4 Galway Senior hurlers enjoyed a hugely entertaining and interesting 2012. With Anthony Cunningham’s management team settling in since their appointment in late 2011, there was a new look to the squad for 2012. The team reached the Walsh Cup Final and the Inter Provincial Final (in the guise of Connacht); while it took a replay win over Dublin to maintain Division 1 National Hurling League status. In the Championship though, Galway took off and the epic win over Kilkenny in the Leinster final paved the way for a first AllIreland Final appearance since 2005 where ultimately Galway came up short after a replay. Sean Walsh spoke to Galway manger Anthony Cunningham about the season gone by and what lies ahead. SW: The League was a mixed bag. How important was the relegation final replay win over Dublin? AC: In hindsight the replay performance was a very strong indication of the level we could get up to performance wise. Players were certainly coming back to form and the players individual games were gelling together so all in all it was an excellent confidence booster for the Leinster Championship. SW: How difficult was it to marry the young players you brought in into the squad? AC: Players playing in their first season like Niall Burke, Conor Cooney and Niall Donoghue were adapting very well in the league games and early season games. Overall all the new young players were training very well and they were learning from the very professional attitude and the extent of extra conditioning work the more established players were continually executing outside of scheduled training days. SW: The early championship games were negotiated with a degree of comfort, before the performance in the Leinster Final really grabbed the attention of the hurling world. Your thoughts? AC: The Galway Management would have been happy with the progress in training in the run up to the Leinster Final and with a strong emphasis on coaching and a lot of hurling game time we were confident that we could step up to a higher level and challenge Kilkenny. It was satisfying to all that we could get to that level – the challenge now is to get back up there, improve beyond the 2012 level and repeatedly produce such displays, which is a must in achieving success in 2013. SW: How big a factor is the hype surrounding the All-Ireland Final build up? Is it difficult to insulate players fromit? AC: To be honest concentration on proper preparation in training and improving our game in all aspects was taken on board by everyone; the players, the management and management support staff. This insulated us from all the external activities that go with finals and I think our performance in the final proved that we arrived with a very focussed mindset. SW: The All-Ireland Final drawn game saw Joe Canning equalise in the dying moments. It was the real game of two halves. What did you take from that drawn game? AC: Again for a young developing team we must learn to close out games that we are well in control of if we are to go on and beat Kilkenny and others in 2013. We certainly know we have the capability but we must realise we have to improve in all aspects of our game to advance!! SW: The replay was a game Galway seemed to be always chasing. What disappointed you most in that game? AC: The ten minute spell after half time was a period of dominance for us and we didn’t get the luck we deserved at that time. For instance a snippet of play initially waved on for an advantage to be then unusually stopped up for a free when in for a certain goal; and the goal effort the came back off the post were setbacks which all in all made it that bit easier for them to pull away. Had we got the goal chances (as we did in the Leinster final) I would be very confident we would have really excelled in the final twenty minutes. SW: After your first season, a standard has now been set. How do you bring that to the next level, and are there likely to be additions to your panel? AC: We will certainly look at all panellists in the early Walsh Cup matches and preparation games for the league and will also highlight the need to develop our pre-season conditioning work and increase our overall fitness and skill levels that will form a solid platform that allows us enhance our game during the Spring and early Summer. This will be required to give us a chance to get to the next level – but only if all panellists realise they must improve their own preparation and their own game. Our overall game needs to improve and provide a strong continuous improvement during the year to challenge for the ultimate honour. SW: After a busy year where you led Garrycastle to the All-Ireland Club final and a season where pride was restored in Galway hurling, what aspects of the year gave you the most satisfaction? Working with players that want to succeed and seeing their efforts coming together and producing excellent displays when it matters. The satisfaction that all Galway supporters enjoyed the season and their renewed pride in Galway Hurling was most enjoying – but all of us realise doing the same in 2013 will not be enough in this high stakes game – as winning really in the only game in town!!! BY SEAN WALSH Anthony Cunningham CUNNINGHAM LOOKS FORWARD TO2013
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