Summer ties in Salthill thrill Mannion
GALWAY’S bid to retain their All-Ireland title has received a massive boost with Johnny Glynn committing to the Tribesmen for the 2018 Championship.
Pádraic Mannion confirmed in Croke Park yesterday that the powerful attacker, who made headlines last summer when commuting from New York during the Championship, has returned to Micheál Donoghue’s squad ahead of the Leinster SHC opener against Offaly on May 12.
‘Johnny is back. He played club championship [with Ardrahan] last weekend,’ Mannion said at the launch of the 2018 Cúl Heroes trading cards. ‘I saw a headline in one of the papers that he wasn’t coming back. I don’t know where they got that out of. It was the complete opposite to what was true.
‘He’s a massive addition. On the field, he brings something different to the team and has a massive work-rate on the training ground. Off the field, he is great to have around the dressing room.’
Glynn started only one game last year — the All-Ireland final against Waterford — but the 24-year-old’s ball-winning ability and aerial strength is likely to be critical in their attempts to defend the title, especially when a revitalised Kilkenny arrive in Salthill for a mouth-watering clash on May 27.
It’s a quirk of Galway’s All-Ireland success that they made it all the way up the steps of the Hogan Stand last September without meeting Kilkenny, particularly as the Cats have posed the Westerners so much difficulty over the years.
Wexford and Waterford ensured Brian Cody’s men didn’t cross paths with Galway on the way to the big prize last summer, but that won’t be the case this time around as Kilkenny, boosted by their recent Allianz League triumph, cross the Shannon next month.
‘I don’t know if you would call it a resurgence. Kilkenny are never too far away,’ Mannion pointed out. ‘Even if they don’t win the AllIreland, they are there or thereabouts every year. They are a serious outfit, have brought in new players and are building another team. They were very impressive in the League final.
‘You are going to try and win every game. It doesn’t matter who you are playing. But we are not looking past the Offaly game, because if we start looking forward, if we start thinking about defending the All-Ireland title when we have a Leinster Championship to play, we are going to be in trouble.’
The Faithful County has been on an upward curve under Kevin Martin and their recent display against Kilkenny suggests they are moving in the right direction. When the sides met in Tullamore in last June’s Leinster semi-final, the hosts used two sweepers, but Mannion is expecting a sterner test this time around.
‘We played them in the League this year and they have improved a lot under their new management. The way they beat Dublin in Croke Park showed they are a serious outfit and it brought them on a lot confidence-wise. They have improved a lot from last year.’
The talented defender accepts that the new Championship format will be a step into the unknown for every team, but it does give the All-Ireland champions two matches in Pearse Stadium and Mannion is excited by the prospect of playing a Championship match in front of his home crowd for the first time.
‘I hear people talking, [saying] they hope the bite won’t go out of the Munster Championship because games aren’t knockout. But with games coming week on week, teams are going to have to look to their panel now. Lads who didn’t get much of a chance in previous championships could play a big part in this one.
‘But it will be great for the people of Galway and great for us to get two games in front of the home crowd. When you go away to another team’s pitch, you are outnumbered and it is another challenge. You see in soccer how important home and away games can be. It’s great we have that aspect in the GAA now.’