Eoin Cadogan: Beating the system? I loved being part of the system
Dejected brothers Eoin, left, and Alan Cadogan of Cork after losing the 2021 All-Ireland final to Limerick. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
PUTTING pen to paper for the first time. No agenda, no worries anymore about leaking internal information or saying the wrong thing. Just being me. I do have to ask myself now and again: who is Eoin Cadogan now? I don’t think Paulo Coelho could have described it better. Time waits for none of us and while I will always have the drive to succeed in whatever I do, I didn’t want to fall out of love with something that I have such great memories of and friends from.
I’ve seen great players stay that year too long and they become disgruntled with management, teammates and the sport itself. I didn’t want to be that guy. Last year’s All Ireland final against Limerick would have been an incredible swansong to sign off on if Cork had won but it wasn’t to be. That loss doesn’t define my career but I’m hoping for the group now that they have a taste for Croke Park with a sea of red supporters behind them, that 2022 can be another step in the right direction.
I’ve been involved in the Cork inter-county system since I was 16 years of age. Some would describe that as a lifetime where you inevitably end up institutionalised in the system. But boy, did I love the system.
Truth be known, I never really felt like I’d be good enough to play at inter-county level. I believe doubts and fear of failing have destroyed more players than we truly know. Players with much better skill attributes than me gently and quietly slip away. If the mind isn’t steeled for setbacks, losses and playing poorly, then the system will be an oppressive weight on your chest when it comes to the big day.
And it will crush you.
I couldn’t have got any better experience of what lay ahead than my first year playing senior football with Douglas in 2002. We reached the county semi-final, coming up against an experienced Castlehaven side. A scrawny, fast and raw 16-year-old lined out at wing-forward that day in Bandon. My primary role was to get the ball, run it, take them on, do the simple things.
Ten minutes in, I got the message to move to midfield marking the one and only Niall Cahalane. I couldn’t get over the physical strength in his legs and the aggression he played with. In one incident, where he committed a late foul on me, he cajoled the referee as he gestured to help me up from the ground. What I didn’t see coming as he helped me up was grabbing me under the armpit and twisting as hard as he could while smiling. My naivety let me lash out and a throw ball came of it. You can’t beat experience.
My Cork senior football debut in 2007 against Meath in an All-Ireland semi-final is something I will never forget. Billy Morgan signalling to get ready. Heart pumping out through the jersey. Board going up and running in from under the Hogan Stand to the wing-back position on the Cusack stand side. Gassed. Breathless. Chaos. Absolute chaos. Players running in all directions. And this was a debut of only three or four minutes of play I should add.
So much has changed since. I'l pick last year’s All Ireland SHC semi-final against Kilkenny as a comparison. I was unavailable for some of the Qualifiers with a groin strain so had missed a block of training and just about made the bench for the semi-final with little training behind me. Prior to leaving Parnell Park where we did our strapping, rubs, and received our messages from the coaches individually and collectively, Kieran Kingston approached me: “Probably only 10-15 minutes in you. TJ (Reid) or Walter (Walsh) is who we’ll be using you for if needed’.
Probably not what I want to hear but I accepted where I was at – even though I knew I’d be ready to go if called upon. When you are a sub, you can never switch off. You must remove the emotion of essentially being a spectator and zone in on what possible scenario, position or player you might find yourself up against.
Sitting in the Hogan Stand with the rest of the subs 32 minutes in, Ger Mellerick pulls his hammer badly. Immediate call to get ready. Now the 21-year-old in 2007 would have crapped his pants and been unable to visualise what was ahead of him. Experience and learnings have me better prepared. Breathing. Self-talk – ‘three minutes to half time. Get in, control your breathing. Hands on TJ always’. He’s a roamer. One minute he’s trotting behind you as the ball heads to the inside line. Next thing, he’s coming off the shoulder at 100 miles an hour and it’s in the back of the net. It’s not happening today, Eoin. Do your job.
We get in at half-time and I don’t even go into the dressing room. I stay in the warm-up area alone. Striking ball. Getting my touch in. Warming the hands. Verbalising that I’m ready. I rejoin the group just before we head out as management gives a final message. Messages get lost in translation when you are focused getting yourself up to the pitch of the game. I’ve watched the Kilkenny forwards in detail, especially TJ and Walter. You must respect the opposition, no matter what team you are playing.
I was ready. Cork went on to win after extra time and Rob Downey and myself held TJ to a point. Not bad for a fella who only had 10-15 minutes in the legs.
Without a doubt, the most difficult thing to deal with for any sportsperson is injuries. On retirement, I had a brilliant conversation with the Cork physiotherapist Declan O’Sullivan. He played a huge part in getting me ready for games and sessions. Similar to my own profession, Strength & Conditioning, what I realised is that you need to understand the individual in front of you. What makes him or her tick? How far are they willing to push?
Declan knows me and my body better than I do myself and we formed a brilliant partnership. As soon as I verbalise that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to play, he will push me to the brink with rehab twice a day, recovery, off feet conditioning. Literally whatever it takes. With that type of attitude, your body eventually starts to creak. He told me that since 2007, I’ve had 33 MRIs on ankles, knees, lower back, head, elbow, shoulder, hand, Achilles and a few more. I’ve had L5/S1 micro diseconomy surgery and Achilles surgery.
During the early stage of my career, I wasn’t as resilient or as strong mentally and, if anything, I allowed injuries to become a crutch for playing poorly. Looking back, it embarrasses me that I allowed myself to be so weak and in hindsight I should have either pulled out of certain games or dealt with the consequences of possibly playing poorly. But with team sport comes a responsibility to the group and not to let them down.
Our games, hurling and football, have continuously evolved over the years. In hurling, the days of a defender catching a ball and driving it 100 yards is nearly frowned upon (not what the traditionalist would like to hear, but true nonetheless). Everything is systematic between working the ball through the lines, possession, sweepers and even the more modern defenders popping up for scores. I’d be leaning towards the traditionalist side here that the forwards do the scoring and backs defend first. A team like Limerick, which has such an understanding and coherence in their collective play, do it seamlessly while others try to copy and get caught out.
That’s for another day and another column.
In the meantime, let’s look forward to the 2022 season commencing this weekend, safe in the knowledge that GAA players in both codes are now some of the best and most resilient athletes in the country.
Setting standards and striving for dreams. Relentless in their excellence.
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