Has Glen Ryan a Sugar Daddy

[samwin08]

I think  Ryan should apologise to these young men who head to America for the Summer.  There is no shortage of Sugar Daddy's looking after   Managers in the GAA.  I can't say I know any in Longford, but sure isn't there always one!

[BennyHarp]

Glen wasn't afraid to join the gravey train himself in the 90s. I'm sure he didn't play for free!


Michael Cusacks G.F.C. Est. 1989, San Francisco, California

The Michael Cusacks Football Club was founded in San Francisco in early 1989 by: Dermot Keating (Kerry), David Nagle (Kerry), Mike Casey (Kerry) and Niall Flynn (Kerry).

This self described 'bunch of rejects' from other teams decided that the only way that they could go from being "benchwarmers" to actually playing was to start a team of their own. The personable Casey, in the face of ridicule, was the driving force rounding up a team of men some of whom possessed more prowess's at the counter than on the playing field.

Their early outings were memorable for all the wrong reasons and they suffered some major hammerings and were shown little mercy by some of the more established teams in San Francisco.

Early 1990's

Undeterred by their early lack of success they began 1990 with a little more promise as a number of marquee players joined the team. The established players at the time were Con Lyons, Joe Molloy, Roger Kissane, Maurice Casey, Ritchie and Tony McElligott and Frances Dayton, who were now joined by such stalwarts as "Big Moss" McElligott (Kerry), John Buckley (Cork), Martin Connolly (Cork), John Cahalane (Cork), Paul O'Driscoll (Cork) and the evergreen Philip McCarthy (Kerry), many of whom had played for the established Clan na Gael of the 1980's.

In the 1990 season the Cusacks progressed to the St. Patrick's Cup final but were hammered by the local powerhouse Sean McDermott's. There was work to be done, but the team was beginning to blend well under the trainer Billy Morris. In the Junior Championship they didn't fulfill their early promise falling to the challenge of Erin's Isle coached by the legendary John "Townie" Cummins, who went on to win the NAB Junior Championship.

The 1991 season began with a renewed sense of purpose. The prevailing belief was that the team possessed the talent but lacked the discipline to get to the next level. Armagh's Hugh Duggan joined the team as coach. He was to bring much discipline to the team and was to be the catalyst to an unbelievable rise in the fortunes of the mighty Cusacks (despite the Sunday nights in the Abbey)! That summer, fresh recruits Sean Liston (Kerry) and Ali Downey (Down) were the final pieces to a strong home based team, which now boasted a strong Kildare contingent of Mossy Orford, Eddie Cahill, Willie Smythe and the Hackett brothers, Sean and Cyril, plus the Leitrim duo of Kevin and Tom McKenna.

Finally succeeding in defeating their longtime nemesis, The McDermott's, in the St. Patrick's Day Cup, the Cusacks won every game that summer and were crowned San Francisco Junior Champions. At the NAB finals in Boston, they were convincing winners of the Junior Championship, with Tommy McKenna as captain lifting the cup.

1992 saw the Cusacks enter the Intermediate division with a large and strong panel now including a young Irish American midfielder, Eamon Corry. Unbelievably the club went through the whole competitive season winning every single game, and was duly crowned Intermediate Champions over our fierce rivals, Sean McDermott's.

The NAB finals were held in Philadelphia and the Cusacks proved too strong for the field. They were now the NAB Intermediate Champions with Eddie Cahill as the proud captain.

The next goal was obviously the Holy Grail - the North American Senior Championship, and appropriately enough the finals were to be held in San Francisco in 1993. The local senior championship consisted of only 2 teams, the Cusacks and the Mac Dermott's, so while the competition between them was intense, it wasn't enough. Cusacks lost their NAB semi final to the eventual winners, Donegal Philadelphia in a closely fought battle at Balboa Stadium.

1994 was the pinnacle year for the club. The Cusacks fielded teams in both junior and senior ranks. Training games involving both teams were not timid affairs. The senior team felt they had under achieved the previous year and were determined to make amends. The junior team was very strong with Coleman Daly, Ger O'Keefe, Willie Magher, Paul O'Driscoll and the great Willie Smyth to the fore.
Both teams won their respective championships in San Francisco. Sean Liston's junior team lost agonizingly in the West Coast Final defeated by an inspired LA team after launching one of the greatest comebacks seen in San Francisco GAA history.

Cusacks Surprise at the '94 National Finals

Gaelic Park, Chicago was the perfect scene for the 1994 NAB Finals. St. Brendan's, local champions, were overwhelming favorites for their seemingly academic semi-final against the Cusacks. St. Brendan's team was a powerful, expensive outfit led by their star player, Anthony Tohill, and coached by his Derry manager, Eamon Coleman.

However, the Cusacks were extremely fit and ready for the upset. They had been bolstered by the arrival of Glen Ryan and Noel Donnellan (Kildare) and also by Sean Callaghan (Cork). The blues were motoring with Corry and McCarthy dominating their more illustrious opponents in midfield. The Cusacks raced to a seven point lead but Brendan's clawed their way back to within a few points.  It made for a nerve racking final couple of minutes before the final whistle and a win for the underdogs.

The final against Donegal Philadelphia was an even tougher game as they strived for their 3rd Senior Championship in a row. The Cusacks were not to be denied with Ali Downey and Brendan Searls sailing over late points to win the Senior Football Championship for the first time ever by a West Coast team. There was almost a sense of disbelief amongst players and supporters, as the little team from the West Coast wilderness of Gaelic football had won the ultimate prize.

Philip McCarthy lifted the Cup and the player of the tournament award, to wild cheers from all the San Francisco contingent and large numbers of appreciative locals.

1995 again saw Cusacks in both divisions with the Senior team winning the SF Senior Championship against the Young Irelanders and MacDermott's. The defending champions however were beaten in the semi final by a Boston-Mayo squad who took no chances loading up with talent from Ireland. The tremendous effort of the previous five years was taking its toll and the end of an era was dawning.

Barren Years Begin
From 1995 to the present, championship trophies have been missing. Times have been tough for the Cusacks, with the club almost folding. Recently the club became rejuvenated and narrowly missed out by a point in the Junior Final last year against the Ulster Club. They traveled to the NAB finals in Boston for the first time since 1995, but due to a large number of absent players were beaten by Boston in the Semi Finals.

The finals in Boston have whetted the appetite of the club and Johnny Brennan, P.J. McGuane and Pat Galvin will be busy plotting the club's next visit to the North American Final!

[Dinny Breen]

Glen went out for a short period to his girlfriend at the time who was on a J1, Kildare were knocked out at that stage and Glen nor Noel Donlon missed any club championship games with Towers.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Glen went out for a short period to his girlfriend at the time who was on a J1, Kildare were knocked out at that stage and Glen nor Noel Donlon missed any club championship games with Towers.

One thing you could never accuse Glenn of was letting the side down. The second half yesterday would have you pining for a Glenn Ryan type player in the Kildare ranks.

[naka]

I think  Ryan should apologise to these young men who head to America for the Summer.  There is no shortage of Sugar Daddy's looking after   Managers in the GAA.  I can't say I know any in Longford, but sure isn't there always one!

sorry what did glenn say

[AZOffaly]

I have no problem with a lad taking a year out to go the states or whatever, absolutely not. I think it's a great experience for a young fella. *However* I do see a problem in taking up a squad place all through the league, preparing and filling a jersey, and then scattering for the plane when you lose in June. You're either in the panel until 2013 is over, or you are out. By being in for a while, you are depriving someone else of a chance to mature, and giving the team an extra obstacle they could do without as they try to get over a provincial loss.

If you want to go to America, announce it in the early spring, and give the manager a chance to get someone else in there.

What would happen if Longford or Offaly were still in the Leinster Championship? Would they be leaving before a Leinster Final?