Cork hurling star Alan Cadogan talks about his career and hopes of winning an All-Ireland.
Alan Cadogan can’t hide his disappointment when he reflects on Cork’s fade-out against Kilkenny in the 2019 All-Ireland quarter-final.
The Douglas man, along with Patrick Horgan, was wreaking havoc on the Cats until the Leinster men took over in the second half.
Heading into the 2020 Allianz League campaign, the dynamic attacker is hoping to overcome a hip injury and set the tone for a big season.
“You think about it a lot, it was a disappointing end to the season,” he says. “It’s always hard to come back to the place where you were beat.”
“We always say at training that the hardest battle you have is the guy you’re gonna mark at training,” Cadogan adds of a comeback.
“A perfect example of that for me is Stephen McDonnell. We were only talking about this the other day that he flakes the s**** out of me at training.
“He’s the most hands on corner-back we’ve ever had.”
John Meyler departed the Rebels set-up at the end of the 2019 season, to be replaced by former bainisteoir, Kieran Kingston.
Work commitments explained the latter’s decision to leave at the end of the 2017 season, and the promise shown in his first tenure led to a groundswell of support once a return was mooted.
“He was the one we kind of wanted to go after and once Kieran himself showed that bit of interest, we knew he was the right fella for the job,” says Cadogan.
“We didn’t go to the county board and say we want Kieran Kingston. We expressed that we feel he would be the right fit then it is up to them.
“There’s intelligent people making those decisions, it’s such a demanding job being an inter-county manager.
“You know, he’s very good with players, he’s a people person. He’s a players favourite but at the same time very cut-throat.
“I think he described it as an itch that needed to be scratched and that there was unfinished business from 2017 when he stepped away.
“Knowing Kieran, he’s not coming back just for the fun of it, he’s coming back to win an All-Ireland.”
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