Five minutes with – Donegal hurler Niall Cleary

Name: | Niall Cleary |
Age: | 27
Occupation: | Primary School Teacher

Teams played for:

Shinrone (Offaly), Mary Immaculate College (Limerick) and Donegal

If you were throwing a party and you could invite anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would you ask around?

Has to be Jamie Vardy at the moment doesn’t it? Throw all the Shinrone lads into the mix too and it would be a great weekend.

Where do you like to go out to celebrate after a big victory?

I’ll let you know when we have one!

If you weren’t playing GAA what would you be at?

Stuck in the house every Tuesday and Friday night watching Made in Chelsea with Ciara.

What’s the worst pitch you’ve ever played on?

Was pretty rough up in Queen’s in January this year.

Which character in any film are you most like?

Derek Zoolander…I want to teach kids there’s more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking!

Any odd items in your kit bag?

Not in mine but I did notice Paul Nelson had a full frozen ham in his after a match recently!

What’s your preferred brand of gear?

Adidas boots, O’ Neills training gear, Cooper helmet & Bourke hurls.

Who’s the biggest joker in the teams you play for?

There’s a few who fancy themselves as jokers but I’ve yet to see anyone get one over on our physio, Colum.

Which team mate has the best looking other half?

I haven’t met all the other halves yet but to quote Jamesie Donnelly, “Danny’s new woman is a purebred”. I’ve heard that the Ginger Grenade (Pauric Doherty) does serious damage down in Dublin too!

Who is the worst trainer?

Kevy Campbell & Paddy Hannigan. Kevy’s asthma usually plays up from January to April and then miraculously clears up. Same goes for Paddy’s back. Paddy missed a session recently cos he was “too tired”!

Who spends most time in front of the mirror in the dressing room?

An easy one – Massey (Ciaran Matthewson). No stranger to a sunbed! Thinks he’s in Geordie Shore. Always complaining that there are no mirrors in Convoy!

Who’s the best/worst person to share a room with on away trips?

Not much craic outta Jamesie or Danny, they usually spend the evening on the phone to the missus. Best would be Kevy, a good man to tell a yarn.

Who’s the best/worst person to sit beside on the team bus?

Worst is probably Justin McBride, he’s like a jack-in-the-box. He’d fit in well with the Junior Infants going on a school trip!
Best is Lee Henderson, he’s a good man for sports trivia.

Who has the best and who has the worst diet on the team, and what does it include?

Sean McVeigh probably has the best diet, so green he’s sprouting. Wish he’d stop trying to convert the rest of us to the vegan lifestyle though. One player dropping bombs like he does is bad enough! I’ve also heard Marty McGrath allows himself a square of chocolate on Christmas Day.
Worst would be Stephen Gillespie, he has a hard time sneaking the rubbish past management onto the bus.

Toughest opponent you have faced?

Brian Carroll (Offaly)

Best or worst quote you’ve heard, either from a manager, player, opponent?

An opponent once called me a “One-Direction wannabe, chino-wearing w****r”. I thought it was a compliment till he said the last word. ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’ is the one I’ve found to be most true.

Best manager you’ve ever played under?

I’ve been lucky with managers, I’ve learned from all of them. I’d have to say my father Joe was the best. I’ve only ever won anything when he’s been manager.

Best ever performance?

I remember dominating an Under 11 ? Shield Hurling Final back in 2000. Still trying to reach those heights again.

One to forget?

Against Down in O’ Donnell Park this year. Huge crowd in ‘cos the footballers were on after us and I got whipped off after 20 mins.

When you were playing in the back garden, who did you pretend to be?

Brian Whelehan or Johnny Dooley – I grew up with the glory years for Offaly hurling.

If there was a transfer market who’d be in and who’d be out of the team?

I’d bring in Richie Hogan and Colm Galvin.

Donegal’s Niall Cleary