Sometimes, it’s just in the genes.
The name Joe Cooney was always going to be remembered in Galway hurling circles, with the Sarsfield’s club man marking himself out as one of the greatest hurlers to have ever played the game during his 18-year, two-time All-Ireland winning career with Galway.
When the Tribesmen struggled through the late 2000’s, getting frustrated at successive losses in crucial games, and appeared unable to bridge the gap and win their first All-Ireland in years, many of them fondly looked back at the great days that Cooney enjoyed, that he inspired, with envy, with nostalgia.
They wondered would they ever have those days again. Despite perennial success at minor level, the potential of these young lads just wasn’t transferring, progressing or developing.
Some of them did though, the likes of Conor Cooney, the likes of Joe Canning, Cathal Mannion, Jason Flynn, the likes of Joseph Cooney.
Inevitably, being his father’s son, there was going to be huge pressure following this man, no matter where he went, no matter what he did for Galway.
That’s the way we are in Ireland. We have huge expectations of people, and if we don’t get instant results, we’re not happy.
Young Joseph won an All-Ireland minor Championship with Galway in 2009, and from then onwards the expectations just grew and grew and grew.
Cooney’s level of progression was commendable, as he made his way onto the Galway under-21s the next year, and was soon called up to the senior panel by Anthony Cunningham in 2012.
He didn’t set the world alight, and the next couple of years for Cooney were the life of a fringe player in the Galway set-up.
He was given the odd chance to prove his worth, he did well at times, other times he was called ashore early. In 2013, when Galway were trounced in the qualifiers by Tipperary, he came on as a sub, as he did the next year when they were beaten by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final.
Supporters were writing him off. Admittedly, a notable attribute lacking in Cooney’s game was pace. The way the modern game is, every hurler needs to have breakneck pace to survive.
Cooney was big and strong but he appeared to be lacking that burst of pace.
In the last two seasons, Cooney’s game has improved considerably, but the most obvious improvement in his game is the burst of pace he has added to his locker.
We saw it in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary, when the half forward burst through the Premier defence to score a stunning goal to re-ignite the Galway challenge. He skinned his man, left him for dead.
Galway were beaten that day, but they came back this year, hungrier than ever, and nobody epitomised that hunger quite like Cooney.
He was going to make his mark, he was hell-bent on that. He enjoyed an impressive league campaign, an impressive start to the Championship against Dublin, and was even better in the Leinster final against Wexford when he nothced 0-5 from play.
The man was revitalised, reinvigorated, he was as fit as a flea.
Cooney was on form from the word-go on Sunday, and we could see that from the second minute of the game.
Joe Canning sprayed a ball cross-field for Cooney and his marker Darragh Fives to chase.
Fives, no slouch himself, had a head-start in the race.
The 6 ft 4 in Cooney stretched his long legs, he powered through, he bet Fives to the ball.
He wasn’t gassed, he was still composed, he got it and fired it over the bar.
That was Galway’s third point in two and a half minutes, that was Galway on Sunday, that’s why they’re All-Ireland Champions.
As Cooney said when interviewed by RTÉ in the City West at the Liam MacCarthy celebrations, it didn’t come easily.
“It’s everything we’ve ever dreamed of. We’ve put our lives on hold for this,” said an ecstatic Cooney.
Cooney isn’t just a great hurler, though, he’s a great man, as his post-match gesture to the Waterford players revealed.
He wasn’t running around the pitch celebrating. He was thinking of his opponents, the Waterford lads who have made the same sacrifices as him, and he was offering them words of consolation.
“You’d really feel for Waterford and what they’re feeling tonight. They’re a great group of guys. I said it to every one of them going off the field, ‘Keep the heads up, keep going because that’s sport, you know, sport does that. We’ve been there before, we’ve experienced that. I’m sure they’ll come back and they’ll be stronger again next year.”
Cooney & Cooney… no ordinary Joes #SundayGame #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/DaEEv9ZHON
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 3, 2017
That was well deserved.
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