ANTRIM hurler Arron Graffin has paid a glowing tribute to “big-game player” Neil McManus following another incredible display in this season’s Joe McDonagh Cup.
McManus delivered his umpteenth man-of-the-match performance in 2018 despite the Ulstermen suffering an agonising defeat in Mullingar last weekend.
The Cushendall attacker bagged 0-13 – over half of Antrim’s final tally – and narrowly missed with one tricky placed ball to level the tie in the closing stages of a memorable encounter.
“I’ve played hurling with McManus since I was knee-high,” said Graffin.
“I played with him at club, I played with him at school and college, I played with him with Ulster and Ireland squads, and right through all the development squads in Antrim. That’s what you expect from him.
“He’s a big-game player. He always has been and always will be. He relishes the ball on top of him, winning balls and winning frees. He really brought the fight to Westmeath.
“He missed a free but those things happen. They are small margins in hurling these days. The game has evolved so much, even since I came on the squad 10 years ago. It’s played with so much pace nowadays.”
Graffin also heaped praise on Dunloy ace Keelan Molloy who grabbed a brilliant goal after coming off the bench at the start of the second half.
Molloy was only recently recruited to the Antrim senior ranks in a bid to sharpen the team’s attack. Graffin hoped Molloy’s brilliant cameo will encourage other talented hurlers in the county to step up to the plate.
“You can see what Keelan can do. He can run with the ball; he went up and caught one and scored a super goal.
“He’s a super young player and it’s great to see him on this panel. There are a few more that we could get. Maybe them seeing him perform like that will encourage them and make them think: ‘I want to do that too’.”
The odds of Antrim reaching the inaugural Joe McDonagh Cup final are stacked against them after losing back-to-back games to Laois and Westmeath.
Carlow can join Westmeath in the July 1 decider if they beat the Midlanders in their final group game on Saturday, even if Antrim beat Kerry in Cushendall.
Antrim mounted a stirring second half comeback last Saturday, inching ahead by the 54th minute after trailing by eight at the interval. But Westmeath held their nerve in the closing stages to maintain their unbeaten record in the competition.
A major problem for Antrim this season has been putting together a 70-minute performance. Their first half shows against Laois and Westmeath look like costing them a place in the McDonagh final.
“It just seems we can’t put two back-to-back halves together. We’d a fantastic second half against Westmeath, absolutely brilliant. I thought we defended perfectly in the first half. We were doing great things, getting last-ditch hooks in, blocks in, but it just seemed to be our distribution from the back line and silly mistakes - hand passes that were going astray, which was killing us. It was composure on the ball.
“In the second half we just ran out of time. We played Galway at the start of the season [in Division 1B] and we played for 50 or 55 minutes. We played Dublin at Corrigan, a shaky first half, a super second half. We just need a solid performance for 70 minutes. And if we do that we’d be hard to work with, but it’s getting that out.”
Despite the losses, Graffin is already a big fan of the Joe McDonagh Cup – with the two finalists being granted entry into the All-Ireland series in the same season.
“It’s a great competition because you’re playing quality teams of the same level as you week in, week out. It’s a brilliant set-up. You want to be playing games. You don’t want to be training the whole time.”
Three years ago, Graffin suffered a horrible injury in Cusack Park and he paid the fateful spot on the Mullingar pitch a visit before last Saturday’s epic clash.
“This is the first time I’ve been back on this pitch since I dislocated my knee three years ago,” said the Ruairi Ogs clubman.
“I jogged over to the spot where it happened. It popped up on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, so it’s good to be back there and come through the game okay.”
