“He’d take the elbow off you” – Aaron Cunningham dishes the dirt on his Wolfe Tones teammates

There was only one question Aaron Cunningham could not answer when grilled on the inner workings of the Wolfe Tones dressing room.

The Clare All-Ireland winner at under-21 and senior level is gearing up to lead his club side Wolfe Tones in an AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club hurling semi-final this Saturday against Bennettsbridge of Kilkenny in Banagher in Offaly.

The 22-year-old is one of the youngest captains in the club’s history, but is wise enough after six years playing with the senior side to know that there are some things you don’t answer, especially when it’s about who he likes to take on in a sprint during a training game.

“Ah no, I’ve faith enough in the six backs there to do their job, I won’t be hanging anyone out to dry on that one.”

All roads lead to @strynaghs Banagher this Saturday @ 2pm. #HonTheTones #AllIrelandSemiFinal

— Wolfe Tones na Sionna GAA (@wtnsgaa) January 18, 2016

Cunningham is a doubt for the game due to a hand injury picked up at the start of the year in training, while the Munster champions face a tough test in trying to deny the Kilkenny side doing a junior/intermediate double in the All-Ireland series.

The half-forward admits that the 2015 season was in stark contrast to the miserable fortunes the club has endured over the last half-decade.

“This is my sixth year playing with the club, and for the last five years we were always in relegation finals so this is the first time we’ve actually won something. We were finally relegated in 2014 and that was bound to come at some stage.

“My experience up to this year was going out and seeing how little you could be beaten by and trying to put it up to teams.”

Champions pic.twitter.com/SNYOXSEU4M

— Greg Keane (@gkeane253) November 21, 2015

Cunningham made his debut having been thrown in at the deep end just after his 16th birthday, and he admits club hurling has developed hugely over the last number of years.

“I’m 22 so I played my first game at senior – I think it was against Tubber in Cusack Park – when I was 16. Brian Lohan gave me the chance as I was involved with the Clare minors. It was a lot different to what I was used to physically and now I’m looking back thinking how the hell was it done at all at 16.”

“The game has changed and it’s all younger hurlers at club level now. We’d have a lot of lads that would have started at 16 and now they are in their 30s.”