2009 has been a busy year for 18-year old Ciaran Sheehan as the talented Cork footballer claimed All-Ireland Under 21 football honours with the Rebels in May, took his Leaving Cert exams a month later - captured a Munster Junior Championship title and even had time to take in an AFL trial Down Under. Now he has been propelled onto the Cork Senior panel as even more silverware awaits him. Ciaran Sheehan is living in his life in a whirlwind at present but the Cork IT first year student also has his feet firmly on the ground, as he takes his new elevation to the Cork Senior football panel with his. Sheehan oozes maturity beyond his years, and is a natural leader - undoubtedly two qualities which encouraged Cork Senior manager Conor Counihan to add him to his panel. As he recalls a successful 2009 to date Sheehan says it's hard to believe he has done so much already this year. "It's always going to be hard to pack everything in together. It's all go, it's step-by-step and I took everything as it came. Everything I have been involved in, it's always been a great honour. With the under 21's it was great to have the All-Ireland medal, to be up for the Cadbury's Hero of the Future awards as well it was a great honour to be there. "Then the Leaving Cert came along as well and I had to work between the boat. It was on to the Juniors then and it was great to have a Munster success. Then to be promoted onto the Seniors was an absolute dream come true - to be playing with all of those lads and to be training on the same pitch as them is something major. Everything has come in the one year, I'm just trying to take it all in, keep the head down and work hard." Of course Irish eyes weren't the only ones which were impressed by Sheehan, with Aussie Rules scouts also noting the Muskerry youngster's talent. "I really enjoyed the experience and I really felt that I had to go over there and experience it. It was great to be over there playing a professional sport and training with the lads. I suppose the intensity levels would be relatively similar over there at the time of season. Just the gym work was very tough going." And Sheehan concedes that homesickness and a longing to be back on the Banks of the Lee also played a factor in his decision to come home. "Homesickness also played a factor and missing home. Then again it was the experience of a life-time and I'm still contemplating what I am going to do." He added, "I always wanted to play college football and go to college and experience college life. It was always something I wanted to do. I suppose it is still up in the air whether I will go back or not. To make that decision is still unresolved. You just have to think about it, but at the moment all of the focus is on the All-Ireland and just getting the head down and training with the lads. "To come straight out of school and to head over there is always something huge. To be so far away from home, and myself being a homebird - it was always going to be tough for me. It's just me and my Mam at home, so that is going to be hard for her too as well. I think just being away, that factor has always influenced me. I'll just have to think about it for the next few weeks and we'll see how it goes." Sheehan is extremely excited about the prospect of playing some part for Cork in this Sunday's All-Ireland Senior Football Final against Kerry, but he isn't taking even a place on the substitutes bench for granted. "Even to be on the training panel is something big for me. I'm going to keep the head down and keep training away. If I make the panel I make the panel and if I don't so be it. To be surrounded by the lads is something big for me and that's the way it goes. "I've been training with the lads since before the first Championship game against Waterford, so I have kind of been involved with them before hand. I wasn't expecting anything major. If I didn't get a call after I came home, I didn't get a call. "To get the call was something huge for me and I really look forward to going to training and keeping the head down and hoping for the best." As Sheehan reflects back on the year even more, the Under 21 All-Ireland success and a last gasp goal for the Rebels against Down stands firm in his mind. Sheehan is glad to have fellow Under 21's Colm O'Neill and Noel Galvin on board with this Senior panel. "I can have no complaints about the year with success with the Under 21's and the Juniors. It's not even that much of a transition to the Senior setup as the lads are all good footballers. I suppose it's a big step at the same time, but knowing all of the lads and getting used to them you won't be long settling in. "It shows the amount of time that Conor (Counihan) has for the youth of the county that Noel Galvin, Aidan Walsh and Colm O'Neill are on the squad as well. It's very big to have four under 21's come on to the Senior panel and to be training away with them. It really does show that he has time for the youth. "Colm (O'Neill) made a big step forward in starting and he is going very well at training. I'm delighted for Colm and it was a great honour to play Championship football with him this year." Sheehan concedes that he was extremely surprised to get the call up to the Cork Senior Football panel so early in his career. "I was shocked alright. The Under 21 went well and a lot of us had a good season, and we were always going to look forward to the future ahead. For this to come on me was a bit of a shock, but I'm happy to be here and I have no complaints." Sheehan wasn't even born for the last Cork All-Ireland success back in 1990, but he knows how important All-Ireland finals are for Cork teams and remembers being at the 1999 decider as an eight year old. "It was always my dream to play in the red jersey, and looking at that I suppose it was disappointing to see them lose. I was always looking forward to hopefully seeing Cork in more finals in the future and it just panned out that we got that far this year." Looking ahead to this weekend's All-Ireland final tussle against Kerry - Sheehan expects a teak-tough encounter. "Kerry are a very tough side and apparently they are going well and everything. We have a great bunch of lads there and Conor has done a great job in bringing the intensity levels up and the strength of the lads and the strength of the panel. "I think he can have no complaints and I'm looking forward to the final. I think Cork-Kerry games there's always rivalry. Kerry will fancy their chances as they always do against Cork, and I suppose Cork are the same. It always pulls out great games and we are all looking forward to it against I suppose." Tweet

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