Cunningham juggling act goes on

Anthony Cunningham’s unique managerial juggling act will continue for a little longer.

The Garrycastle script was meant to conclude in Croke Park in last Saturday’s All-Ireland senior club football decider yet a draw with Crossmaglen Rangers meant the prospect of a replay has been thrown into Cunningham’s hectic schedule.

He had little time to dwell on that scenario facing the Westmeath club on Saturday evening as focus shifted to Sunday’s trip to Cork with the Galway senior hurlers.

That journey brought reward in the shape of two precious points in Division 1A of the hurling league and Cunningham will keep filling a dual mandate for another fortnight.

“The double-jobbing continues now for another couple weeks but it’ll be the final day the next day, even if it goes to penalties,” laughed the St Thomas club man.

“I’ve been used to combining it. We were back in Athlone by 7.30pm on Saturday, we had a bit of food back in the clubhouse and then I’d an early start Sunday morning, leaving Athlone at half six to go to Cork with Galway. It would have been some weekend if we’d won Saturday. But look it, I’ve to focus on that replay now and that’s another day’s work.”

In the Galway hurling squad, they had identified this week as the date when their manager would be able to concentrate solely on plotting their campaign. Yet having to share his services with Garrycastle for another couple of weeks does not perturb the Tribesmen captain Fergal Moore.

The manner in which Cunningham has conducted himself since assuming the reins last winter has made a great impression with the Turloughmore defender.

“We thought we’d have him to ourselves after Saturday alright but barring another draw it’ll be over in another two weeks. To be fair to him, you wouldn’t know he’s a second job at the moment. I don’t know how Anthony does it. I believe they were very unlucky in Croke Park on Saturday. But Anthony is an excellent manager, a very good man-manager and the mood in the camp is very good. The key thing is to drive on from here. He’s a very focused and driven man.

“He was solely concentrating on the game on Sunday. It was a new day, a new game and he was concentrating on being the manager of Galway. Obviously there was a bit of ribbing from the lads on the way down but it was grand and he’ll take it out on us on Tuesday night in training! The most important thing was that we got the two points on Sunday and he was a happy man afterwards.”

Cunningham’s Galway panel has been infused with the nucleus of the U21 outfit that he guided to All-Ireland glory last September.

Those players have coped with a myriad of commitments themselves recently. The likes of Johnny Coen, Niall Burke and Bernard Burke, who were to the fore in Sunday’s victory, have been immersed in Fitzgibbon Cup action while Brian Flaherty, an unused substitute on Sunday, was midfield for the Galway U21 footballers in their Connacht championship defeat to Mayo last Wednesday.

Yet the youngsters have overcome those hurdles to prosper on the senior stage and even the loss of talisman Joe Canning through injury has not halted their scoring drive.

“The younger lads bring huge enthusiasm,” said Moore. “They’ve no baggage from years before and have been a breath of fresh air with the new management. Obviously losing Joe was a huge blow. But we’re still putting the points on the board, Niall [Burke] is taking frees and they’re going well.

“The level of performance wasn’t good enough in the first half on Sunday. But the younger lads took that on board at half-time and drove on for the second half. We need to build on that. I think it’s important that as a team we have to play for the whole 70 minutes like how we played in the second half with that level of intensity.”