John Hunt is the new county senior hurling team-manager. However he is adamant that the onus is on the players and not him to quicken the pulse of Cavan hurling. Newly-appointed Cavan senior hurling boss John Hunt scotches the notion that he's the messiah the Breffni county has been waiting for to ignite the small ball game locally. Hunt comes to the job with a fine pedigree as a coach of club and county hurlers. He's remembered in particular for his time with the Meath seniors when they were a top flight team. He was in charge when the Royal County gave as good as they got in division one of the National Hurling League at the start of the 'noughties. But Cavan's messiah? No chance. "I'm no messiah," Hunt insists. There's always a bit of excitement in a county when a new team-manager is appointed but this year won't be about John Hunt or the selectors. "There's no such thing as a messiah with regards taking over a team. The 'messiah' are the players - it's not what a manager does, it's what the players do. "It's the same in Galway; it doesn't matter what guy the players don't want or want; if a team is to get results then the players have to do the business in training and in the matches." Hunt's philosophy in relation to improving Cavan hurling's stock rating is quite simple. The footfall on the training pitch must be of a sufficiently high level otherwise . . . . "The first thing we have to aim for is to get at least 25 players committed to being on the training field at least three times per week. If we don't get that, then we can forget about it. "That's the only real reason why I would be apprehensive about taking on the Cavan job. Can we get the numbers we want to give the time necessary to training? "I can't give the county board or anyone else a guarantee that the lads are going to show the commitment to training but if we end up having only 18 or 20 training, it'll be no good. "If some players shirk training over the next few months, there'll be no place for them. I'd like to think that we'll have a big enough squad to progress without them." Hunt believes that games aren't won or lost by a manager or his backroom team. Similarily, he reckons the fate of Cavan hurling in the coming year is in the players' hands. Cavan are "starting from a very low base and the only way is up really," he opines. "With a bit of luck and a bit more scoring power, Cavan could have won division four last year. "Frankie Quinn (Ulster Council hurling coaching officer) had the players playing some good stuff last year and he has laid a foundation that hopefully we can build upon in 2009. "We should have around eight new players to work with this year with half of them forwards so hopefully we'll be getting more scores on the boards. "On paper we look to have a stronger bunch of players on board this year than was there in 2008 but it'll be on the training field that we'll know for definite what our situation is. "If we can get another 20% on top of what was delivered in 2008, then we should be in a good position to take some very positive steps forward," the Tulla, Co. Clare native adds. Under new rules set in place by Croke Park, Cavan, in tandem with other weaker counties, have been able to bolster their squad with some new blood ahead of the new season. New recruits Kieran Brennan (Clare), Adrian McManus (Meath), Richard Fitzsimons (Offaly), Michael Carr (Galway) and Michael O'Gorman (Kildare) can all claim Cavan parentage. "From what I know a lack of scoring power has been Cavan's achillees heel over the years so to get some potentially good new forwards into the squad is a good boost to the squad. "At the very least, we should have much better competition for places, especially up front, and overall we'd hope to put together stronger teams, from back to front, in the coming year." And the vibes the Templelogue resident has been getting from Cavan GAA County Board? "Very good. The things I've heard so far from the likes of Chairman Phil Smith and Secretary Liam McCabe have been very positive and they're 100% behind our plans for 2009. "That said, their biggest worry is about the numbers game and just how many players will commit to the cause. That's something I share with them, as I've already said. "I didn't have any concerns about the county board when I was asked to take on the job. I knew they were interested in hurling, just like the Meath board when I was there. "Ultimately though it'll be the players who'll decide what the future of Cavan hurling is this year and every year afterwards. If the numbers aren't there at training I won't be involved. "There's no point in me doing a round-trip of around 170 miles, three times a week, to coach little more than a dozen players. It won't work and everyone is clear on that." The former Clare minor and under 21 intercounty player says that by the end of April, he'll have a good idea of the players' commitment and the strength of the county squad. By then he expects the players to be that bit sharper, to be that bit fitter overall and stronger by dint of their work in the gym. Leaner, meaner and more confident, he explains. For the coming year, the Banner county native will be assisted by Michael Wall (Cavan Gaels) and Eamon Dalton (Mullahoran St. Josephs). Together, Hunt is hopeful that Cavan's new think-tank will eventually play with an arrogance and a confidence befitting a team on the rise from its near basement bottom position. "I think the previous manager, Frankie Quinn, did his best but my understanding is that some of the preparations for matches were left to the players themselves but some of them reneged on their commitment to carry out instructions. "The hard work wasn't put in by everyone. I would liken what seems to have happened to a 15-person orchestra but when three or four of the musicians don't bother attending rehearsals, the music produced by the various strands of the orchestra is out of tune. "But if everyone works in tandem and put in the hard work, I would be optimistic that Cavan will move up a higher division and be competing against better quality opposition." The new county boss wants his new charges to enjoy their hurling. He is keenly aware of how, in some parts of the country, playing hurling can be viewed as some kind of hardship. He wants players under his watch to feel a sense of freedom rather than one of incarceration. The experience of Cavan players should be one of enjoyment rather than tortuous. Meanwhile the Clare man's recruitment to the Cavan cause has been hailed by Cavan hurling board chairman Willie Gaughan as a "great coup". "Before we used to get lads from the Ulster Council because others wouldn't be interested in the Cavan job but because we have improved so much in the last two years, people have heard about the effort that's going in and the likes of John Hunt is willing to come in and give us a hand," said the Kingscourt clubman. However the new boss is adamant that if the Cavan players don't play ball with what he deems is the required commitment, he will be off on his bike quicker than you can say hurling. "I have committed myself to the Cavan job for one year and I am willing to work hard with the players if they want to do the same and get good results. "If the necessary commitment isn't forthcoming, well then we'll have to have a look at things at that stage but, one way or the other, a decision will be made at the end of the twelve months. "The priority will be to do our best in the national league and move up a division and also to acquit ourselves well in the Lory Meagher Cup - both of those targets are obtainable. "Cavan hurling needs to raise its profile within the county and countrywide too and winning matches will be the best way to do just that. By April we'll have a much better idea how we're getting on." Tweet

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