ANTHONY CUNNINGHAM knew what was coming yesterday. There are just so many questions, without sufficient answers, about Galway hurling.

He must also be aware there will be plenty more of this in 2012. That Cunningham is double-jobbing across two sports for at least one more weekend, and potentially until March 17th, sees him border on the realm of those men who become a victim of their own success.

A football and hurling manager in equal demand, his successful stewardship of Garrycastle sees the Westmeath football champions in the Leinster club final against St Brigid’s of Dublin this Sunday. But it is his plans for the chronically underachieving Galway senior hurlers that brings the most scrutiny.

On that premise, a media gathering in Croke Park yesterday to promote the AIB provincial club football competition was not long changing tack to hurling matters. Cunningham probably could have guessed that would be the case.

Yes, he intends a balancing act of three managerial positions (don’t forget the Galway Under-21 hurlers) so long as Garrycastle keep winning.

“Hopefully it can go to St Patrick’s Day,” he stated.

“Galway kicks off in earnest on the 1st of January but we have a good backroom there with Tom Helebert and Mattie Kenny and the same goes for Garrycastle. That’s not a problem; it’s never a problem if you are winning.”

And that’s the secret, really. Win, and just keeping winning.

Cunningham was asked about the recent culling of last year’s Galway panel as established intercounty hurlers like Damien Joyce, Shane Kavanagh, Ger Farragher, Donal Barry, Adrian Cullinan and John Lee have been seemingly put out to pasture. The issue is neatly sidestepped by stating there is an “open-door policy” with regards to selection.

In the same breath, he told us the National League would be used as a “development phase” to bring through the next wave of underage All-Ireland winners.

“It’s going to take time to get to the levels of the Tipperarys and the Kilkennys. Today we would be behind the Waterfords and the Dublins. There is no hiding from that fact so it is going to take time. We have to be patient.”

But hang on. The revamped Division One A drops them into an immediate and vicious

dog-fight with the best five teams in the country. Add Cork to the aforementioned quartet.

“The first league match is like a mini-championship match to us,” he admitted. “It’s Dublin, the league champions, and if you win your first match it sets you up for maybe a semi-final shot. If you lose the first match . . . we have two home games, three away and every county is going to address it the same. The fact it has gone back to the end of February gives more time for preparation.”

He conceded next month’s Walsh Cup will be the only chance for experimentation although he also intends to take charge of Connacht for the interprovincial semi-final against Ulster in mid February. “It is the same weekend as the Walsh Cup, if we progress that far.”

Cunningham also supported the restructuring of the Galway championship that will see more club matches during the summer months.

Not only does Cunningham carry the unimaginable burden of managing three teams in two sports but he must do it while making his way around in a cast for his foot. A recently-severed Achilles tendon saw to that.

It won’t stop him marching the line at Tullamore’s O’Connor Park on Sunday next for the last televised GAA game of 2011.

After that task he can become a hurling man again.

On reflection, he did a very neat job keeping the focus off the Garrycastle footballers in this interview.