Mahony gives ‘stand-in’ free-taker thumbs up

Pauric Mahony has been impressed with how Brian O’Sullivan has performed as Ballygunner’s free-taker.

The pair shared the responsibilities before Mahony took over. However, O’Sullivan was handed back the role when Mahony incurred his season-ending leg injury in the first round of the Waterford championship in May.

O’Sullivan was at his metronomic best in the semi-final win over Fourmilewater, when he fired over eight frees, and again in the final against Tallow where he pointed a brace of frees and a 65.

Ahead of Sunday’s Munster semi-final against Glen Rovers, Mahony admits he never had any fear about O’Sullivan taking the reins. “Brian is a confident enough fella himself and any time we had the chance we would do a bit of practicing before training or games. Brian doesn’t need to be listening to me!

“When we were growing up, Brian used to hit the close-range frees and I would hit the long frees so we were working together. He would have been used to it up to minor and was the number one freetaker at under-age level. So far, so good for him in that department.”

Ballygunner, Mahony says, have done their homework on the Cork champions and are not just focusing on their inter-county men, newly-appointed Rebels captain Stephen McDonnell and expert freetaker Pa Horgan.

“Looking in at the Cork county final, you have to be impressed by the way Glen Rovers played. They’re a big, physical team and the Munster championship is definitely going to suit them. The likes of Dean Brosnan and Graham Callinan are two players who weren’t in the inter-county set-up but they’re two big Glen players.

“We’re under no illusion it will be a massive task.”

Mahony remains on course to return to hurling in early 2016. “I was with the surgeon on Tuesday and he said everything’s going to plan so far. I’m back to doing a bit of light jogging and that’s where it’s at now. Hopefully, I can gradually pick it up over the next couple of months and then, come the new year, I’ll start doing a bit of hurling.”

He has been helping out club manager Denis Walsh even if doesn’t have a job description. “I’m just helping out. Any bit of advice I can give to the lads. I don’t really have a title, just an injured player you could say.

“You can see what’s going on out the field and you can understand the game a lot better looking in from the sideline. Hopefully, when I do get back I’ll be able to take a lot from watching on.”