senior manager, Cunningham burst forward as the front-runner to replace him. At first glance it does not look an attractive position.
The manner of Galway’s exit from the All-Ireland championship this year was baffling given the optimism surrounding their pre-match prospects. On the day they never performed against Waterford and a tight game triggered the default mode of collapse that has defined Galway senior hurling teams in recent years. Scrutinising their senior hurling fortunes in 2011 hints at a county that is in a state of flux. Managerless on the sideline and rudderless on the pitch.
However, the misery generated by that reversal to Waterford has abated by the recent upswing in the fortunes of their underage teams. The style of hurling produced by their minor and U21 teams in tearing to All-Ireland glory was hugely impressive. Of course there are an abundance of people in Galway hurling circles who will issue cautionary tales to those who rave about brilliant youngsters. The county has regularly had its hopes built up in the past that underage stars would develop. Every time they have seen them dashed by stagnation at senior level.
Which is why Cunningham is the ideal candidate to now take charge. Talent is not an issue in Galway. They are stockpiled with reserves of it. But getting the mentality right certainly is an issue. They need to imbue their squad with a hardened resolve that will help them protect a lead in a tight finish, which they failed to do in the 2009 and 2010 All-Ireland quarter-finals, and react when the pressure is on to perform from the start, which they failed to do this year in the Leinster semi-final and the All-Ireland quarter-final.
There are no quick fix solutions to Galway’s problems. These are deep-rooted issues that need to be cured. But all the evidence points to Cunningham being their best chance at achieving that. Clearly he is an excellent man-manager as illustrated by the level of success he has had at club and inter-county level. His communication skills must be at a high level if he is able to combine the demands of two elite teams in one season. He has a low-key presence about him, a figure who concentrates on honing the basic tenets of play in the training ground. In that sense he is served well by the backroom team that he already has in place and in recent weeks he has eulogised about the coaching skills of Mattie Kenny and Tom Helebert.
It was also noticeable that Galway’s All-Ireland U21 title win this season deviated from the traditional manner in which the county achieves such glories. Their performances against Limerick and Dublin were not founded on a megawatt star who shouldered the burden on his own. Instead it was a well-rounded team effort that achieved silverware. Their players were sharp to breaks, sure in their touch and swift in their delivery.
Defenders like Niall Donoghue and Ger O’Halloran are resilient operators, Johnny Coen and Barry Daly are dynamic figures around the middle, while Niall Burke and James Regan are finishers up front. The U21 players clearly respect and respond to Cunningham. Thus on this occasion there is no need for Galway to go searching for a Messiah to spread the senior hurling gospel. Shop local and they will find their man.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/yFOqXseztFI/post.aspx
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