Small in stature but big in heart.
You have to come through the school of hard knocks to make it as an inter-county hurler and on his first start in the famous black and amber jersey, Luke Scanlon learned all about that.
But the James Stephens attacker is made of stern stuff and he rode the tackles, shipped the blows and bounced back from the raps.
It was a tough day for the Kilkenny forwards in Pearse Stadium on Sunday. The Salthill setting is as claustrophobic as any pitch in the country and the surface was still visibly cut up by the recent Ed Sheeran concerts.
Then, you’re up against the bloodthirsty hounds that are the Galway defenders. Backboned by the sheer bulk of Gearoid McInerney at half back, Daithí Burke minds the square behind him like a pedigree Guard Dog.
The Tribesmen are on a different level entirely https://t.co/oS4Qk9kiQJ
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 28, 2018
Surrounding them you’ve the power of Padraig Mannion, the tenacity of Adrian Tuohy and up against lads like these you know you have to earn absolutely every single ball.
Luke Scanlon wasn’t found wanting out there. Probably the smallest player on the pitch, the slight, dainty corner forward has plenty of fight about him and he never took a backward step in the cauldron.
His game isn’t about physicality anyway, it’s speed, of foot, of thought and of hurling and with these he caused the bigger Galway men plenty of problems out there.
After doing well to win a few early possessions, he showed what he’s all about on minute 19 when he controlled a pinpointed Conor Delaney delivery at his will before swinging over the score of the day under the flaking pressure of Aidan Harte.
Lovely touch from Luke Scanlon, landing it it over the bar! pic.twitter.com/R6R8SkQQ4v
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 27, 2018
Ten minutes later and Scanlon was in the thick of it again. He was in the wars again.
Picking up the ball forty yards from goal, he only had eyes for one thing and that was the back of the Galway net. The James Stephens attacker put the head down and he stayed going bravely.
Daithí Burke was just lining him up, waiting for his moment. With Scanlon’s eyes firmly planted on the ball, the hardest man in hurling bulldozed into him with an impact that would have been nore at home on the rugby field.
TJ Reid rattles the net from this penalty! Goal! pic.twitter.com/qSpdizrl19
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 27, 2018
Into the danger zone he went…
The Tribesmen converged.
Out comes Daithí Burke, and bang…
It was high, it was overzealous and it could have seriously hurt Scanlon.
But less than a minute later, the spirited forward was back on his feet and fist pumping after TJ Reid buried the resulting penalty.
The umpire even felt that one…
Video Credit: RTÉ Player
Daithí Burke was a lucky man…
