Chip on his shoulder drives Dr Crokes' Evan Looney to defy small stature
POCKET ROCKET: Evan Looney of Dr Crokes. Picture: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
With Dr Crokes already finding themselves with three trophies in the 2024 achievement cabinet – county league, senior club championship, and county championship – there has, understandably, been a lot of emphasis on the experienced members of the squad.
While John Payne, Fionn Fitzgerald, Brian Looney, Kieran O’Leary and Daithí Casey are continuing to defy Father Time with their longevity and consistency, some of the younger players in Pat O’Shea’s side might have found their development overlooked in some respects.
From 22-year-old hard-working wing-forward and Kerry hurling panellist Tom Doyle, through 21-year-old elegant attacker Cian McMahon, and onto 20-year-old swashbuckling midfielder Charlie Keating and dynamic 19-year-old corner-bmack Maidhcí Lynch, the green shoots are plentiful.
Arguably the pick of the bunch has been 22-year-old Evan Looney, a tenacious, versatile and effervescent performer, with a distinct edge to his game, who seems absolutely certain to play a big role for the Lewis Road outfit and, potentially, for Kerry, in the upcoming seasons.
A Kingdom under-20 under Declan O’Sullivan two years ago, the half-back/corner-back has, most certainly, come onto the radar of Jack O’Connor as he looks to make changes to the make-up of his panel for 2025. Looney’s club performances have ensured that.
Man-of-the-match on the afternoon that the Bishop Moynihan Cup returned to the Killarney club for the first time in six seasons, scorer of a superb individual goal which finished off the Dingle challenge, Looney is thrilled with the impact of the Dr Crokes’ young guns.
“The boys are excellent. Tom (Doyle) would be the same age as me, so we’ve always played together growing up. We have a good understanding, we’ve kind of been in the same boat for everything really. Cian Mac would have played a good bit with us too, he’s just a year younger,” he said.
“We know what Cian can do, obviously he’s had a small bit of a different role this year, at wing-forward, but he’s embraced it. You can see the amount of turnovers that he gets every game, he works ridiculously hard for the team.
“Charlie (Keating) is just an insane athlete, and what I was amazed with Charlie is that he’s very coachable. He’s like a sponge, everything that’s said to him, he’s really attentive, he takes it in, he makes the changes, he’s constantly improving.
“Maidhci Lynch has just been excellent for us all year. He provides great legs, and they’ve kind of matured seamlessly, and they’re a credit, to be fair.”
With a steely determination and a razor-like focus, Looney has had to fight against genetics to become the prodigious, developing talent that he now is. Small in stature as a young kid growing up, he found his path blocked to various teams.
“When I was growing up, and even at the moment, I’m a lot smaller than most of the players I’m playing against. In years gone by, I’ve been a lot smaller, and I had to have an edge like that to cope and compete,” he stressed.
“I just really relish challenges up against my opponents. The more physical it is, the better almost. I just like getting stuck into games.
“I wouldn’t have made a lot of teams, or even panels, growing up, due to what I would put down as being smaller than everybody else. I always knew that I had the skill level, and the commitment and dedication.
“My father always said that it would balance out eventually, that I would progress physically when I’m older. It’s not the be-all and end-all, making squads at under-16, I just had a chip on my shoulder always, and that’s just driven me.
“As a defender, your number one job is to defend. On different days I could be asked to do different roles, and you just have to take pride in whatever you’re doing that day. If I have to mark a man and shut him down, I’ll do that to the best of my ability for the team.
“I don’t really mind what role I play. I, literally, couldn’t care less, as long as I’m on the pitch playing, and contributing positively. That’s just the way I look at it, I’m just happy to be out there playing.”
When informed that the afore-mentioned Lynch has outscored him in the Castlehaven and Rathgormack encounters, the competitive resolve in Looney instantly takes over.
“I think it was mentioned the last day in training alright that he had two points in two games or something. There’s a game left, so we’ll see what can happen!” he smiled.
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