All-Ireland Club SHC Semi-final:Joe Canning tells Gavin Cummiskeyabout an 'elastic band kind of pop' from his hamstring

Joe Canning was behind the wheel last Friday for the cross-country trip from Limerick to Wexford where physio Oisín O'Neill was on hand to guide him through cryotherapy treatment. The mileage clicked up some more yesterday morning for the round trip to Dublin where Dr Paddy Leahy was waiting at the Laser Centre.

Last night he was wanted at home, in Portumna, for the media night ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland club semi-final against Tipperary and Munster champions Loughmore- Castleiney.

The attention around his pulled left hamstring is nothing new. Despite being a teenager - until next October - Canning has been heralded as the great white hope of Galway, nay, hurling in general since entertaining the masses as an intercounty minor when still only 15.

Having to peak in February and March is fine, too, as his 1-6 on St Patrick's Day, 2006 earned the man-of-the-match accolade against Newtownshandrum and with it a club All-Ireland medal.

On St Valentine's Day - last Thursday for the single folk out there - he heard that dreaded popping sound in his hamstring. With 1-3 already in the tank in a feisty Fitzgibbon Cup encounter against University of Limerick, Canning rushed the goalkeeper.

"I knew straight away. I could feel it, almost like an elastic band kind of pop," he said yesterday.

Limerick IT survived with a draw, thanks to a late point from Willie Hyland and the competency of replacement free-taker Bernard Gaffney, but they face University College Dublin tomorrow without him.

A 10-day recovery from what seems a bad injury should be impossible, but the current Adidas campaign was invented with Joe Canning in mind.

Looking at his ridiculously accurate return from sideline cuts, he probably has a single handicap in golf. Two years back, a few light-bulbs sparked to life in the rugby fraternity after a tour-de-force from the imposing Ballinasloe outhalf in their ascension to the under-18 All-Ireland club title.

But hurling with LIT, the club and the Galway under-21s keeps him away from other pursuits for now.

Still, until he lights up Croke Park in high summer, the issue of his promotion to the senior panel will have tongues wagging anywhere hurling is played.

He has already twice prioritised underage teams, the county minors then under-21s, ahead of a move up. No contact has been made by Ger Loughnane this season, but the Clare man spied him first hand in a recent challenge match between club and county.

"We beat them well, actually, so it wasn't too bad as they had the same kind of team that we've seen in the league."

It all comes back to his next move. People have been tipping a senior breakthrough for three years so we didn't hold our breath when seeking an exclusive,

"I haven't given it one thought. I'll deal with it when it comes around, if it ever comes around. It's not really up to me at this stage. It's like life. You can't plan for the future as there are so many twists and turns. You can't plan for the next year. The future will take care of itself."

Still so young, although you wouldn't know it from the way he comes across, serving multiple hurling masters must occasionally sap the energy reserves. And, remember, there is also the small matter of a degree in business and marketing management.

No one cares, though. They just want the prodigy on the field. Thankfully, he feels the same, although he would prefer if people who do not know him reserved their judgments.

Limerick IT and Portumna liaise on his training timetable, but the fear exists that too much too soon will see this young man get fed up.

"Hurling is there or thereabouts (as my main priority), but people think I took a break last year, but I was still hurling away with the (Galway) under-21s. I didn't get a break at all. I was still hurling 24/7. People didn't see that side of it. Just because I didn't hurl senior doesn't mean I got a break from it."

If a scrap of cigarette paper separates the sides come the last quarter on Sunday expect the imposing teenager to enter the fray, albeit gingerly.