Seán Moran optimistic about ‘hurling obsessed’ Mattie Kenny’s switch to Dublin

Seán Moran has backed new Dublin boss Mattie Kenny to transfer the success he has had with Cuala to the intercounty fold.

Kenny’s appointment as manager of the Dublin senior hurlers has raised spirits amongst the small ball community in the capital. The Galway native led Cuala to back-to-back All-Ireland club titles, and now takes the step up to intercounty management.

Moran, who worked with Kenny in the Dalkey club, said he’s optimistic about the new era.

“I’ve worked with Mattie in the past,” Moran said. “I’m looking forward to him coming into Dublin and seeing him working with the guys in there.

“He did a lot with the club. He’s hurling-obsessed. He’s a great manager. He really just brought us to where we were. Working with him was brilliant. He really brought a real belief to within the squad. I’m looking forward to that being transferred over to Dublin.

“There was unforeseen circumstances with Pat Gilroy’s work. It took him abroad with a lot of his work, that’s something we cannot control. So we’re not going to focus on those things, we’re just going to focus on something we can control and try to bring whatever we brought to last year to this year.”

The towering half-back said Kenny brought an x-factor to Cuala, coming at the right time for a promising bunch of players.

“It’s hard to put a finger on it. A lot of it is a group of players coming together. There was a good core of players within five years of each other, and all the pieces just fell into place with the right people and the right manager, at the right time. There’s a sense, you can get lucky in certain circumstances in something like that.”

The challenge is to now bring that success to the intercounty fold.

“They’re excited,” Moran said of the non-Cuala players in the Dublin camp. “They’ve seen his success with the club, so they’re looking to see what he can bring into the county.”

World Rugby Champions, New Zealand All Blacks and Dublin GAA senior players were in Croke Park on Friday at the AIG Heroes event, a CSR initiative to help support local grassroots communities by using their sporting partnerships with Dublin GAA and others to promote sport as a means to build self-confidence and social skills in young kids.

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