Eddie Brennan | Joe Canning | Ollie Canning | DJ Carey | Eugene Cloonan
Martin Comerford | Lar Corbett | Brendan Cummins | Ronan Curran
Ger Farragher | James 'cha' Fitzpatrick | Damien Fitzhenry | Paul Flynn
John Gardiner | Niall Gilligan | Damian Hayes | Conal Keaney | Michael Kavanagh
Eoin Kennedy | Eoin Kelly | Eoin Kelly | Eoin Larkin | Derek Lyng
Fergus McMahon | Seanie McMahon | Johnny McIntosh | Andrew Mitchell
Stephen Molumpy | Pat Mulcahy | John Mullane | Sean Óg Ó Hailpin
Andrew O'Shaughnessy | Ben O'Connor | Seamus Prendergast
Keith Raymond | Eoin Quigley | Joe Rabbite | Keith Rossiter | Dan Shanahan
Henry Shefflin | James Skehill | Tommy Walsh | Brian Whelehan | James Young

In early May, Eugene Cloonan won his first senior inter-county medal when
Galway beat Waterford to claim the National Hurling League title. That day, an impressive Galway front six tormented Waterford. One talent shone brighter than
the others. With two first half goals and four points, it was Eugene Cloonan who did the real damage.

Now, he is setting his sights on the real prize, the All-Ireland Hurling Championship, which Galway haven’t won since the glory days of the late 1980s. And the dangerous full-forward believes this could be Galway’s year. “We’re knocking on the door now. There is very little between the top six sides in the country and anyone could win it,” he reckons. When the Tribesmen enter the fray in a few weeks time, Eugene and his teammates will be bidding to match Kilkenny’s League and Championship double success of last year.

What have been your greatest moments in hurling?
The greatest moments in hurling for me were winning the three All-Ireland Club Championships with Athenry. That was great for me and the club. Winning the National Hurling League this year was also a very proud moment as it felt like we made a breakthrough.

Which is the toughest team you have ever faced?
That’s a hard one to answer. At inter-county level all matches are very tough. There is very little between the top hurling teams in the country so it’s impossible to single one out. Every team is as hard as the others these days.

Who was your toughest ever marker?
They are nearly all hard to play against but I would say the likes of Brian Lohan, Diarmuid O’Sullivan or Philip Maher.

What advice would you give to young players coming through the ranks?
I think it’s very important to practice on your own. If you can get out there for at least half an hour or 20 minutes every day you will definitely see your skills improve. The other important thing is to listen to all the advice you can get and learn what you can from the people who coach you. My father taught us in school and he managed the underage hurling so he really helped me develop my game.

How do you balance your job and hurling?
It can be tough because you are training almost every evening and then you have matches at the weekend. But that’s not really a complaint, it’s easy to do when you love the game.

Who was your childhood sporting hero?
Any of the players of the Galway teams of 1987 and 1988 when they were winning All- Irelands. You’d have to admire them.

What are your hopes for Galway’s future?
My main aim now is to win the All-Ireland. It was great to win the league, but at the end of the day it’s the All-Ireland that counts.

Do you play any other sports?
I play junior football with Athenry as well and I like to do a bit of swimming.