Mark Coleman will do his talking on the pitch as new Cork captain

AS well as shining for Cork, Mark Coleman has also been a hugely influential figure for Blarney GAA.

It was announced in December that Coleman will be the Cork senior hurling captain for 2022, and out in Blarney, they are all too familiar with the type of player and character he is.

Speaking to The Echo, Blarney manager Ronan Byrne provides a great insight into why Coleman has been chosen to succeed Patrick Horgan in the role.

“Everyone is very proud. He is 24 years of age now, so it is a great opportunity for him to get the captaincy at such a young age.

“I think it is well deserved and I think his performances for Cork over the last number of years, he is a mainstay of the Cork team now at this stage.

“Everyone is very proud of Mark in Blarney and I think it is well deserved.”

What qualities does he think the Cork management team saw in Coleman to make him captain?

“From a talent point of view, we knew at an early stage what a talent Mark was and how good he could be.

“Watching him over the last five, six, seven years develop into the player that he is now, it takes a lot of dedication and hard work. “I think that is one of Mark’s best qualities. He puts the head down and he puts the work in.

“He is always ready for a battle and for championship. He keeps himself very fit.

“I suppose he does most of his talking on the field really. I think his main leadership quality is his performances on the field.”

When Blarney won the premier intermediate hurling title in 2020, Coleman led by example. He produced a masterclass of a display, scoring 0-14, as they defeated Castlelyons 1-20 to 0-15 in the final.

“When Mark made his Cork debut in 2016, we were all very proud when he came on against Wexford. It was a big bonus for the club and we have all been supporting him since.

It gave that extra buzz around the club that Blarney finally had a Cork senior hurler within our club. I think from a Blarney perspective, it was a big boost for us at a time when we needed it.

“When we had Mark in 2020 I think, after the first lockdown, he was training with Blarney for the whole summer.

“It was excellent to have him there. It was a great boost for all of the lads and it was no coincidence that we ended up winning the county that year.

“Mark went on to score 0-14 in the county final, which was just a testament to the man and his dedication.

“At 24 years of age, Mark hasn’t even reached his peak yet. So it is just a case of settling in for the year and getting to grips with the captaincy.

“Just to keep putting in the performances because he certainly does it whenever he puts on a Blarney jersey.”

Blarney are going well in terms of representation on the Cork inter-county scene at the present moment.

As well as Coleman, Padraig Power, Declan Hanlon, and Shane Barrett have donned the Cork jersey in recent times, as part of the Cork U20 squads that tasted All-Ireland glory.

Talent

Overall, there is plenty of hurling talent in Blarney and they will be hoping to utilise that in the 2022 club campaign.

On the targets ahead in the Senior A Hurling Championship, Byrne added: “We’ll get together in the next couple of weeks and regroup.

“Last year was a little bit disappointing. We lost out to Bride Rovers in a quarter-final.

“We are just looking to move to the next step with the talent we have in our club.

“We have three on the Cork senior panel and two on the Cork U20 panel.

“We’ll certainly aim to get out of our group first and foremost. Then see where the business end of the championship takes us.

“The ultimate goal for Blarney is to become a premier senior club. I think we have the players to do it. So it is just moving on to that next step, putting in a good championship season and achieving our goals.”

Be it the red of Cork or Blarney, Mark Coleman is a player that can always be relied upon to produce a solid performance.