After capturing the 2007 title, Galway have now won two of the last three All-Ireland U21 hurling championships. Vincent Mullins managed both those sides to glory and the Ardrahan clubman is hoping the GAA will not follow through on its threat to axe the U21 competition. Galway claimed their second All-Ireland U21 hurling championship in three years with a 5-11 to 0-12 victory over Dublin at Croke Park on Sunday September 9. The Tribesmen did most of the damage in the first half when they found the net four times to take a commanding ten-point interval lead, 4-6 to 0-8. Conor Kavanagh (2) and Sean Glynn registered goals inside the opening quarter and Kerril Wade added the fourth major just before the break. Though Dublin gave it their all in the second half, the men from the west were never going to relinquish such an emphatic advantage. Substitute Noel Kelly rounded off the goalfest right at the death, to put the icing on a tremendous victory for Galway. Reflecting on the success, manager Vincent Mullins is understandably upbeat: "It was a great end to the year for Galway hurling. It was nice to get an All-Ireland after our minors losing and our seniors playing so well for so long against Kilkenny, before losing also." Vincent was also at the helm when Galway won the U21 All-Ireland in 2005, as he was for the '04 and '06 campaigns. Is it a case of the All-Ireland or nothing for Galway at U21 level? "It is. I think it's fair to say that we aim for the All-Ireland every year. I've been with the team four years and we always go straight into an All-Ireland semi-final. We lost to Kilkenny at the semi-final stage in 2004 and 2006. In 2005, we beat Cork in a semi-final in Limerick and a star-studded Kilkenny in the final. This year we set out our stall with a team that had won a minor All-Ireland three years ago and we knew we had the basis of a side that could go all the way." Vincent had a powerful backroom team working alongside him and is adamant that the huge input of these individuals contributed enormously to the All-Ireland win. Mike Ryan was team trainer, with Michael Donoghue and Sean McKeigue as selectors. Physio Noel Burke and doctor Ian O'Connor looked after the physical well-being of the players. Of course, playing a maximum of two games in an entire championship campaign can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, some will contend that it's too easy; but the juxtaposition of this is that there are challenges posed by the lack of competitive matches. The Galway U21s had goalkeeper James Skehill, full back Ger Mahon, centre back John Lee and corner forward Kerril Wade on the county senior panel, meaning the management never got to work with this quartet until three weeks before the championship opener against Cork. While this presents obvious difficulties, the manager was delighted to have a strong panel at his disposal: "If you didn't have the panel, you wouldn't have anything to fall back on. That's why we went with a squad of 31 and all those lads were integral to the All-Ireland success. The sad thing is that you can only name 24 on the day of the final. I don't know why Croke Park has made that decision but it's hard to leave lads out on the day of an All-Ireland final when they've contributed to your team all year." For once, Galway didn't have to cross swords with Kilkenny, who surprisingly lost to Offaly in Leinster. The Faithfuls in turn got done over by Dublin, which meant that only the Rebels and the Sky Blues stood in Galway's way in 2007. While it may sound like a relatively routine All-Ireland, Vincent insists that it was anything but: "Dublin were there on merit and have been in a lot of Leinster finals recently. When Tipp and Cork played in the first round this year, it opened things up a little, but you still have to go out and win games against decent opposition. "There is a lot of talk about getting rid of the U21 championship but I think this would be a disaster because it's a step closer to senior and it's a great competition. I have witnessed some amazing games - like our semi-final against Cork this year, for example. Of course, the structure isn't ideal. I'd love to see an open draw with ten or twelve teams and a back-door system. I think it would develop hurling big time." The Galway U21s started their preparations on June 18, once the club championships and Galway's participation in the NHL had been negotiated. They played challenge games against the likes of Dublin, Offaly and Waterford's intermediates as well as the Clare and Limerick U21s and strong club sides such as Athenry, Toomevara and Coolderry. The All-Ireland final was a huge occasion for all concerned, not least because it was played in Croke Park. Galway travelled up on the Saturday evening and the players were fairly relaxed. "They were cool enough and at times you would ask if maybe they were too cool," the manager notes. "We tried to keep our feet on the ground and make sure complacency didn't set in. That was always a danger with so many people saying - rather unfairly - that we would win easily." The early goalrush finished the match as a contest in less than 15 minutes. Interestingly, the whirlwind start was pre-planned: "Our plan was to hit them with early goals and fortunately that's how it worked out," says Vincent. "Our lads had played at Croke Park in an All-Ireland minor final and had a bit of extra experience. They settled quickest and it was very hard for Dublin to come back from those four goals." Where do Galway go from here? Will a steady flow of U21 titles keep their supporters appeased? "Winning another U21 wouldn't be the next big priority for Galway hurling. The main objective now has to be the Liam McCarthy. That's what we're building towards. We have to go out and win a senior All-Ireland." Away from hurling, Vincent Mullins is Toyota sales manager with Tom Hogan Motors in Ballybrit, Galway - one of five garages owned by the Hogan family. The other outlets are in Clonmel, Limerick, Shannon and Ennis. Tom Hogan Motors is a main Toyota and Lexus dealership and Vincent finds his employer - David Hogan - extremely accommodating when it comes to GAA affairs: "They know I'm steeped in it and they are great employers, in fairness. They're very partial towards the GAA themselves anyway." Vincent himself represented Galway at minor, U21 and senior levels. He was a member of the national hurling league winning panel in 1975. He also collected an Oireachtas medal in 1976. At club level, he collected three Galway SHCs with Ardrahan. He began his managerial career 20 years ago, by steering Ardrahan to their first U16 'A' championship in 1987. In 2000, he joined Josie Harte at the helm of the county intermediates and that resulted in All-Ireland glory in 2002, when Tipperary were beaten after a replay. Vincent also managed Connacht to Railway Cup success in 2004, with wins over Ulster and Munster. He has all the credentials of a future senior intercounty boss. Galway - 2007 All-Ireland U21 hurling champions: J Skehill; A Leech, G Mahon, C O'Donovan; M Ryan, J Lee, A Keary; D Kennedy, K Kilkenny (0-1); S Glynn (1-0), K Hynes, F Coone (0-2); C Kavanagh (2-0), J Canning (0-3, 1 sideline), K Wade (1-4, 2 frees). Subs - B Hanley for Glynn (30), A Harte for Kennedy (57), J Greene for Coone (59), N Kelly (1-1) for Kavanagh (59), P Loughnane for Leech (60) Tweet

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