Counihan frees up Cadogan for hurlers

ALLIANZ LEAGUES:IT USED to be that so-called double hits of National League football and hurling would have several players deciding between the codes. Not so much anymore, and Cork's Eoin Cadogan is among the last of the high-profile dual players in the once awkward and controversial position.

Fortunately for Cadogan there are two understanding managers in Cork, and having discussed the situation this week, football manager Conor Counihan agreed hurling manager Denis Walsh can have his services this weekend.

It means Cadogan will line out against the Kilkenny hurlers on Sunday, while Counihan is down another man against the Dublin footballers on Saturday evening.

It remains to be seen what happens in the coming weeks: there are two more double hits of league football and hurling to come, on March 12-13th and April 2nd-3rd, and Cadogan’s allegiance at that stage may well depend on which team needs him more in order to sustain their league ambitions.

The defender has already lined out for the the footballers, against Kerry, and the hurlers, against Offaly, and remains committed to both codes for the season.

In the meantime Counihan remains without several more first-choice players for the first of the Dublin Spring Series in Croke Park on Saturday evening. Defenders John Miskella and Ger Spillane are injured, and Noel O’Leary is suspended following the red card he received against Kerry in the first round. Anthony Lynch, Graham Canty, Alan Quirke and Kieran O’Connor are on the longer-term injury list.

All Star full back Michael Shields is in contention to play having returned to Ireland this week after extending the Cork team holiday while Paul Kerrigan and Brian O’Regan are focused on Nemo Rangers’ All-Ireland club semi-final against St Brigid’s of Roscommon on Sunday week.

It all means Cork will again be looking to Daniel Goulding for a big performance. Fresh from his 0-7 against Kerry, including five frees and one 45, Goulding is understandably excited not just about playing Dublin but about playing them in Croke Park. “Pat Gilroy has done a super job with them,” he says. “They have got this confidence about them now and they probably know how to handle themselves a bit better. At the same time when we were playing Kerry and Tyrone and these teams that had won All-Irelands we’d love nothing more than to knock them off their perch so it’s up to us not to rest on our laurels and work even harder.

“Judging from the Armagh game they (Dublin) look fit and up for it. They’ll start where they left off last year. It’s not an away game for us in the sense of going to Parnell Park, but it’s a great opportunity for everyone, there are some new lads that maybe weren’t even on the panel last year and they are knocking on the door to start at the weekend so it’s great for them to be playing here.”

Cork’s opening-round win over Kerry in Tralee was, says Goulding, important on several counts: “Winning on the road at any stage in the league is hard. We had only two or three weeks training done so it was good to start with a win. We had a couple of new lads in as well who weren’t on the holiday with us and everybody off the panel last year knows if they take the foot off the gas they won’t be long being forgotten about. So lads were minding themselves in the off-season.”

Saturday’s double-header (with Dublin-Tipperary in the hurling) also represents a rematch of last year’s hard-fought All-Ireland football semi-final, where Cork prevailed by a point – in case the appearance of Jedward wasn’t enough incentive to come along.