Five minutes with Donegal’s Caolán Ward

Name: | Caolán Ward |
Age: | 25
Occupation: | Strength & Conditioning Coach

Teams played for:

St Eunan’s Letterkenny, Donegal and IT Carlow

Game you most enjoyed playing in?

U-21 Championship v Tyrone 2013 – nobody gave us a chance that night but we put in a mighty performance and beat them well.

Game you least enjoyed playing in?

Galway in last year’s Qualifiers.

Toughest training session you’ve every been involved in?

Dungloe by a mile. Great place for hill sprints.

What’s your preferred brand of gear?

Any session that involves tackling grids or Paul Fisher’s conditioning runs don’t end well.

Where do you like to go out to celebrate?

Adidas

What do you like to do when you are not training/playing?

Travelling around Donegal. There is so much to do and see in the county.

Where do you like to go out to celebrate?

Warehouse or The Brewery Bar in Letterkenny.

Which character in any film/tv show are you most like?

Micky Ward – The Fighter.

Which team mates (From any club/county) are the first you’d invite on a night out?

Shaun Durnin (Donegal Philadelphia) – A good man to get the crowd going with his famous rap song.
Johnny Harkin (Gweedore) – You just never know what he might do next. A complete head the ball.

Which team mate is the loudest in the changing room?

Hughie McFadden – You hear him before you seen him.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen happen in training/during a match?

The defenders when there are shooting drills in training. We think we can shoot but those drills soon bring us back down to earth.

What’s the worst excuse you’ve heard to get out of training and who did it come from?

Conor O’Donnell from St Eunan’s – “I’m not getting my white boots dirty.”

Worst/best person to sit next to on the team bus?

Worst – Marty O’Reilly – Would try and sell you something from the black market.
Best – Conor Morrison – a very focused individual.

Worst/best person to share a room with on away days?

Worst – Was Peter Boyle. Would sit up all night and watch WWE.
Best – Eamonn Doherty. Always good for a few sweets.

Who has the best diet, and who has the worst, and what do they consist of? ?

Worst – Niall O’Donnell – Has a loyalty card for Four Lights.
Best – Sean McVeigh – The man turned vegan.

Toughest opponent you have played against?

Patrick McBrearty.

Best or worst quote you have heard from a team mate/opponent/manager?

“Kick the high ball in low lads” – Flash Gordan, St. Eunan’s College.

Best manager you have played for?

Maxi Curran.

What frustrates you most about the GAA?

All the talk about how much the game has gone professional and that players can’t be enjoying themselves. If I wasn’t enjoying it I wouldn’t be there.

What is the best thing about being part of the GAA?

Playing for Donegal in front of proud and passionate Donegal supporters.