We chat to Cadogan about all things football and hurling…
JOE’s Joe Harrington headed along to an adidas Predator ® Incurza Kicking Masterclass this week and he had a chance to chat to Cork’s Eoin Cadogan.
The Rebels star spoke about his dual player commitments, Donal Og Cusack’s comments about the structure of Cork hurling, how his brother Alan has settled in and his views on the Dublin footballers.
Cadogan on… people bringing up the dual player issue after Cork’s Championship exit
“I’m burnt out from talking about, it’s just the easiest thing to jump on now at this stage.
“Could you say that everyone on the Cork team last Sunday played well? No you couldn’t. We were probably beaten in too many areas of the field. Can you blame the dual players for that? I don’t think you can.
“I just think it’s an easy outlet to go ‘dual players are the problem here’ automatically. I think you have to take collective ownership throughout the whole panel.”
Cadogan on… whether he’ll continue to play as a dual player next year
“It’s only a few days after the Tipp game, it’s too soon to decide that. You’d just be appreciative that the managers have been accommodating and we’ll see what the plan is going forward.
“You talk about dual players, we’re out again this weekend in the senior club football championship. We’ve between six and nine dual players who will go into hurling training on Tuesday night and prepare for a senior championship game against county champions Midleton.
“No one thinks ‘the dual players can’t be doing it,’ we’re just banged out and get on with it. It can be a good thing sometimes.”
Cadogan on… his younger brother Alan playing dual and how quickly he has stepped up to senior hurling
“Alan is his own man and he’s well able to make his own decisions, he’s found his feet nicely and he’s probably set himself up for another good year next year.
“(In terms of making the step up) Alan’s obviously extremely skillful as everyone has seen and he seems to have the attributes that are need to perform at the highest level. In saying that, he’s still only 21 so he has a lot to learn and a lot to improve on but he’s the type of guy who wants to improve and I think he has all the right characteristics to do that.”
Cadogan on… whether winning the Munster Hurling Final is worth it considering there’s a five-week break after it
“I probably think that with the five-week lay-off trying to match the type of intensity that you are going to come up with in a semi-final is very difficult to mimic in training
“I still don’t like using that as an excuse because you like to imagine your A versus B training sessions that you are able to ramp things up with the idea of a semi-final ahead.
“In saying that, Tipperary were probably finding their feet coming through the qualifiers. I think the Galway game was probably the big turning point for them. That probably set them up nicely for a good result against Dublin and for obviously beating us.”
Cadogan on… Donal Og Cusack’s comment about the lack of structure in Cork hurling
“I’m not going to get dragged into that… at this moment I’m a player and my job is to play.
“If we are to look at who is setting the bar right now, you’d have to look at the likes of Dublin, both on and off the field, with their underage structures and their success as well. It’s shining through really, they are U21 champions again this year in football and then their senior footballers. I don’t think there is anyone can see anything but an upset beating them this year.”
Cadogan on… the Dublin football team
“I think it’s important to realise that this Dublin team didn’t just come out of the blue though. They’ve been on the go now for about four years since 2010 when we beat them in the semi-final.
“The only team that haven’t really been tested in terms of their composure or having to grind out a result is Dublin, because they haven’t needed to.
“They’re in their fourth or fifth year in terms of progression. Their players are a lot more mature – they’ve a huge amount of experience.”
Eoin spoke to us at the launch of the new adidas incurza boot, designed with two precision kicking zones giving GAA and rugby players greater control and accuracy. Available now from adidas.ie and Life Style Sports stores nationwide.
