Name: John Cooney Date of birth: 25th June, 1971 Height: 6'1" Weight: 13 stone 3 lbs Club: Coralstown - Kinnegad G.F.C. County: Westmeath Honours: Leinster Junior title with Colleges St. Mary's C.B.S.; Underage and Senior Player of the Year in successive years; Underage and county Championships Under 14, Under 18 and Under 21; Trials for Australian Clubs, Melbourne and Carlton; League Champions with Athlone R.T.C. in 1992. Inter-county debut: November 1988 versus Laois in National League. Place of employment: Student in Athlone R.T.C. Favourite grounds: Cusack Park, Mullingar. Favourite position: Midfield - No.8. Dislikes about the G.A.A.: A failure to move with the times. Best game seen: Kerry v. Dublin - All-Ireland semi-final 1977. Players with a promising future: Ronan Quinn (Kildare) and Anthony Coyne (Westmeath). Hopes for 1992: For Westmeath to make an impact in Leinster in 1992 and surprise a few people both at Under 21 and Senior level. You dropped out of the Westmeath panel for a spell. Do you intend giving full commitment for the Championship: Yes, I do, it was always my intention to give full commitment for the Championship. I decided to take a short rest from football at the start of the League campaign. I was involved in several teams at that time with county, club and college. It was always my aim to play as many sports as I possible could and actively take part in them. My decision to drop out of the Westmeath panel had no long term consequences. After all, I only missed two National League games and I believe that the rest and brief break from football restored my appetite and interest to its full. I look forward with the utmost optimism to the Leinster Championship and hope to have the success to follow. Your club - Coralstown Kinnegad - is one of the top teams in Westmeath. Tell us a bit about it: I am very glad and very fortunate to be part of such a well-organised club. The committee work hard all year round to ensure the smooth running of activities during the busy months of the season. The supporters can never be thanked enough for their support and hopefully they can be repaid in full in the near future. The atmosphere among the players and the comradeship is second to none. This is one of the reasons why the club has been successful in recent years. The building process to improve younger players is the foundation of the club and a fine and secure foundation it has proven to be. Hopefully Lady Luck might be on our side this year and we can bring home a cup or two. Westmeath players were often, in the past, criticised for not giving everything to the cause Does the same rule apply in 1992: I think Westmeath players approach 1992 Championship with an optimistic viewpoint. We all realise that we have been given a great chance to make an impact in Leinster this year and I am confident in saying that all players concerned are willing to take that chance with both hands. Hopefully with a bit of luck and a fully fit squad of players, Westmeath's preparation will go well for the Championship game against Carlow and after that ...well, you never know. Your family are a long time involved in G.A.A. affairs in the Coralstown area. If you lived a couple of miles up the road you would be in Meath. Do you regret not being involved with one of the top footballing counties: I have no regrets at all. I believe that Westmeath can strive for success in Leinster. If only they could get the right formula from the likes of Meath and build on that - it is not that long ago that Kildare and Westmeath were considered on a par. Kildare, however, took the initiative and are, at present, reaping the benefit. If Westmeath could follow suit and build on their success then the football scene in the county would take on a whole new meaning. Westmeath had a very good Minor team in 1989. Will the Under 21's of 1992 be as good. Did the Minors of '89 continue to develop: 1989 could have been a great year for Westmeath Minors. Offaly did us proud by going on to reach the All-Ireland final. The present Under 21 team consists of the majority of the Minor team and we also have a few extra good and strong players in addition. I think that it is a good sign that a lot of those players involved in the Minor panel are still involved in this year's Under 21 panel. It is a good sign for the future and, perhaps, Westmeath can build on this present Under 21 team and keep their players together. Westmeath's team Manager, Brian Murtagh, and his selectors resigned last week. What type of boss or who would you like to see getting the job: Looking at the present situation, it would be very difficult for a team manager to come in and have immediate success. He would have an unfortunate position in trying to prepare the team for the Championship campaign in such a short period of time Obviously, any player would be attracted by a big name. However, the commitment must be absolute from the players involved and no trainer will achieve success unless he is assured of this commitment. A man with a proven record and the willingness to raise the standard of Westmeath county football could prove to be the best choice in the long run. Sporting ambition: To win a provincial title with Westmeath and try to make the all-important breakthrough - to represent Ireland in the Compromise Rules competition. Do you play any other sports: Rugby, soccer, swimming. Boyhood heroes: Jack O'Shea, Mickey Sheehy of Kerry. Favourite player: Martin Lynch of Kildare and Larry Giles of Westmeath. Biggest influence on career: Parents, Frank Mulligan (R.I.P) and Frank Kieran (Youth Officer in the club 1982 - 1986). Ways of improving the game: Clear interpretation of refereeing rules - better and improved; coaching standard for younger players; promotion of the game at an international level. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine Date: 20th March 1992 Tweet

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