Time was up for Johnny Coen, Galway's roving reliable

Johnny Coen, Galway's most versatile piece of furniture, is now looking on from the outside

JOHNNY DONT CO: Johnny Coen of Galway following the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Galway and Waterford at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Johnny Coen wasn’t among the crowd of 6,460 at Pearse Stadium last Saturday. It wasn’t a conscious decision to keep his distance. Life simply got in the way. A six-month-old baby will make certain of that.

Galway’s Leinster opener was the county's first championship match since the 2010 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tipperary where Coen wasn’t part of the set-up.

A once staple piece of furniture, that had been moved and used in every part of the room, was no longer to be seen. From 12 seasons in the thick of it to paying his €12 GAAGO subscription to watch Galway continue on without him.

“It was a surreal experience because I had been with the panel since 2011 and had been to every single match for 12 years,” said Coen, who made 56 championship appearances during his service.

The same as last weekend, Wexford were in the far corner for Galway’s league opener. Coen watched proceedings on TG4, his retirement not seven weeks official.

“It's funny; back then I didn't miss it at all. It does be bleak enough in January when you are training and the weather wasn’t great either for that game.

“But looking at the lads last weekend, you'd be wondering could you have given it another year.” 

A brief pause.

“I was there long enough. There comes a time when you have to leave them at it.” 

Notice of his retirement came Christmas week. Notice of his retirement came as something of a surprise. He only turned 32 in March. The expectation was he’d truck on for a 13th season.

It's a decision he has no regrets over. Baby Phoebe is keeping himself and wife Meadhbh plenty busy. And it won’t be long before the club season starts ramping up for another tilt at county silverware with Loughrea.

In his parting statement, Coen remarked that it had been “some journey from corner-back to corner-forward and everything in between”.

What he neglected to add was that his Galway career had actually started between the sticks. His was a bingo card with every position on the pitch ticked off.

Rewind back to 2006. St Brigid’s College, Loughrea had a whopper junior hurling line-up.

A 14-year-old Coen knew he wasn’t going to make it at corner-forward. Niall Canavan, a teacher at St Brigid’s and a familiar voice on the airwaves of Galway Bay FM as a match commentator, decided to make a goalie out of him for the campaign.

Their run to All-Ireland glory brought Coen to the attention of the Galway U16 management. They brought him in as their second-choice goalkeeper.

It began a trend. His positioning became as unpredictable as it was varied. A lotto numbers feel to the maroon jerseys he was thrown over the years.

In 2009, minor manager Mattie Murphy had him at corner-forward. That was until one Sunday morning challenge where the individual picked at wing-back didn’t show. Mattie rejigged his pick.

“I ended up scoring three points, I don’t know would I have got that much from corner-forward!” 

Come the All-Ireland final win over Kilkenny, he wore number two. Left corner-forward is where he made his senior debut for the 2011 league opener against Wexford. His championship debut four months later against Westmeath was at right half-back.

In 2012, his performances at corner-back saw him crowned Young Hurler of the Year. Not even that could secure him permanent residence in one patch.

For Galway's first Leinster outing the following summer, Coen hurled centre-back. The next, he was left half-back for the championship exit to Tipp. Versatility, but no stability.

“I'd say to everybody from a coaching perspective and an underage person coming up not to be too set in your ways as an out-and-out corner-forward or wherever. Even with the way modern-day hurling has gone, you see Barry Nash coming up the field and scoring more points than some forwards.” 

But as a youngster wanting to be indispensable, all the shuffling about started to unsettle Coen.

“By 2014, I was getting half-worried, wondering am I going forward or am I going back. I was still starting games and still contributing, but for your own stability and your own performance, you need a little bit of structure.” 

There was an All-Star nomination at corner-back in 2015. But one final move left.

“By ‘16, I was saying could you offer a little bit more for the team. Micheál [Donoghue] handed me a lifeline.” 

In a throwback before split seasons, a round of club action was squeezed in between the provincial final defeat and All-Ireland quarter-final.

Coen lined out at midfield for Loughrea. He lined out at midfield for Galway in the subsequent quarter-final win over Clare.

It began a seven-season partnership with St Brigid’s teaching colleague David Burke.

“While it was a gamble and a risky strategy to move out of your comfort zone at corner-back, ultimately I felt that for the team to progress and for me to progress in my own career, this was something to try. Thankfully, it worked out.” 

He stepped away with three Leinsters, two Leagues, and one Celtic cross. And while he is eternally grateful for 2017 and fully cognisant that many fine hurlers before him in maroon never got there, he doesn’t shy away from the question of whether his group should have won more?

“Straight up, yes. That said, you can never take away the value of ‘17 and what it did for me, my family, the club, and the county as a whole.”