By John Fallon

Galway defender John Hanbury said it will be unusual to see Anthony Cunningham in the Dublin dugout tomorrow (SUN) when the counties clash in the AIG Fenway Classic in Boston.

But the 24-year old said that it is becoming more prevalent in GAA that coaches and managers move around and he's looking forward to meeting up with the man who drafted him into the county scene.

"In 2014 he called me in. I was involved with Anthony on the U-21 team in 2012. He was over them and the seniors when they got to the All-Ireland final. I was on that panel and then he brought me into the seniors.

"It's just how life goes. It is strange thing facing a former manager on the sidelines but it happens a lot be that with club or underage," said Hanbury.

The Rahoon-Newcastle clubman is looking forward to going back to Boston having been on the Galway team which won the inaugural AIG Fenway Classic two years ago.

He said they learned a lot from that occasion, not least just how big this event is.

"We were a bit naïve to the scale of it all. When we got out there we realised it was such a huge event. It was part of the bigger Irish festival that is on that weekend. It is the culmination of that.

"When we got out to Boston we realised over 20,000 people were after buying tickets to this game. I follow the American sports, not a lot of the lads do, so I was aware of the significance of Fenway Park.

"There are a lot of kids over there whose dream it is to play there. And us coming from Ireland not knowing that, we were a bit of naïve. It is almost a holy ground. In 2015, we heard that we got to play at Fenway and that was the huge thing.

"Going out there again in the back of your mind you are telling yourself to enjoy it. You are taking in a lot more and appreciating what you are able to do now. Last time the atmosphere, I don't know how the acoustics works, but it is absolutely electric in there.

"The noise was on par to an All-Ireland semi-final or final. It takes you by surprise. It definitely took us by surprise in 2015. It's a nice feeling that you are going into a place, and at this time of year you don't normally get that atmosphere. It's definitely something I am looking forward to," he added.

He will catch up with one of his All-Ireland winning teammates with Johnny Glynn, who commuted from the States during the summer to help guide Galway to glory, making the short journey from New York this time to play.

"He is happy out with that, not having to get the flight back. He will be jumping on the bus. It will be good to see him again," added Hanbury.

The semi-finals tomorrow - Galway against Dublin (5.30pm Irish time) and Tipperary taking on Clare (6.30pm) - and the final, which starts at 8pm, will all be televised live, with TG4 showing the games in Ireland and NESN (New England Sports Network) broadcasting the games in the United States and Hanbury said the numbers viewing the matches will be staggering.

"Last time we were on at 4pm or 5pm in the States so it was on a later time in Ireland. This time it's on a little earlier, it's easier for Irish people to watch it.

"The other thing is the grandeur of the American audience and that shock. One of the good things the GPA guys mentioned last time was NESN's average viewership for that time was in the millions. That gives you a bit of realisation as well of the audience you are hitting. It was great last time there was a lot of mainstream US sports coverage with ESPN and that, after the match. To get that you are talking in the tens of millions. It's amazing the sport that can get that sort of coverage," added Hanbury, a software engineer with Storm Technoloy in Galway.

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