Ballaghaderreen GAA Club
  • Home
  • Club News
  • Pictures
  • MEMBERSHIP
  • 50/50 RESULTS
  • Club Sponsors
    • 2020
    • Sponsorship
  • Fixtures & Results
  • Contact
  • POLICIES

No pain, no gain for Mayo’s newest Aussie Rules recruit

1/10/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
ON THE MOVE Cian Hanley is pictured in action for the Mayo minors against Kerry in last year's All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park. Pic: Sportsfile
Cian Hanley has had a difficult first year in Australia due to injuries

Interview
Mike Finnerty

NOBODY said it was going to be easy for Cian Hanley to make his Aussie Rules breakthrough with the Brisbane Lions, but he never imagined just how hard his first year Down Under would actually be. Thirteen months ago the talented Ballaghaderreen footballer tore his cruciate knee ligament in what turned out to be his swansong with the Mayo minors in an All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry at Croke Park. Eight weeks later he arrived in Brisbane to begin his new life as an Australian Rules footballer at the same club where his brother, Pearce, is now established as a fully-fledged AFL superstar.
The early stages of Cian’s time in Queensland were spent with Brisbane’s physios as his knee recovered and he worked his way, slowly and surely, towards beginning his Aussie Rules career. 

But just as one problem was being solved, another flared up.Fast forward to earlier this summer and Cian, who only turned 19 back in March, found himself in hospital in Sydney recovering from surgery to reconstruct his groin muscle. The long, painful road to recovery had to begin all over again.

“It’s been tough,” admitted the Ballaghaderreen teenager recently during a three-week visit at home. “I had a knee operation four weeks before I landed in Australia but my goal was to get that sorted out and have a big year in 2015. “I went working with the physios immediately, setting goals, training away on the bike and doing walking drills, building up my knee after the surgery. Then, a few months later, my groin started acting up. “I was trying my best all year but the groin just kept nagging away at me. “I haven’t been able to train for the last two or three months so surgery was the last resort, and I had to have a groin reconstruction a few weeks ago. My body is my work so I had to do whatever it takes to get it right. “To be honest, I didn't train a lot with the Mayo minors because of groin problems so I haven’t ran a lot, injury-free, for 18 months. “Now I'm aiming to be back on the field by Christmas. I just want to start running and playing football again.”

DESPITE all the trials and tribulations of his time in Brisbane so far, it’s reassuring to hear just how determined Hanley is to get back on the field and how positive he is about the future. Having his older brother to lean on out there definitely helped when the going got tough, and the youngster also found some solace in small things that reminded him of happier times.

“The hardest part was when I was trying to get over the injuries, because you don’t feel like a player, you don’t feel part of the whole thing when you’re not playing. “But I remember one day we took a team photo, and I was in the full club kit with my boots on. That felt good, wearing my number 37 jersey and getting the boots on again. “I actually watched the Connacht Minor Final back twice as well. I had a good game that day and it felt good watching it back again. “Having Pearce out there is a massive help too,” he added. “I lived with him initially but have actually moved in with two other 19 year-olds now. He’s been really good to me but, at the same time, I will miss him, and I won’t miss him!” he laughed. “Ah no, he’s unreal. He had a tough year with injuries as well but in the last three or four games of the season he was brilliant. “Other teams in the AFL ‘tag’ the best player on the opposition team and Pearce is usually the guy who gets tagged. “He’s the Aidan O’Shea of the Brisbane team really.”

SPEAKING of Mayo footballers, Cian Hanley was in Croke Park (courtesy of a ticket from his Ballagh’ club-mate Andy Moran) to watch the recent All-Ireland semi-finals against Dublin. If things had worked out differently he could have been out there, maybe alongside Pearce, wearing the county colours.And, who knows, it may well happen some day. “I would like to play with Mayo again in the future but, right now, my focus is completely on Brisbane,” he replied when asked the obvious question. “They've been so good to me. “But it was only when I was sitting in Croke Park watching Mayo play Dublin that I thought, “I’d love to be involved”. There was such a buzz around the stadium, I couldn't believe it.” But right now that conversation is for another day. 

Cian’s immediate focus is on keeping his place in the 45 players that the Brisbane Lions have on their list between their AFL group and their reserve squad. To that end, Pearce has been helping him with his ‘stationary skill work’ like handling, kicking and the technique of playing with the oval ball. Small steps in the right direction. 
Watch this space.

Article Courtesy of The Mayo News
​
available at: ​http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22826:no-pain-no-gain-for-mayos-newest-aussie-rules-recruit&catid=14&Itemid=100008

0 Comments

    Archives

    April 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    All Ireland
    All Ireland U21 Final
    Brisbane-lions
    Bursary
    Cannon Henry
    Canon Henry
    Cian Hanley
    Clarkes
    Club
    Club Championship
    Club Sponsors
    Coaching Course
    Coistí Náisiúnta Scór Agus Gaeilge
    Committee
    Connacht GAA
    Creatons
    Durkins
    Dylan's Path To Walk
    Fifdder's Elbow
    Final
    Fixtures
    Fun Run
    GAA
    Games
    Higher Education
    International Rules
    Jackpot
    JJ Burke Renault Minor D Football Championship
    Junior
    Junior B Championship
    Last Man Standing
    Lotto
    Mannions
    Matches
    Mayo
    Mayo G.A.A
    Mayo G.A.A. Junior Football Championship
    Mayo G.A.A. Senior
    Mayo G.A.A. Senior Football League - Division 1B
    Mayo G.A.A. Senior Football League - Division 1F
    Mayo G.A.A. U21
    Mayo U21
    MD Roofing Services U-21 A Football Championship
    MD Roofing Services U-21 A Football Championship - Group 4
    Michael Walsh Senior Group 2
    Minor
    National Student Bursary
    National Youth Forum
    Pop Up Shop
    Registration
    Scor Chonnachta
    Senior
    Senior League Division 1 F
    Senior Team
    Solan's Bar
    Spells
    The Brusna Inn
    The Fiddler's Elbow
    The Hatch
    The Old Forge Inn
    The Ramblin House
    U13
    U15
    U16
    U21
    Under 15 League Division 1B

Picture

Fundraising 

Lotto
​
Car Draw

The Club

About
Club Officials

Support

Merchandise 
Contact
Location

Sponsorship

Club Sponsors
Sponsorship Enquiries 
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Website design by Sionnach Ninja Media
  • Home
  • Club News
  • Pictures
  • MEMBERSHIP
  • 50/50 RESULTS
  • Club Sponsors
    • 2020
    • Sponsorship
  • Fixtures & Results
  • Contact
  • POLICIES