Joe Canning lauds fellow boy wonder Darragh McCarthy - 'The world is his oyster'

Joe Canning and Darragh McCarthy ended up on the same field together on Monday evening in Carlow for the Hurling for Cancer Research charity game.

Fri, 22 Aug, 2025 - 06:35

Paul Keane

Joe Canning remembers what it was like to take the hurling world by storm as a generational 19-year-old.

Darragh McCarthy did it this season with Tipperary, powering the Premier to All-Ireland U-20 and senior titles, while Canning himself exploded onto the scene with Galway in 2008, winning an All-Star and the Young Hurler of the Year award at his very first attempt.

Canning finished his county career with a single All-Ireland senior medal, from 2017, though McCarthy already has his tucked away.

The Toomevara phenom has a decade-plus of inter-county activity ahead of him too, if all goes to plan, and Canning says 'the world is his oyster now'.

The duo ended up on the same field together on Monday evening in Carlow for the Hurling for Cancer Research charity game.

"I was 19 as well when I started off, same kind of thing," said Canning of his own debut year. "I don't know if Darragh flew to his first Championship game though! Ger Loughnane was Galway manager at the time and had us flying up from Galway to Belfast for that match against Antrim.

"But yeah, it's a special time. I'd love to do it all again and Darragh has it ahead of him now.

"For a young fella starting off now, it's a little bit different to when I was getting going. There's so much social media now whereas it wasn't really there for me and the scrutiny wasn't as bad. It's a lot harder for players now I think, when everyone has an opinion and can voice it."

McCarthy registered eight points on his Championship debut against Limerick back in April. Weeks later he struck five more in the county's All-Ireland U-20 final defeat of Kilkenny.

But it wasn't all plain sailing for a player who was also sent off twice in his first season as a senior.

"It's never nice when you get sent off," said Canning. "It was great for him then to perform in the All-Ireland final after that, scoring 1-13, just great stuff. The world is his oyster now. Winning an U-20 and a senior in the one year, it's an incredible start.

"Sometimes it can be hard to stay at a level like that and you have to realise it's not going to be like that every year unfortunately, but he has good lads around him and Liam Cahill will look after him."

McCarthy showed in his first summer with Tipp that he's well able to handle himself physically, despite still being a teenager.

"Monday evening was the first time I was probably up close with him," said Canning. "He walked past me at one stage and he's well built! He's a serious tank of a young fella. He's well able to look after himself, don't worry about that."

McCarthy was one of the last players off the pitch after the charity game as he posed for selfies and signed everything put in front of him, from hurls to jerseys to match programmes.

But Canning said the beauty of the cut-throat hurling Championship is that we could be celebrating a brand new icon in 12 months' time.

There have been five different All-Ireland winners in the last 10 seasons, including Canning's native Galway.

The rise of Tipp this year, allied to the startling dip in form of 2024 winners Clare, has underlined that anything is possible again next year.

"I was only saying that to someone - Tipp winning it this year has given everyone a good lift," said Canning. "Look at last year, Tipp weren't able to get out of Munster - now they're All-Ireland champions.

"If you're one of those counties that hasn't gone well this year, you're looking at that and you're saying, 'If Tipp can do it, why can't we do it?' Now it's obviously not as simple as just wanting to do it but it definitely gives you hope. When the underdog wins it always gives the rest of the teams hope."