Enda Flaherty . . . hurling captain and dual star
Q1. Nickname: Flats / Flatsy
Q2. Position: Centre Back
Q3. Club Honours: Dublin Minor Football Championship 2000
Dublin Junior Hurling Championship 2009
Leinster Junior Hurling Championship 2009
Dublin Intermediate Hurling Championship 2012
St. Judes Junior Hurling Sevens Shield Winners 2012
State Of Victoria Hurling Championship 2006
Intermediate Hurler of the Year 2010
Q4. When and where did you first play Football / Hurling (who was your coach, friend etc.)?
Hurling 1999 Leonard O Carroll
Football 1999 Big C (Ciaran Creamer), Super Ryan, John Sexton
Q5. Childhood heroes:
My only heroes are my Mam and Dad
Q6. Your Biggest Fear?
Getting Old
Q7. What is your Favourite Food?
Mams Shepards Pie
Q8. What is your Favourite Film?
Forest Gump
Blow – Big fan of Penelope Cruz’s work
Q9. What is your Favourite Music?
I listen to all sorts of music, but am quite particular to ballads as sung by Pats O’ Laoighaire at all hours in 2 Church Road.
Q10. What is your Favourite Holiday Destination?
Was lucky enough to visit South America a few years back…. Favourite country Bolivia…. What a Place!! Check out the worlds most dangerous road if you get a chance
Q11. Best sporting event Watched / Witnessed ?
My fondness for hurling began when my Dad brought me around the country to watch the great Clare team of the nineties. Including stars like Anthony Daly.
Best game I ever witnessed was that Clare team beating Tipperary in 97 All Ireland Final.
From then on I was hooked.
Q12. Best St Sylvesters memory ?
Winning any championship is pretty special, I was lucky enough to be involved in a couple of teams that won a few of these .
2000 MFC – Very special winning with all my old school mates and guys my age. A lot of these guys are all over the world now but its nice to still have this memory.
2009 JHC – There were days / years I thought we’d wouldn’t win a hurling championship, so this was very special to get over the line. Being lucky to captain this team was the icing on the cake.
2012 IHC – This was the big one!! In my first year playing Intermediate hurling 2001we felt we were in with a great shout to win this championship, and it was always the goal of the club. To finally achieve this eleven years later was a very proud moment for me personally, my team mates and everybody involved in Sylvesters.
Q13. What has been your greatest moment in sport ?
Getting to carry 3 separate championship trophies into 2 Church Road is pretty hard to beat!!!
Q14. What is your favourite GAA ground ?
Bridgefield……. The Field Of Dreams……. Even though I haven’t played there competeivley since 2000.
Q15. Minor B football ‘99….. You took the number six jersey from someone. Please discuss.
This was a great team to be involved in with Big C and John Sexton at the helm. I do remember a certain interviewer was asked to pass up the number 6 jersey and moved to corner back, where he has enjoyed a pretty decent career here since. Myself and Damage remain good friends since.
Q16. What is the toughest part of your sporting life ?
Finally having to admit that being a dual player puts too much demand on time and the body.
Q17. Least memorable game ?
This is an easy one, in 2007 I was made hurling captain mid-season, a very special honour for me. My first game as captain was a junior hurling championship quarter final replay midweek away to O’Tooles.
By all means we should have won the first day and on a wet miserable summers evening we were absolutely obliterated, I know I don’t just speak for myself here, but it took a lot of guys a long time to get over that game. It was fitting that when we finally won this championship in 2009 it was on this same ground on the Malahide Road.
Q18. Most influencial mentors / people that contributed to your GAA career.
Leonard O Carroll - 1st mentor I had in Syls, welcomed me with open arms, he remains a good friend and is still the gaffer with the senior team.
John Sexton / Super Ryan – A seriously competitive duo who I had the pleasure of sharing a Minor championship victory with.
Tommy Naughton – Most enthusiastic trainer you will ever meet.
Q20. What is your secret skill ?
Not sure if it’s a skill yet, but I’ve recently taken up riding a motor bike, call it a mid-life crisis!!
Q21. If there was a transfer market, what player would you like to see on the St Sylvesters Panel ?
Big Joe Canning. Mind you if Martin Ormonde made a few training sessions I’m not sure if Joe would be on frees
Q23. Who is the best & worst dressed on your team ?
Worst-Hiliary Murray Hession both on and off the field!! He knows my opinion of goalkeepers who wear shiny tracksuit bottoms on the pitch.
Best – Peter ‘Chief’ Reynolds. This man loves the GG’s and often picks up the prize for best at show.
Q24. How do you relax away from sport ?
Sport is where I do relax
Q25. If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be ?
Q26. What rule would you change in the GAA ?
I don’t think there’s anything that needs changing in hurling.
As far as football goes, I’m not sure where you change but it has become a very boring game to watch in the last few seasons with the exception of this current Dublin team, here’s hoping a few more teams follow suit.
Q27. Best Player you ever played with in St Sylvesters ? And why ?
Russy Cleere was the most competitive player I ever played with and is an absolute born winner
Conor McCafferty was the most talented and natural hurler I ever played with. There’s guys the length and breath of the country with All Ireland medals that wouldn’t hold a torch to him. He was a pretty serious competitor too.
Special mention to.
Timmy Cummins
Shay Keogh
Martin Barnes
Ian McCafferty
Ciaran Murray
Q28. Advice to younger players….
Enjoy yourself
Q29. In ten years time, I hope to be ………
I’ve learned recently that God laughs at your plans, I don’t usually think too far past my next match
Q30. Who’s the longest in the showers.
I’ve been in some of the dirtiest teams around cause very few of the lads actually take a shower.
Special mention here has to go to Shay Keogh & Mark “Jah” Reilly based on there enthusiasm alone to get the lads back involved. Admittedly Jah has some novel ways of washing himself.
My younger brother Darragh likes to spend a long time in there, personally I only spend an average amount of time myself.