By Niall Gartland

ALL-IRELAND winning manager Andy Moran was always a step ahead of his peers, according to college teammate Paddy Cunningham.

The former Antrim star played alongside Moran for Ulster University (then UUJ) when they won the Sigerson Cup back in 2008. It was obvious even then that the Mayo legend was destined for a managerial career, and at the age of 42, he has guided his county to a first All-Ireland title at senior level since 1951.

Cunningham, who scored 1-9 in their Sigerson Cup final win over Garda College in 2008, recalls a hugely enthusiastic teammate who left no stone unturned in his off-field preparations.

“Andy played with Sligo IT before he came up the road to Jordanstown. We were all on scholarships that year, so we were all living together in Jordanstown Village. We had four houses between the 20 of us who were on scholarships that year.

“He had massive energy, huge enthusiasm, and was really positive. You could even tell then that he was miles ahead of the rest of us in terms of his preparation at that stage, outside of training. He’d be in the living room stretching and doing mobility work. We were all learning from him, really. He was so meticulous and just had a real positive energy and positive mindset. It was really infectious for all of us.

“It’s no surprise to me that he’s been in various inter-county set-ups over the last few years and now he’s into management. You could always see those qualities in him as a player, and it was only a matter of time before he stepped into coaching and management. I’m just totally delighted for him. There’s no better man – he totally deserves it”.

Cunningham adds that Moran faced an especially pressurised set of circumstances when taking the reins of his native county. It had the potential to go belly up but they recovered from a disappointing defeat to Mayo in the Connacht championship and now can boast the title of All-Ireland champions.

“What he went through as a player, and to be able to make that transition within his own county, into coaching and management, it’s a very difficult challenge. There’s huge pressure and huge expectation in Mayo. Added to that, he’s a Mayo man and he’s also relatively young for an inter-county manager.

“But you can tell how much he’s loved by the players, first and foremost. He would have soldiered for six or seven of those lads, so to strike that balance between friendship and comradeship with his role as manager and what that entails is testament to his character and capabilities.

“It’s very hard to manage people that you played with. He’s obviously achieved that enormously in terms of being able to manage that dynamic.”

Cunningham believes that Mayo’s triumph coupled with the impact of the new rules is good for the GAA in general. When 2027 rolls around, a whole host of teams will believe that they can follow in Mayo’s footsteps.

“Talking to friends who I was with on Sunday, there’ll be many teams in the house kicking themselves with the what-ifs — your Tyrones, your Armaghs, your Donegals, Galways, Dublins.

“From an Association point of view, I think they needed that match after a disappointing hurling final the previous Sunday.

“The new rules have been a godsend for Gaelic football. It’s exciting to watch, it’s exciting to play. You could be four or five points up previously and say the game was over, whereas now you have to keep going, especially with the two-pointers.

“I think for football in a general sense, there are exciting times ahead. Nobody would have picked Mayo to have won the All-Ireland at the start of this year. Nobody would have picked Louth to get to an All-Ireland semi-final. You’d have possibly expected Kerry, Galway, Armagh, Donegal.

“The element of control that managers have tried to stamp on games in the past is gone. Jim McGuinness alluded to it – that the last seven or eight minutes are chaos.

“It’s exciting. There’s still game management, but your overall sense of control is gone because there are a lot more turnovers and a lot more scores in the game, which is obviously good from a forwards’ perspective.

“A lot of teams will go back next year thinking they’ve a genuine chance to win the All-Ireland. Five, six, seven teams easily.”