IN THE MOMENTS after Cork’s exit from the 2023 hurling season, Alan Cadogan stayed out on the Gaelic Grounds pitch to linger for a bit.
Pat Ryan’s side gave Limerick a fright that day, running them to a one-point defeat in the end. Courageous as their effort was, the result still confirmed the end of their run in the provincial competition, thus eliminating them from championship completely.
Cadogan’s plans for his future weren’t set in concrete yet, but he could sense the end was coming in the post. There were no minutes for him in their final game of the season. Game time was becoming more and more elusive. Injuries followed by brief spurts of good health, followed by niggles, followed by other setbacks. The breaks were hard to find.
On 3 October, he pressed the publish button on a statement that signalled the end of a 10-year career with the Cork hurlers.
“I knew deep down that this is probably the last time,” Cadogan tells The 42 about that day a month on from his retirement announcement, reflecting on that day in Limerick
“My decision wasn’t fully made but I spoke to a few people and weighed up my options. I just felt the time was right. I could have gone back but I’m the type of fella that when I do something, I’m going to do it 100% and maybe I was at about 80% and as an inter-county hurler, there’s no point going back into the set-up [that way]. You’re not going to be fair to the management, yourself or the players.
“I’m an all-in person and I just felt the time is right due to a couple of reasons: the body and physically, maybe mentally, maybe the enjoyment went out of it a little bit for me. I had 10 great years and just decided about a month ago to pull off the bandage.”
****
Cadogan was among the last to attempt the dual code life at senior inter-county level. In 2014, when he made his breakthrough to the senior grade with Cork, he was marked as a player who had a big future ahead of him with either the big or small ball in his hand. Three Munster U21 football titles offered a flavour of what Rebel supporters could come to expect from the Douglas forward.
His name preceded him too. There was a benchmark set for him. His older brother Eoin also walked the march of the dual player for Cork to a successful end. An All-Ireland football title in 2010, along with Munster hurling medals in 2014 and 2018 illustrates how well he managed to navigate that tricky sporting life.
The pair shared a Cork dressing-room too. One of Alan’s favourite memories with Cork is the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final when Cork defeated Kilkenny after extra-time. Both of the Cadogans were sprung from the bench that day, marking it with a lovely photo alongside their young nephew out on the pitch. A significant family moment captured forever.
In those early days on the senior stage, the younger Cadogan brother had a similar vision for himself in the dual-player mode. However, his career had an unfortunate crossover with a time of huge evolution in both hurling and football. The demands of players increased, creating a major threat to the existence of the dual player. That species is now extinct in the men’s game, and as a result, Cadogan was primarily a hurler for Cork.
Cadogan feels he played his best football as an U21 player. And he did kick some ball for the county in 2016 after the hurlers were eliminated from the championship by Wexford.
However, that switch in codes was short-lived for Cadogan as he made just a substitute appearance in a Round 4 All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Donegal. From then on, his focus was on hurling alone.
“Do I regret it? Probably not,” says Cadogan. “I think hurling was my first love, always. It would have been nice to have played a little bit more football at senior level at that time. But I was content with my decision to go forward and play hurling then.
“I did everything I possibly could and that’s one thing that sits easy with me. I couldn’t possibly have given anything else to the jersey.”
The inevitable follow-on question when Cadogan’s history across football and hurling are mentioned is the possible link that playing load had with his injuries. Did the demands of both at underage level compromise what could have been if he had just stuck with one?
Cadogan doesn’t agree with that theory. A combination of poor fortune and a style of play that was built on speed and power are the more likely explanations in his opinion.
“The type of game I play is very explosive. A wing forward can cruise up and down the line whereas if I’m in the full-forward line, I’ve a full-back hanging off me and I have to be fast and explosive to lose him. The physio described it as fast twitch muscle fibres where I’m going constantly and that’s just the player I am.”
Cadogan’s injury list is a lengthy one. Knee patella surgery in 2018, hip flexor bother in 2020, hamstrings, quads and even a freak finger injury features in the pile-up. Misery heaped upon misery, forcing him to reach within and find more scraps of resilience every time to inspire another recovery.
With such long stretches spent rehabbing, there is isolation, longing and hurt. Working through reps in the gym while wishing the time away. But times like this also create opportunities for introspection and exploring the extremes of one’s mental strength.
“Psychologically, it was tough and there were times where I’d pull up with an injury in training and the physio would tell me to tog off. I would go home and nearly be breaking down crying in front of my parents.
“I remember eating my dinner and my Mam was saying, ‘Alan, would you call it a day?’ I said I wouldn’t and I was resilient. Not that I was putting on a front but people are looking at you wondering how I was coming back again? I was probably so stubborn that I thought I’m not going to let this fucking beat me. It probably made manager’s lives difficult. But the lessons I learned in resilience I can transfer over into my personal life.
“I don’t want my career to be about the fella who was always injured. I had some really good years, and when I retired, I looked back over the years and the matches I played. I picked up injuries but I always came back. I thought I had 10 or 15 minutes in me last year but I don’t want my injuries to dictate my career from the last 10 or 11 years.”
Cadogan emptied his reserves in his quest to conquer injuries. The successful results didn’t exactly follow, but his effort to make a full recovery could never be questioned.
“The stuff I did to come back from injuries was off the scale. I hurt my quad one year and my physio said I needed to do two sessions a day. I was teaching obviously so it was once in the morning and once in the evening. I had these ankle weights and we have a little island in the kitchen. I was up at 6.45 for school so I used to get up at 6am and the island comes out at a lip so I would let my leg hang over it so I could lift it up.
“My girlfriend came down at 6.30am, turned on the light and there I was lying on the island. I was so diligent to get it done. That was probably a bit terrifying for her to see that.”
****
In Cadogan’s retirement statement, he mentioned the impact that the late Brother Damien Brennan had on his career. The renowned Kilkenny hurling mentor offered his services to various stars of the game including Henry Shefflin and Jackie Tyrrell.
Cadogan first discovered him through his brother Eoin, who sought a meeting with him while experiencing some trouble with his form. Alan suffered a similar fate in 2015 and asked Eoin if Brother Damien could assist him.
“He said that it didn’t work like that and that I’d need to reach out to him myself,” Cadogan says, picking up the story. “I rang [Brother Damien] and explained who I was and he said he would see me.
“He was a remarkable man and unfortunately, he passed away in 2019. He just helped by getting the best out of yourself. It wasn’t just hurling, it was life, helping with an interview if you had one coming up, or if you had a fight with your girlfriend. He’s worked with massive names and he had time for everyone. It’s an hour and a half up the road and I used to pass Eoin coming and vice versa. We knew where we were going but we never mentioned it.
“You could see at his funeral how well respected he was and the amount of people [that were there]. He was an incredible guy.”
****
Cadogan is certain that he made the right call to end his Cork career now. Messages of support reminded him of the high regard he’s held in, while an interview with his former manager John Meyler on The 42 was touching to read.
But the most challenging aspect of his decision lies before him. He knows that. The sight of red jerseys emerging from a tunnel for a game he knows he won’t play a part in will be hard to take. Indeed, he has experienced some of that before with his injuries, but this is a permanent arrangement.
Thankfully, he’s not staring into an abyss. He still has club hurling with Douglas, and a recent strength and conditioning qualification has opened up new professional avenues for him. The work sits nicely alongside his day job as a teacher in Rochestown. He’s getting married next year too.
He and Eoin — who retired in 2021 — will continue training together. Not with any particular ambition in mind, but because they enjoy it.
“Eoin described it there a couple of weeks ago as like eating breakfast. People get up and have breakfast. We get up and we want to train.”
Those diaries recording his performances contained all the indications that were pointing towards retirement. But there’s also the recognition of all the work that Cadogan did. Every session he clocked, every ounce he gave. From the day he made his debut against Waterford in 2014, to the day he plundered 1-4 in a man of the match performance in the 2017 Munster final against Clare. That was one of two senior provincial titles for him. Cadogan experienced lows that few others could relate to, but he also reached heights that few others could get to.
“Coming from a teacher’s point of view, I’m meticulous. I found it very helpful on the way to Thurles or Páirc Uí Chaoimh, that you have that diary in your hand and you just flicked back through it to see the amount of sessions I had done or training on Christmas Day, or individual sessions you had done. It just builds up your self confidence. I have a stack of them there and was looking at them while I was stuck in Cork Christmas traffic.
“I looked at a date from this day last year and saw that we were out on the pitch with Cork. I could see the lights in Páirc Uí Rinn and said, ‘I bet the Cork hurlers are training tonight.’ I got a nice message off one of the selectors afterwards, saying, ‘We missed you tonight at training. It was strange not seeing you there.’ I’m an all-in person and I just felt the time is right.”
Cadogan was all-in with Cork. Now he can be all-in with something else.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
