Glen Rovers coach Eoghan Cronin: 'Winning with fellas you soldiered with is as good as anything'

His father, Don, was involved with Glen teams down the years, while his uncle, Ted Owens, worked with numerous Cork sides, including in the backroom of Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s 1999 All-Ireland winning hurling set-up and with Billy Morgan on the football side at various junctures.

“My dad was always involved in coaching and my uncle, Ted, as well. From a young age, I was down watching Cork teams, listening to Ted, and following him. So, it’s kind of ingrained in the family and sure look, we're just following on a bit of a tradition,” Cronin explained ahead of Sunday’s old-money Cork hurling decider.

Eoghan was only 30 and still togging out when then Glen boss Richie Kelleher asked him to train the seniors in 2019. The rookie coach more than held his own in a campaign that went all the way to the final afternoon.

“When you're asked to do the coaching, you might get a hint that the playing days are over! So yeah, that's where it all started,” he continued.

“I did a bit with a few schools and then I was down in Carrigaline for a few years, which was a great experience, and then with the minors here in the Glen and the Premier Juniors.

“I did it so much when I was younger, it was kind of a natural progression [going from player to coach]. Slightly different then in that you’re going back in with the lads that you are still the same age as and that you're friendly with, and getting that balance.

“But you wouldn't change it for the world because if I wasn't going in with the lads, I wouldn't have the opportunity now. And it's winning with the fellas that you soldiered with is as good as anything.” 

Insisting that he is “constantly evolving and constantly learning” in the company of former Cork and Waterford coach Donal O’Rourke, and seeing how Cork strength and conditioning coach Ian Jones is also part of the Glen backroom, it is a most educational environment that Cronin is benefiting from and contributing to.

Their sideline posse, headed by Tomás Mulcahy, engaged in some necessary introspection following the opening weekend setback where the Glen, from a position of five in front on 26 minutes and their opponents Blackrock reduced to 14 men, ended up on the wrong side of a 1-22 to 1-20 final scoreline.

Since then, the Glen have been unbeaten and “on a roll”.

“As a management, we kind of looked into ourselves and how we managed the game on the night. And we felt we needed to improve. I think we've come a long way since then.” 

While so much of this week’s conversation focuses on the fact that the Glen and the Barrs haven’t met in a county final since 1988, slightly overlooked is that they haven’t met in championship full stop since the 2020 group stages, a game the Glen walked by 14 points.

“It should be a classic game and hopefully we'll come up on the right side of it.”