All-Ireland final defeats ‘the worst place on earth’ - Cunningham

Anthony Cunningham has described being on the losing side of an All-Ireland final as “the worst place on earth to be”.

As both a player and manager, Cunningham has plenty of All-Ireland final experience. Having captained Galway to the 1983 All-Ireland minor hurling title, he went on to win senior All-Irelands with the Tribesmen in 1987 and 1988. Those victories came after successive losses to Offaly in 1985 (when Cunningham came on as a substitute) and Cork in 1986.

Cunningham has gone on to enjoy considerable success as a manager, but the Galway native has endured his share of heartache along the way.

He was on the losing side in two All-Ireland finals in 2012 alone - firstly at club level as manager of the Garrycastle footballers and then with the Galway hurlers. Both of those defeats came after replays which added to the gnawing sense of regret. It was Crossmaglen Rangers who denied Garrycastle in 2012 and another team in black and amber, Kilkenny, who thwarted Galway. The Cats also overcame Cunningham’s Galway charges in the 2015 All-Ireland decider.

Next Sunday, Cunningham is bidding to guide his adopted club St Brigid’s to All-Ireland success as they prepare to face Daingean Uí Chúis (Dingle) at Croke Park (throw-in 3.40pm).

“They’re really difficult places if you don’t win,” said Cunningham when his past involvement of All-Ireland finals was raised at last week’s press function.

“It’s the worst place on earth to be if you don’t win. It’s really, really tough. We hope to be on the right side, but it’s going to take one hell of a battle,” continued the St Brigid’s manager.

As to whether All-Ireland final defeats are worse as a manager than as a player, Cunningham is philosophical in his response.

“Losses are bad anyway. As a manager, you have your coaches and your background team, you have the club and guys like Tomás Beades and Michael McDonnell that you work with. They’re there to help you in every aspect. So you do feel you’ve let them down if you didn’t get over the line. You always feel how could we have done better? Why didn’t we do this or that? So there’s a lot of heartbreak with the losses, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.

“It’s different from professional sport where you get paid and off you go. It is probably that bit tougher with the club as well as you know all the supporters. You know all the coaches that have worked with these players when they were under-14s. I remember going to a Féile as a supporter following a number of these guys when it was up in Derry a number of years ago.”

Cunningham insists that a victory next Sunday would be for all the coaches that have worked with the Brigid’s players at underage level. “We feel that we also want to win it to keep it going really for them because the future of any club is the youth.”

Reflecting on the semi-final win over Scotstown and the most pleasing aspect of the performance, Cunningham said: “I think the guys worked extremely hard and got into the flow of the game very quickly. They were always going to be tough and difficult at times, so I think we showed a lot of courage, really.

“We got a great start with Brian Derwin’s goal, that was typical of what we wanted the lads to do - to go for it. You’d be happy with that but you always have improvements to work on. We still have to improve to beat An Daingean, there is no doubt about that. We have to get better again.”

Asked about the challenge that Dingle will pose, Cunningham stresses that a team who has knocked out a fancied Ballyboden St Enda’s team has to be regarded as formidable.

“Ballyboden were favourites and probably right to be favourites. Their performance in the second half was probably the best 30 minutes of club championship football this year. That’s how good they are,” he remarked.

“You take the likes of Tom O’Sullivan, who is one of the best attacking defenders in the country. We know what the Geaneys can do, they’re exceptional players. They had a tight run (in the Munster final) against St Finbarr’s (Cork), but they were very good that day as well and took their chance right at the end. I know there was probably a bit of controversy on a free, but you take your chances. We know that they’re a fine team.

“Ballyboden were very prominent in the first half. You have to have huge admiration for the way they (Dingle) came back into the game, driven by their defensive attack really to put it that way, with Tom O’Sullivan as an example. Then there was the scores that Paul Geaney got. They really got very dominant in midfield in the second half. We’ll have to be on top of our game.”

Cunningham was naturally pleased with his side’s counter attacks against Scotstown. “We will have to be able to do that the next day. But we know it’s going to take a full 60 minutes of massive concentration. It’s not going to be easy. I think everybody knows that this is going to be a major, major hurdle to get over.”

Both St Brigid’s and Dingle are perceived as teams who like to attack and play expansive football and the ingredients appear to be in place for an entertaining spectacle on Sunday. Cunningham feels the new rules have helped teams who favour an attacking approach, but he added that forwards being able to defend is “a really strong part” of the game.

The rules no longer allow teams to put every player behind the ball, yet Cunningham stressed that “some astute play” is still required to create openings. “You do need to be able to break the lines properly to get in for your scores,” he said.

Cunningham admits it is “a plus” for St Brigid’s to have experienced the All-Ireland final two years ago and to know “the procedures” involved in competing in this showpiece occasion. However, he then highlights the flip side of the coin.

“I mean, losing a final also brings pressure. You’re struggling to get that right and maybe sometimes you lose focus on the actual opponent.

“Everybody you meet this week are saying ‘well done’ and whatever. But the hard fact of sport is that the winner takes all. And if we don’t win it this year, it will still be a failure because of the high expectations of the club. It’s the same in any sport, whether it’s the Premiership or whether it’s rugby, there’s only one winner really.”

Cunningham is in no doubt that the two tough battles required to win the Roscommon SFC final against Pádraig Pearses have stood to the Kiltoom outfit. “That match was a big plus for us. If you do get a replay and you come through it, it’s a huge bonus,” he said.

As to whether there are significant differences in managing players these days compared to when he first took charge of a team, Cunningham said: “In any of these environments, they’re extremely driven and professional and want to get better. It’s disappointing for some players that don’t get runs. There are a huge amount of players who are very unlucky maybe not to be playing. When guys get in, they try to hold a position but even if they’re an established player, they’re always looking over their shoulder.

Cunningham is pleased to have the support of what he describes as “a really good backroom team” as he mentions assistant manager John Murray and coaches Owen Mooney and Evan Talty. Another member of the backroom team is Ballinahown native Niall Kelly, who missed the All-Ireland semi-final due to duty with the Defence Forces in Lebanon, but he will be back for the final.

“Niall has been a selector and intermediate manager there for the whole year. So he’s a huge part of it as well. He’s actually coming home for the final. He got posted to Lebanon which was hard luck on him (in terms of the timing) but it’s part of his job,” said Cunningham.

“We’d be very happy with Cian O’Dea, our strength and conditioning coach. He’s a man that you’ll probably hear a lot about in the future because he’s really, really talented at his job. He’s a young Mayo man. He’s done his PhD in TUS in town, and he works for Connacht GAA as well. He’s been a big influence really with a lot of the players. The game has gone very physical and very fitness driven, so that’s another aspect of the game that we would have worked hard on,” he continued.

Cunningham’s drive to compete at the top level is still clearly evident. “You’d have to have the same interest and the same drive, otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it,” he said.

“But it’s great for the club and it’s great for the community to be at this stage again. You have to have the ambition to go and win it,” he added.