Graham Callinan

Graham Callinan (born 1982 in Blackpool, Cork) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Glen Rovers and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 2008.

Playing career

Club

Callanan plays club hurling with Glen Rovers, one of the most famous clubs of all-time. He first came to prominence with 'the Glen' as a member of the minor hurling team. In 1999 he lined out in the final of the county minor championship, with Erin's Own providing the opposition. Callanan ended up on the losing side on that occasion as the men from East Cork took the title. In 2000 both these sides met again in the county minor championship decider. Callanan was a key member of the Glen Rovers team again, however, he faced a second consecutive defeat.

In 2001 'the Glen' continued with their underage dominance by reaching the final of the county under-21 championship. Callanan was again a key member of the team that lined out against Carrigtwohill. After a close game Glen Rovers emerged victorious by 2-9 to 2-6.

Two years later in 2003 Callanan was a key member of the St. Nicholas' under-21 Gaelic football team. St. Nick's reached the county final of that competition with old rivals Erin's Own providing the opposition. An entertaining game ended in a 1-9 apiece draw. The replay proved more conclusive with Callanan claiming a county under-21 football winners' medal following a 1-11 to 2-4 victory.

After losing two Cork County Senior Hurling Championship finals to Sarsfields in 2010 and 2014,Callanan and `The Glen` finally made it third time lucky and defeated `Sars` on a scoreline of 2-17 to 1-13 on the 11th of October 2015.Not only did Callanan captain `The Glen` to their first county in twenty six years,he also turned in a man of the match display to help his club end the famine.^[1]

Inter-county

Callanan first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team in 2000. That year he missed Cork's Munster final trouncing of Limerick. He returned for the subsequent All-Ireland final against Galway. A high-scoring game followed, however, Callanan ended up on the losing side by 2-19 to 4-10.^[2] Callanan later joined the Cork under-21 team, however, he enjoyed little success in this grade.

In 2004 Callanan joined the Cork senior team as a member of the substitutes' bench. That year Cork reached the Munster final and Waterford provided the opposition. In what many consider to be the greatest provincial decider of them all, both sides fought tooth-and-nail for the full seventy minutes. Callanan played no part in the game as Cork lost by just a single point on a score line of Waterford 3-16, Cork 1-21.^[3] Although Cork surrendered their provincial crown they were still in with a chance of landing the All-Ireland title. After maneuvering through the qualifiers Cork reached a second consecutive All-Ireland final and, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. This game took on a life of its own for a number of reasons. Chief among these was the fact that Kilkenny were attempting to capture a third All-Ireland in-a-row and go one ahead of Cork in the All-Ireland roll of honour. The game was expected to be another classic; however, a damp day put an end to this. The first-half was a low-scoring affair and provided little excitement for fans. The second-half saw Cork completely take over. For the last twenty-three minutes Cork scored nine unanswered points and went on to win the game by 0-17 to 0-9. Callanane played no part in this victory either, however, he did collect an All-Ireland winners' medal as anon-playing substitute.^[4]

In 2005 Callanan left the Cork panel, however, he returned in 2007. That he made his senior championship debut when he was introduced as a substitute for Jerry O'Connor in the 3-20 to 0-15 defeat of Dublin in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

Two years later in 2009 Callanan came to prominence again on the Cork senior team. He earned his first start that year as a late replacement for John Gardiner in another qualifier game against Offaly. Cork powered to a 3-19 to 1-12 victory. Cork's next assignment was a win-or-bust All-Ireland qualifier meeting with Galway. Callanan was introduced as a late substitute once again, however, Cork were knocked out of the championship by 1-19 to 0-15.

Honours

Glen Rovers/St. Nicholas'

• Cork Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2015
• Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2001
• Cork Under-21 Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2003
• Cork Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (2): 1999, 2000

Cork

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2004 (sub)
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (1): 2004 (sub)
• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (1): 2000
• Munster Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2000 (sub)

References