Con O’Callaghan could feature for Dublin hurlers for ‘part of a season’
The former Galway boss will work as Pat Gilroy’s righthand man in Dublin and has confirmed that they hope to lure a host of key players back into the fold. Several established players declined to play for former manager Ger Cunningham though the likes of the Schuttes, Mark and Paul, Johnny McCaffrey, Peter Kelly, and Danny Sutcliffe could all be back for 2018.
Luring football All-Star O’Callaghan into the senior setup would be the most impressive feat of all, as the Cuala forward is regarded as arguably the hottest young talent in the game.
O’Callaghan, a back-to-back All-Ireland senior football medallist, is also the reigning AIB Leinster Club Hurler of the Year and has amassed 6-10 and 3-8 tallies in the last two provincial hurling campaigns. He was also a key figure in Cuala’s All-Ireland triumph last March though, until now, there has been no indication that he may get involved with the county seniors also.
“Everyone will leave Con alone and he will concentrate with Mattie Kenny and all the Cuala boys to win an All- Ireland back to back,” said Cunningham at the launch of the Bord na Mona pre-season competitions.
“He’ll be playing hurling up to the end of March. That’s not too far away from a Leinster (opening) round. Everybody, every hurling person in the country, would love to see Con O’Callaghan play Kilkenny and Wexford and see him in Thurles or wherever. I’m no different. He is a special talent, a very humble young man with a great family background with his father, Maurice.
“It would be a dream come through but, that’s for others to decide. We’ll see how it goes.”
Cunningham, who guided Galway to the 2012 and 2015 All-Ireland finals, didn’t rule out coming to an agreement with Dublin football manager Jim Gavin to share O’Callaghan. “It’s difficult, the only point would be, it might be easier in the month of May to have a hurler and then maybe he plays football for the rest of the year but I’m not putting any words in anyone’s mouth,” he added.
“It could be for a part of a season but I couldn’t see it for a full season.”
Mark Schutte declined to return to the Dublin hurling setup after the club success earlier this year and instead teamed up with Gavin’s footballers, debuting in the Championship against Carlow. He missed all of Cuala’s recent successful Leinster campaign due to a foot injury but should be back for an All-Ireland semi-final against Liam Mellows in February.
“That will be a huge plus for Cuala to get Mark back and hopefully then he’ll move onto a Dublin (hurling) stage,” said Cunningham. “Other guys will be looked at. Johnny McCaffrey is still playing with his club, he’s back with us. There are other guys, Peter Kelly has a long-term injury but he’ll probably be given time. He’s back doing some pre-conditioning work, just not on the field yet. Any of the players there, we will certainly look at.”
Cunningham rejected the suggestion that a divide may have opened between the players who quit the panel in recent seasons and those who stayed. “Absolutely no, the big challenge for anybody is just to get onto the panel,” he said.
Cunningham was ousted from the Galway position after their 2015 All-Ireland final loss to Kilkenny. He will face those Galway players head-on in Round 4 of the Allianz league on February 25.
“You can’t hold grudges in life, that chapter is well and truly over,” said Cunningham.
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