Some Galway hurling people will need the rest of the week to come down from Sunday’s soaring victory over Tipperary, although Jason Flynn only gets 24 hours. And he’s not alone.
It’s perhaps another reflection of Galway’s new-found youthfulness this season. Flynn and fellow forwards Cathal Mannion and Conor Whelan are still under-21s – indeed Whelan is still only 18 – and now turn their attention to Saturday’s Bord Gáis All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick (Semple Stadium, 6.0).
So, the day after scoring five points to help seal Galway’s place in the senior final, Flynn is talking about that next challenge. Indeed, three other senior panellists – Brian Molloy, Eanna Burke and Paul Kileen – are also part of the Galway under-21 set-up, and Flynn clearly spies further opportunity.
Clare, remember, doubled up the senior and under-21 hurling titles in 2013. In the calm after Sunday’s storm, Flynn sees no reason why Galway can’t do likewise, and sees Saturday’s game as perfectly timed.
“It’ll be good to get our minds off Sunday and straight back into the under-21s,” says Flynn. “And the minds will have to be right again. And personally, it’s my last year under-21 and feel we under-performed the last two years. Especially myself.”
Serenity
In the rush for superlatives that followed Sunday’s one-point victory over Tipperary, Galway’s heroic determination was most prominent, and Flynn certainly personified that. Up close, however, he’s a picture of serenity, his lean and gangly frame more high jumper than hurler.
He instantly credits manager Anthony Cunningham for giving him and the rest of the team that extra layer of determination this season. The manager’s belief in his team was boldly stated in his declaration after they lost the Leinster final to Kilkenny that he’d see Brian Cody again on All-Ireland Sunday.
“I only heard Anthony said that the next day,” says Flynn. “Some of the boys said it at training, and maybe it did trickle down to us, because it just shows the passion Anthony has for it. A few people have said to me that the look on his face, going in at half-time on Sunday, showed how well up for it he was. He’s like the 16th man. But he wouldn’t be banging tables at half-time either. He just has huge passion and he’s ruthless. And he wants to get the best out of you. He’s really developed my game since I came in last year. I’ve learned a lot from him. So it all has been filtering on to the pitch. He likes to do a bit of shouting along the line, which is no harm. Sometimes we can get a bit lazy, so it does give you an extra incentive to go for the ball.”
Flynn operated at half-forward for most of Sunday’s game. Like Mannion and Whelan – and indeed Joe Canning – part of his strength is his versatility.
Intense
“No, I’d never played in a game as intense as that. The last five, 10 minutes, the calf muscles were cramping up badly. Even watching the hooks, blocks, and tackles, and the effort from both teams. It’s just a sign of our character, I suppose, that heads didn’t drop after any of the Tipp goals.
“We, as forwards, were able to hook, and block, and tackle, and that means an awful lot, to get a point after they got a goal, instead of them building momentum. When you see lads putting in the effort it drives everyone on, and the crowd, and put the momentum back with us.
“And I suppose Galway have got a bit of stick over the last few years, that we weren’t able to get back from goals. So it was a great sign of leadership that we were able to do that. And we all want to get on the score sheet too, help each other, get the ball to the best man in the best position. I scored the hard ones, and missed the easy ones, but it’s about having the confidence to shoot, even if you miss. To keep shooting, don’t be afraid to make a mistake. That is what we are there for: to score.”
Wexford play Antrim in the other under-21 semi-final, also at Semple Stadium, at 4pm.
