Is there a forward in Ireland you would want ahead of Seamus Callanan?
Devastating in Tipperary’s march to the All-Ireland last year, the Drom-Inch colossus has it all – size, power, accuracy, skill and movement.
On a recent episode of the GAA Hour, Kilkenny legend JJ Delaney said that Callanan’s movement set him apart from even Galway’s Joe Canning.
Ahead of Tipperary’s National League semi-final against Wexford on Sunday, Colm Parkinson caught up with the Kelloggs Cúl Camps ambassador to discuss his progression from expendable wing-forward under Liam Sheedy to All-Ireland-winning full-forward.
Listen to the whole interview from 22 minutes or continue reading below.
“Maybe my confidence was a bit dinted after a few years on the bench,” said Callanan of his earlier career. “When you’re confidence isn’t where it should be then it is a hard thing to do.”
He credits former manager Eamon O’Shea with boosting his confidence by thrusting responsibility upon him in the form of frees and the full-forward jersey.
“We came out best side of it and it is credit to current management and Eamon O’Shea, who still believed in me – he gave me frees, the 14 jersey – these things gave me a boost and tell you what you mean to the panel.”
Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, Callanan is a powerful presence on the edge of the square and it is hard to imagine him operating as a slight wing-forward, but he says it took years for his body to develop.
“I was a skinny young lad and, between being on the panel a number of years, doing the gym work and the hard training, your body does develop,” he said.
Along with his physicality, he has developed his style and tactical game: “You are learning every year, you see the lads that are playing and I am learning from them.”
Big, strong, clever and accurate – Callanan now has the hurling toolbox to compete with any defender, from JJ Delaney to his successor Joey Holden or Waterford’s Barry Coughlan.
“You can’t be predictable. JJ is one of best defenders to have ever picked up a hurley. You try and nullify his attributes,” said Callanan. “You try and have a range of everything, all the skills. You need to be able to adapt, have a couple of different things in your armoury.”
Listen to the whole interview and more during The GAA Hour below or subscribe here.
0’41” “Johnny Glynn is going to be commuting from New York to play with the Galway hurlers which I thought was one of the most bizarre stories I’ve ever heard” – Wooly
7’15 Tom Devine leaving the Waterford panel
15’45” Former Mayo football manager James Horan taking over Turloughmore senior hurlers
22’20” Seamus Callanan on movement and the influence Eamon O’Shea had on his career.
40’00” The lads discuss Tipperary’s perfect delivery of ball to forwards and analyse Tipp V Wexford League Semi-Final.
53’00” Galway’s inconsistency, ‘The Weirdest game ever according to Damian Hayes’.
1’00’00” Predictions and accumulators.
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