http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/cahalane-to-focus-on-football-218937.html
Cahalane to focus on football
By Michael Moynihan
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Cork dual star Damien Cahalane is to concentrate on Gaelic football for the coming inter-county season, it has emerged.
Cahalane lined out for the Rebel footballers on Sunday in their season-opening McGrath Cup game against Cork IT, and Cork hurling selector Kieran Kingston confirmed yesterday that Cahalane will not figure for the county’s hurlers this year.
"Damien was in touch with Jimmy (Barry-Murphy, Cork manager) in the last couple of days to tell him he would be
concentrating on Gaelic football for the season. He said he’d love to be able to play both but felt he’d be unable to give the necessary commitment to both codes. It’s a blow to us, there’s no other way to describe it. Damien made his championship debut for us last year and was certainly a big part of our plans looking at the year ahead.
He’s a big man with physical presence, a smashing lad, and we’d have seen his progress as vital for us in the next twelve months. We’d have been willing to facilitate him in terms of training and so forth but he didn’t feel he’d be able
to manage both sports. We wish him all the best, obviously, and we all hope he does very well with the footballers.
The door would remain very much open for him if he reconsiders later in the year, we’d be delighted to have him back on board."
Cahalane is the second promising youngster the Cork hurlers have lost in recent months: midfielder Darren Sweetnam, who impressed for the Rebels last season, signed a professional rugby contract with Munster last October and has been lost to the inter-county scene for the foreseeable future. There is also uncertainty over the future of current dual star Eoin Cadogan, who is due to return from travelling overseas in the next week.
Cadogan has combined Gaelic football and hurling in recent seasons and is expected to inform the management of the senior hurling and football teams on Leeside of his plans for 2013 in coming days.
Cahalane to focus on football
By Michael Moynihan
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Cork dual star Damien Cahalane is to concentrate on Gaelic football for the coming inter-county season, it has emerged.
Cahalane lined out for the Rebel footballers on Sunday in their season-opening McGrath Cup game against Cork IT, and Cork hurling selector Kieran Kingston confirmed yesterday that Cahalane will not figure for the county’s hurlers this year.
"Damien was in touch with Jimmy (Barry-Murphy, Cork manager) in the last couple of days to tell him he would be
concentrating on Gaelic football for the season. He said he’d love to be able to play both but felt he’d be unable to give the necessary commitment to both codes. It’s a blow to us, there’s no other way to describe it. Damien made his championship debut for us last year and was certainly a big part of our plans looking at the year ahead.
He’s a big man with physical presence, a smashing lad, and we’d have seen his progress as vital for us in the next twelve months. We’d have been willing to facilitate him in terms of training and so forth but he didn’t feel he’d be able
to manage both sports. We wish him all the best, obviously, and we all hope he does very well with the footballers.
The door would remain very much open for him if he reconsiders later in the year, we’d be delighted to have him back on board."
Cahalane is the second promising youngster the Cork hurlers have lost in recent months: midfielder Darren Sweetnam, who impressed for the Rebels last season, signed a professional rugby contract with Munster last October and has been lost to the inter-county scene for the foreseeable future. There is also uncertainty over the future of current dual star Eoin Cadogan, who is due to return from travelling overseas in the next week.
Cadogan has combined Gaelic football and hurling in recent seasons and is expected to inform the management of the senior hurling and football teams on Leeside of his plans for 2013 in coming days.
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