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The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
'I'd have him as up there as one of the best ever that's come out of Galway'
WITH 12 MINUTES left in the Leinster hurling final, Galway were staring at the abyss. The 2-18 to 0-12 deficit spoke volumes about their second-half struggles. The game had spun away from them as Kilkenny took control. A Galway revival looked unlikely, yet it materialised. They got the gap down to four, and while Kilkenny pulled clear at the finish, that phase of play gave Galway something to cling to. In that sense, they will pin their hopes on Cathal Mannion. He orchestrated their comeback with the class of his score under pressure next to the Cusack Stand, his ingenuity to tap a close-range free to Brian Concannon for a goal, and his reliability from placed balls. It was a continuation of Mannion's 2025 form. A decade on from his breakthrough All-Star winning season, his importance to Galway has grown even more. In Leinster fired 0-10 the first day out against Kilkenny, 2-8 the next day against Offaly, a mammoth 0-17 haul against Wexford, 0-8 against Dublin, and his 0-11 tally against Kilkenny in the final. Overall in the province he struck 2-54 (1-19 from play) across five games. Entering Saturday's quarter-final against Tipperary, team-mate Fintan Burke knows how valuable Mannion is. Advertisement 'He was probably carrying a knock the last year or two with his Achilles, and in fairness he got that sorted over the winter. People outside the county probably would have forgotten the level of hurler he is and in fairness to us in the group when you see him day in, day out and week in, week out doing it in training you're not really surprised. 'In my opinion I'd have him as up there as one of the best ever that's come out of Galway to be honest. 'Even he got a point there out under the Cusack Stand, we were kind of under the cosh, he kind of fell over, you wouldn't do it if you were in the pitch on your own. 'That's just the magic of Cathal in fairness.' Galway's Cathal Mannion and Paddy Deegan of Kilkenny. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO If the form of Mannion as an individual is an asset, Galway's form as a collective is a concern in the wake of the Leinster final. Burke acknowledges the disappointment but is not pressing the alarm button just yet for their 2025 aspirations. 'Frustration is probably the word I'd use most. The most disappointing thing for us is that we didn't hurl how we want to hurl and we didn't express the brand of hurling that we're trying to express, which we kind of played on Kilkenny's terms, 'There is no panic. It's frustration and disappointment at our performance more than anything. We know it's not going to be an overnight thing Micheal (Donoghue) coming in and winning All-Irelands. It's going to take a year or two for lads to kind of knit in, the younger lads to get used to the older lads and vice versa. 'But still at the same time we want to be successful now. There's a few of us pushing on a small bit like and you don't want to be waiting three or four years to be getting successful. so it's kind of finding the balance in between. 'Sometimes people probably dwell on the loss or probably overreact sometimes. But at the end of the day if you were lucky enough to get over the line against Tipp, you're still back in the same place you would have been having won it (Leinster final).' Galway manager Micheál Donoghue dejected after the Leinster final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Blocking out the outside noise is important to Burke. The night before the Leinster final, he didn't avoid watching the Munster thriller but there is a key part to his viewing experience. 'I'd watch the match, but I wouldn't watch the analysis, I'd leave the analysis and go have a cup or tea or something. There's a lot of talk there that I wouldn't agree with at half-time! 'Sometimes it'll creep into your own mind, maybe you could be sitting at half-time for 15 minutes and you'll be saying, what are they saying about us. 'Whereas if you don't know what they're talking about, you don't know what they're focusing on. 'I think sometimes a lot of what is said at half-time is just fill in the 15 minute gap. It has no relevance to how the game is going or how the result is going.' Related Reads Jake Morris: 'We were embarrassed, a lot of soul-searching done over the winter' Here are the permutations for All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final pairings Lynch unaware penalties were a prospect in Munster final - 'It's tough for guys' Galway hurler Fintan Burke. Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE The praise showered on the Munster championship and the regular comparisons with the fare in Leinster does not affect him. 'It doesn't bother me and I don't think it bothers anyone on the team. I just think comparisons sometime, it takes away the joy, why not sit back and watch the Munster final and just be like what a class game? 'And go and watch the Leinster and if you feel personally that it wasn't at the same standard, well what about it? If every game of hurling was to that standard, it's not going to work like that. You don't need to compare.' *****
Irish Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kilkenny make it six Leinster titles on the trot as Galway revival falls short
Leinster SHC Final: Kilkenny 3-22 Galway 1-20 From the seemingly routine to the suddenly desperate, Kilkenny wrapped up their sixth successive Leinster hurling title in Croke Park on Sunday, and 77th in all, with a brief sigh of relief. Then perhaps a satisfied smile. After playing with typical Kilkenny heart and common sense, they either blinked or simply backed off, allowing Galway to come from 13 points down in the 58th minute, to twice make it a four-point game – including right at the end of normal time. Then in the three minutes of added time that followed, Kilkenny hit another 1-1 without reply, including a second goal gifted to Martin Keoghan, one which replacement Galway goalkeeper Darragh Walsh will wish to forget. And that was that. It all made for a heart-quaking last 10 minutes for Galway and their supporters, who were left wondering what might have been if only they'd come alive a lot earlier. On a grey afternoon at GAA headquarters, they failed to produce a single shot at the Kilkenny goal in the first half, also going for long passages where they appeared to forget how to score from play at all. READ MORE When Paddy Deegan's long-range point put Kilkenny 13 points up in the 58th minute, 2-19 to 0-12, some of those among the crowd of 37,503 were eying up the exits. Then it all changed dramatically when Galway hit 1-6 within the next eight minutes, starting with a point from play by midfielder Seán Linnane. The excellent Cathal Mannion added another, and replacement Tiernan Killeen promptly chipped in with two more. Up to that point, Galway had been unable to get a clear shot at the Kilkenny goal. In the 63rd minute, Mannion sent a free short to Brian Conconnon, who tore into the Kilkenny defence, and shot cleanly into the top right corner. Two more scores, one from Kevin Cooney and a Mannion free, slimmed the gap to four, and suddenly anything seemed possible. Two more points were exchanged – Kilkenny's Billy Ryan scoring after a brilliant fetch from the majestic Huw Lawlor, then another from Cooney – before the black-and-amber wave came again, pulling up the drawbridge for good. Luke Hogan's long-range shot from under the Hogan Stand fell short, only Walsh completely misread the trajectory of the ball in the Galway goal. It dropped over his head and into the path of Keoghan, who nonetheless pounced with beautiful timing. Galway goalkeeper Darragh Walsh drops the ball ahead of Martin Keoghan scoring a goal for Kilkenny during the Leinster final at Croke Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho It was rough luck on Walsh, the Turloughmore goalkeeper called into the action at half-time and his first championship game for Galway after Éanna Murphy was forced to retire with a suspected concussion. That resulted from an accidental collision with Keoghan after he scored Kilkenny's first goal, two minutes before half-time. Mullen then had the last say, bringing his tally to 0-3 for the afternoon, one of the 10 different Kilkenny scorers. Not long after referee Johnny Murphy blew for time as Galway manager Micheál Donoghue made his way over the Walsh, still grounded in some state of disbelief. A word or two of consolation later and Walsh was back on his feet. Still Kilkenny's eight-point winning margin in no way flattered. Galway were out of contention for long stretches, especially for the 36 minutes or so in the middle period of the game when they couldn't produce a single score from play. In the meantime, the 37-year-old TJ Reid started to show once again his genius for making time and space into dimensions that suit his needs. In the 32nd minute, he caught his first clean ball in front of goal, only to be called for over-carrying A minute later, Reid took a pass from John Donnelly, on the 20m line, rocketing a shot into the lower left corner that was brilliantly saved by Éanna Murphy. But Martin Keoghan pounced for the rebound, a split-second before Murphy could clear on the second attempt. Murphy also took a knee to the head for his efforts, which forced his half-time retirement. At that stage Kilkenny were up 1-9 to 0-8, their four-point advantage defined by Keoghan's goal. In the 56th minute, Keoghan's pass to Reid was deftly finished low into the Galway net, and that defined Kilkenny's overall superiority. Reid finished with 1-4, and his 14th Leinster title. Kilkenny, with the slight breeze, scored first through Mullen after two minutes, before Galway scored the next three – Cooney, a Mannion free, and TJ Brennan giving them an early advantage. By the 15th minute, there were 10 scores, five each, from 10 different players. They were level six times in the mostly subdued first half, the sparsity of goal chances from both teams certainly surprising, as if they was some sudden allergy to direct ball. Kilkenny's TJ Reid celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Galway's shortcomings were ultimately collective. Conor Whelan started well, but was less effective in the second half, and David Burke ultimately struggled around midfield. Without Mannion's consistency it might have been a lot worse. He finished with 0-11, including four from play. These slim scoring pickings by Galway for the first hour were also down to the sheer dominance of Lawlor at full back, and Richie Reid at centre back. Cian Kenny also had an excellent game at midfield alongside Jordan Molloy; they finished with 0-4 between them. Galway also shot 10 wides, including six in the first half, at which point Cooney was the only player among their full-forward line to score from play. Mannion's free at the start of the second half briefly reduced the margin to three again, before Kilkenny promptly hit three without reply, including a brilliant point from Billy Ryan. Had Galway somehow managed to stay closer, it might have made for a different outcome. Kilkenny, however, are deserving champions once again. KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; M Carey (0-2), R Reid, P Deegan (0-1); C Kenny (0-2), J Molloy (0-1), J Donnelly (0-1), A Mullen (0-4), B Ryan (0-3), S Donnelly (0-2), TJ Reid (1-4, four frees), M Keoghan (2-2). Subs: D Blanchfield for Walsh, L Hogan for Donnelly (both 58 mins); S Murphy for Butler (66); K Doyle for Molloy (70); H Shine for Ryan (71). GALWAY: É Murphy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, F Burke; C Fahy, G Lee, TJ Brennan (0-1); S Linnane (0-1), David Burke; J Fleming (0-1), C Mannion (0-11, 7f), T Monaghan (0-1); C Whelan, B Concannon (1-0), K Cooney (0-3). Subs: D Morrissey for F Burke (37 mins, inj); D Walsh for Murphy (half-time), R Glennon for David Burke (43); T Killeen (0-2) for Fleming (53); A Burns for Monaghan (66). Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)
Irish Examiner
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Cathal Mannion left to plough lonely furrow for disappointing Galway
Cathal Mannion's scoring share stood at 31% coming into Croke Park. Significant, but not immediately suggesting an over-reliance. Skip ahead to the 59th minute of the Leinster final and Mannion found himself carrying an entire county on his back. With no Galway score from play across the preceding 37 minutes, his five frees were their sole, insufficient source of nourishment in the interim. Two of those frees he won himself. His was the sole name on the Galway scoresheet between the 17th and 59th minute. That's 42 minutes of a Leinster final where just one player is finding the target. Conor Whelan foraged and fashioned assists in the opening half, while there was the rare threatening flash from Kevin Cooney when fed early doors. But, on the whole, Galway from midfield up offered Mannion and nothing else. His 0-11 total was two greater than the 1-6 of the 14 other starters combined. Collective abjectness. 'In terms of the way we wanted to play, we just didn't from the start of the game,' said Micheál Donoghue, stating the blindingly obvious. 'They set up with maybe their six dropping off as a sweeper and we really struggled with that. When we pushed up and figured that out, then we started being a bit more dominant in our own half-back line. 'The reliance on Cathal, he showed how important he is again today to us. I think maybe in the first half, we were lorrying it from too far out and Huw Lawlor was dominant. 'The positives, and we have to take the positives out of it, are when we did get it going and working it through the lines, we were better.' Hurling for 11 minutes late on is hardly a positive. Within that, the switch of Cathal Mannion to permanent inside station, Gavin Lee to midfield, Seán Linnane to wing-back, and Cianan Fahy to centre-back might - and should - get a second runout in the All-Ireland quarter-final. A multitude of problems remain. There is no other half-forward ball-winner besides Whelan. Galway didn't win a long puckout until the 19th minute. 22 shots from play in 74 minutes is beyond unacceptable. Galway have not won a championship game at Croke Park since the 2020 Leinster semi-final. Their last nine trips delivered eight defeats and one draw. 'In the build-up, people are saying 'we're back, we're back' and that we have big opportunities. The disappointing thing is when you see what they did do for a 10-12 minute period, that's what we'll try and build on as we move forward,' Donoghue continued. 'The disappointment of today and I suppose the narrative will be that it's probably similar to previous years and previous teams. But look, we know what we have in the squad and we'll try and take the positives out of it as we move forward.' Tipp are their likely quarter-final opponents, as they were in 2020 and '23. Galway won both. 'Look, huge challenge again. We know it's going to be a big task but we still have full faith and trust in the group that we can bounce back.'
RTÉ News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Goal-shy Galway too reliant on the masterful Cathal Mannion
Against Kilkenny, Dublin and Wexford in this year's Leinster championship Galway managed just three goal chances, while their opposition combined for a total of 19. Despite winning two of those three games en route to this afternoon's Leinster hurling decider against Kilkenny - Galway conceded eight goals and scored just the one. That came in the 71st minute against Wexford to give the Tribesmen an eight point lead with two minutes of additional time left to play. Ultimately when they face the Cats again at Croke Park, throw in at 4pm, Galway will need to create more goal chances and concede much fewer if they are to reverse a 12 point deficit. Kilkenny scored three of six goal chances in that comfortable first round victory in Nowlan Park on a day when Galway did not create even one half goalscoring chance. While in their two wins, against Wexford and last time out in Dublin, they scored one goal from three chances - the two missed chances were both easily saved from tight angles under extreme defensive pressure - and they were rather fortunate to concede just five goals from 13 chances. While Galway have been short on goals they haven't lacked for points - raising by far the most white flags of any county prior to the provincial finals. That is 131 in five matches, and in those three games they managed 79 points compared to 55 from the other teams combined. Central to that has been Cathal Mannion. The Ahascragh-Fohenagh forward has scored 2-43 in four games, with 1-28 from placed balls and 1-15 from play. In the county's three biggest tests to date against Kilkenny, Dublin and Wexford he scored a total of 0-35. The 2015 All Star has been in sensational scoring form for his team and in those three encounters his scores and assists have accounted for 54 per cent of his team's total. The 2017 All-Ireland winner has assisted 0-8 as well as winning two of the frees he converted himself. His other start came against Offaly when he scored 2-8, assisted 0-5 and was fouled for two of the three frees he floated over the bar. Meaning in the four Leinster championship games he has featured in, the 30-year old has scored or assisted 56 per cent of his team's combined scoring. Equalling 2-56. If he'd featured in the 28 point win over Antrim his numbers would be off the charts. Mannion's scoring is all the more impressive when you consider his shooting accuracy. From 24 in-play shots so far this championship he has scored 1-15. While in his first season being handed the free-taking reins - before this year he had not even been a consistent free-taker for his club - Mannion has again stepped up and delivered for his county. The number 11 has scored almost 81 per cent of his placed balls from 36 attempts in four matches. With five of his seven misses coming from his own half. Looking at the three games against Kilkenny, Dublin and Wexford in isolation he has scored 24 of 27 attempts, showing not only an impressive range, which was to be expected given his scoring ability from general play, but also an excellent temperament under pressure. On average (in-play) Mannion has been directly involved in over 10 scoring opportunities per game. In total he is averaging six shots and just under 0-5 from play per game, almost 0-8 from placed balls, and 0-3 in assists per match so far in the 2025 championship. While Mannion's form will give Galway fans hope, the reliance on him is a cause for concern. One of Galway's biggest scorers in recent seasons, St Thomas' Conor Cooney has started four of his team's five games off the bench. Along with his 11 points (nine frees) when starting against Antrim, in those three substitute appearances he has amassed 1-3 from play making him the highest scoring substitute so far in the Leinster championship. While eight Kilkenny hurlers have contributed to their team's scoring as replacements, only three Galway players have. Nevertheless in a tight encounter, if Micheál Donoghue again opts against starting the 2017 All Star, he could prove the difference maker when introduced. It was Cooney who scored his team's only goal in the games against Kilkenny, Dublin or Wexford. However, even if Cooney provides a similar impact off the bench and Mannion continues his free-scoring form - Galway will need a huge slice of fortune to win any game when conceding so many goal chances and creating so few.
RTÉ News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Goal-shy Galway reliant on deadly accurate Cathal Mannion
Against Kilkenny, Dublin and Wexford in this year's Leinster championship Galway managed just three goal chances, while their opposition combined for a total of 19. Despite winning two of those three games en route to this afternoon's Leinster hurling decider against Kilkenny - Galway conceded eight goals and scored just the one. That sole green flag came against Wexford in added time to give the Tribesmen an eight-point lead. Ultimately when they face the Cats again at Croke Park, Galway will need to create more goal chances and concede much fewer if they are to reverse the 12 point-deficit in April. Kilkenny scored three of half a dozen chances in that comfortable first-round victory in Nowlan Park on a day when the visitors failed to create even one half goalscoring chance. In their victories over Wexford and Dublin, the Tribesmen scored one goal from three chances. Those two missed chances were both easily saved from tight angles under extreme defensive pressure and they were rather fortunate to concede just five goals from 13 chances. While Galway have been short on goals they haven't lacked for points - raising by far the most white flags of any county prior to the provincial finals. That tallies 131 in five matches, and in those three games they managed 79 points compared to 55 from the other teams combined. Central to that has been Cathal Mannion. The Ahascragh-Fohenagh forward has scored 2-43 in four games, with 1-28 from placed balls and 1-15 from play. In the county's three biggest tests to date against Kilkenny, Dublin and Wexford he scored a total of 0-35. The 2015 All Star has been in sensational scoring form for his team and in those three encounters his scores and assists have accounted for 54% of his team's total. The 2017 All-Ireland winner has assisted 0-08 as well as winning two of the frees he converted himself. His other start came against Offaly when he scored 2-08, assisted 0-05 and was fouled for two of the three frees he floated over the bar. In his four Leinster outings this season, the 30-year old has scored or assisted 56% (2-56) of his team's combined scoring. If he'd featured in the 28-point demolition of Antrim his numbers would be off the charts. Mannion's scoring is all the more impressive when you consider his shooting accuracy. From 24 in-play shots so far this championship he has scored 1-15. He has worn the free-taking responsibility lightly. In his maiden campaign at inter-county level with placed-ball duties, Mannion has scored almost 81% from his 36 attempts in Leinster, with five of his seven misses coming from his own half. Looking at the three games against Kilkenny, Dublin and Wexford in isolation he has scored 24 of 27 attempts, showing not only an impressive range, which was to be expected given his scoring ability from general play, but also an excellent temperament under pressure. On average (in-play) Mannion has been directly involved in over 10 scoring opportunities per game. In total he is averaging six shots and just under 0-05 from play per game, almost 0-8 from placed balls, and 0-03 in assists per match so far in the 2025 championship. While Mannion's form will give Galway fans hope, the reliance on him is a cause for concern. One of Galway's biggest scorers in recent seasons, St Thomas' Conor Cooney has started four of his team's five games off the bench. Along with his 11 points (nine frees) when starting against Antrim, in those three substitute appearances he has amassed 1-03 from play making him the highest scoring substitute so far in the Leinster championship. While eight Kilkenny hurlers have contributed to their team's scoring as replacements, only three Galway players have. Nevertheless in a tight encounter, if Micheál Donoghue again opts against starting the 2017 All Star, he could prove the difference maker when introduced. It was Cooney who scored his team's only goal in the games against Kilkenny, Dublin or Wexford. However, even if Cooney provides a similar impact off the bench and Mannion continues his free-scoring form - Galway will need a huge slice of fortune to win any game when conceding so many goal chances and creating so few.
