Conor Whelan

Yeah, it's my 12th season now with Galway Seniors.

Yeah, I don't think, going forward, I don't think there will be many cases of it.

I think, yeah, from my perspective, I suppose, I actually made my senior inter-county debut before I made my under-21 inter-county debut, we'll call it.

So, yeah, it was just fairly unique how it played out.

Yeah, I was in college in Limerick and...

Yeah I suppose I was just probably struggling a little bit to transition into college in Limerick and I suppose commuting back for inter-county training down top just wasn't the right timing and I suppose there was a pre-season on the horizon there as well so yeah I suppose I was fortunate enough that the call came again in April that time the club season and the inter-county kind of co-existed so you played your league games first but

the county and then you went back and played one or two club championship games I'm just curious it was Anthony Cunningham at the time wasn't it

Yeah, Anthony, yeah.

So did he ring you?

He rang me, yeah.

So he rang me the first time I was, I think I was going to the cinema in Limerick, and I had a missed call from a number I didn't have, and I rang him back afterwards, and yeah, he just asked me if I'd come in, and thought about it for a bit, and just didn't really think it was going to work out, so left it off.

Oh, I did watch the movie first.

Yeah, I suppose I just, I probably felt at the time that...

It wasn't the right time.

I think I felt I needed another bit of time.

And yeah, I suppose in hindsight it was the right decision.

Ultimately, if I hadn't got the call again, it probably would have been the wrong decision.

But look, Anthony was great to me.

Even as I came in as a young lad, I always wanted to play.

um and that was something that i spoke about like when i was coming in i was like i'm not coming in just to be part of the group like i want to play right um and just the belief that he had in me and hugely including as well like his massive belief in me and just gave you the i suppose as a young lad coming through that's all all that you want like i think sometimes that's lost that like all you want is your management and those around you to believe in you and to believe that you can do it and then ultimately it's up to you to go and do it like