One more shot at it – Paddy Cunningham

ANTRIM’S Paddy Cunningham says that his body won’t be able to go for another year after this season.

He’s delighted with the news that collective training will officially return on April 19 as it means the likelihood of a season happening increases. Cunningham is hoping that all intercounty action goes ahead because he won’t be pushing his retirement back again, after he did so at the end of 2020.

Last year, the Lámh Dhearg man said that he would give one more year to the county under Lenny Harbinson. However, that saw him play a few games in the league, and in Antrim’s Ulster Championship loss to Donegal.

Six years ago, Cunningham retired from intercounty football. He chose to focus on his family. Then, before the 2020 season, he agreed to return to the county for Harbinson’s final campaign.

He played during the league campaign, and then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and that threw the season into disarray.

When action returned, Antrim didn’t get promoted and they got one championship match. Cunningham had hoped for better.

Then Enda McGinley was appointed and Cunningham agreed to give it one more go. However he says that he won’t be able to play after this campaign, whatever happens, and he is almost certain that he will retire completely from county football once the 2021 season ends.

Cunningham said: “This year you don’t know what could happen. There might not be any football.

“But I don’t think that the body could hold up for another year. I am turning 35 in May. I am not getting any younger. I had a lot of work over the winter to get back in shape. I don’t think the body would allow me to play again.

“Whatever happens, happens this year. It will definitely be the end of the line, though never say never.”

Cunnigham’s work to be ready has involved a lot of running. He has a home gym, and he has been in there to make sure he reaches the level of conditioning that will allow him to compete at that top level.

“The standards that Enda and Stevie (O’Neill) set are very high. I didn’t want to go back if I wasn’t in the best shape possible.

“So I have been trying to get in the best shape possible. I still have a bit of work to do once we get back, doing skill-based stuff. I wanted to get in the best shape possible so I can give myself the best chance of playing.”

Cunningham has played against McGinley and O’Neill in his career. Cunningham played in 2009 when Antrim reached the Ulster final. During that period of a spread of five years Cunningham recalls playing Tyrone three times.

Cunningham also has a connection with McGinley through his old friend and Antrim team mate Mick McCann, who is connected to McGinley through marriage.

“Even growing up I would have had a massive admiration for Stephen O’Neill, I would have been watching him and I would have been learning from him. Even Sean Kelly as well as he was the man in Antrim club football for the best part of 15 years.

“I teach with him in St Mary’s as well. All three of those men (McGinley, O’Neill and Kelly) were great players, I have great respect for them.”

Cunningham explained that it was the personal impact that convinced him that he should stay on for another season.

“Last year was going to be my last year, that’s what I had said. I was going to have one year under Lenny and give it everything that I could.

“No one knew what was going to happen with the pandemic and I felt that I didn’t fulfil what I wanted to do last year given it was a short season.

“After the appointment of Enda (McGinley), Stephen (Quinn), Stephen O’Neill and the boys it is an exciting prospect to meet up with the boys and learn from them.

“I met them earlier in the year, before the second lockdown, to be honest I was impressed what I was hearing. I decided that I would give it one more year. But I decided that it would definitely be my last go at it.

“So I am hoping to get as much out of it as possible.”

Cunningham is working on his own until April 19, when teams can return to collective training.

He admitted that the plans are unclear on what will happen when they get back.

“We haven’t been told. We will find out when the nights we are training and what we are doing, but at the moment we haven’t been told what is happening.”

For the moment they will just work on their own. Though Cunningham said that training on his own has been a challenge.

“We are unlucky that there is only so much we can do via Zoom. The communication levels have been good, though we have been remote. We are doing all the training on our own and we are trying to tick over as best we can.

“I am sure that I speak for everyone in the country that we are very much looking forward to it, as are players, coaches and counties now that we have a date.”