A MANNION A MISSION..
CATHAL MANNION’S lethal form is pushing Galway closer to back-to-back All-ireland titles – and his plan is to go up yet another level.
Having scored three points in the drawn Leinster final, the 22-year-old caused serious damage to the Kilkenny backline in last Sunday’s replay.
His six scores from play helped bury the Cats in Thurles and he was one of Galway’s key figures who kept their cool, even when their 12-point lead was reduced to just one with more than 15 minutes still to play.
“I suppose it’s just one of those days that everything you hit went over,” he smiled. “But it was a team performance and the lads that came in really drove it on as well.
“You just keep hurling. The game opened up and the heat was a factor. Lads were tired and that is when the game opens up.
“You could see at the end there. Everyone was out on their feet, the heat would take it out of you, as well as the pace of the game.”
To the winners, the spoils – not just the Bob O’keefe Cup, which Galway retained, but also the vital few weeks of rest before they’re up next in the All-ireland semi-finals.
Kilkenny, on the other hand, are out again this weekend against Limerick.
“I suppose it (the break) was in the back of our minds,” admitted Mannion. “But when you get to a provincial final, you want to win it. Simple as that. “It probably is a nice break after a hard two games in a row. “We have loads to work on and we are going to concentrate on the things we need to work on from Sunday and from last week. It’s going to be a tough three weeks ahead for us.” Mannion accepts that the initial stalemate with Kilkenny might have come as a reality check to those in Galway who thought it was going to be another breeze through Leinster.
“I suppose it was but every day we go out, we are trying to play the best we can,” he stated. “Every game you go into, you learn a lot from it. We learned a lot last week and we learned a lot on Sunday as well.
“But there are going to be bigger days ahead and in regard to the semi-final, no matter who we have, it is going to be a step up from Sunday.”
Johnny Glynn (inset) took his chance with a huge first half impact in Thurles after Conor Cooney was dropped.
Mannion added: “Johnny is a massive player for us, delighted for him that he got his chance. He really deserved it.
“It’s about the team, and on the panel you need lads driving you.
“Obviously you’d like to start yourself, but you know the lad in for you or on for you is going to do a job, too.
“That’s what you need in a team.”