MANN' OF THE MOMENT

Tribes star Cathal is rested and hitting his stride ahead of mouthwatering Leinster final showdown with Kilkenny

- BY PAT NOLAN

IF A shortlist for Hurler of the Year was being compiled right now, Cathal Mannion would surely be on it.

In his four appearances in the Championship, he has a haul of 2-43, with 1-15 of it coming from play.

His contribution, however, amounts to much more than that of the totals in brackets after his name.

Even on their first day out, as Kilkenny rinsed them at Nowlan Park, winning by 12 points in the end, Mannion still emerged with 0-10, 0-4 from play.

He hit 2-8 when they bounced back against Offaly the following Saturday and a whopping 0-17, 0-6 from play, as they gathered real momentum against Wexford.

He impressed again against Dublin two weeks ago to set up a Kilkenny rematch in Sunday's Leinster final.

He was rested for the Antrim game between the pivotal Wexford and Dublin clashes, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a match that Galway were always likely to win and Mannion has endured too many injury issues in recent years to take unnecessary risks, even if he's satisfied that he's got on top of it now.