It’s a familiar tale, repeated over and over all across the country. A young player bursts on to the scene at a time when his county is on the crest of a wave, leaving him with the impression that it will always be like this.Cathal Mannion made his senior championship debut for Galway while still an under-21 in 2015, lining out at corner forward in the team that lost out to Kilkenny after a replay.Three years later he had played in four All-Ireland finals (counting two in 2015) and had his first Celtic Cross, and Galway had just won three of the last four minor titles. Few would have imagined that eight years later, he would go into the 2026 season with only a shared, Covid-era National League title added to his medal collection.It’s put to him that this represents quite the mental challenge for any player, and without answering the question directly, the way his response trails off is an answer in itself.“You play hurling at this level to play in big games and to win, and when that doesn’t happen ...”He cites managing expectations as a big part of the process, and how just playing the sport is enough to make it enjoyable, even if the outcomes haven’t matched the county’s ambition, and his own personal ambitions.“Obviously, the last number of years have been tough, but we just keep coming back. You set smaller targets for yourself each year, but we put so much time into it because we love doing it,” he said.“If you didn’t enjoy it, you wouldn’t be doing it, definitely not. Obviously, there has been a lot of tough days, but the good days probably entice you to keep coming back. And if you keep looking back, you won’t enjoy it as much. You’ve a small window to play intercounty, you’re going to have more bad days than good days.”Galway were a distant second best to Kilkenny and Tipperary in their season-defining games to conclude the 2025 championship. But even allowing for that, Mannion did believe things would turn under Micheál Donoghue’s stewardship, even though he wasn’t aware of what would be involved in making that happen.Galway's Cathal Mannion and Conor Whelan celebrate after beating Dublin in the Leinster final. Photograph: Tom O’Hanlon/©INPHO “We know what Micheál and his team bring, we were obviously delighted to have them back,” he said.“They bring their expertise to the training ground and obviously implementing what they want, that’s our job to try and execute it as best we can. The panel has transitioned quite a bit, and with the young lads coming in, it’s just bringing great energy to the place.”In 2026, the emergence of some of those younger players, most of them in the forward division, means Mannion’s role has changed. Though he still wears 11, the Ahascragh-Fohenagh player effectively operates as a sweeping midfielder. He still chips in on the scoresheet, adding two frees and one wonderful long-distance strike from the Cusack Stand side of midfield against Cork last time out, but there’s a lot more graft and water-carrying involved, which he’s absolutely happy to do.“I’ve played midfielder a lot in my club all the way up. And as a midfielder you’re expected to help out at the back, so I haven’t probably seen it as a massively different role for myself.“The coaches have been excellent in that regard too. If you look at any midfielders now, it’s up and down the pitch and that’s your role. I’m no different, I try to do that and I try to do what’s expected. That’s the way it is now, that’s just the role of the modern-day midfielder.”[ John Kiely’s 2026 roadmap gave new meaning to leaving no stone unturnedOpens in new window ]It was this year’s Leinster final where Galway’s new approach to the game for 2026 became most apparent. And while the players had kept faith throughout the campaign that their new strategy and alignment would work out, getting vindication, in what was a key target for the team, really boosted their sense of belief that they were on the right track.“Leinster was a big target for us this year, winning that was definitely a very special day for us. We hadn’t won a Leinster in quite a while, so it meant a lot for the older lads that were there for all those lost finals and bad years. For everyone collectively, it was a big day and great to get silverware.“After that, it’s just game by game, you win and you just move on. We had four weeks to the semi-finals, we got back on the pitch and kept looking forward rather than looking behind us.”Looking forward, not looking back – what was for so long a survival tactic, has become key to Galway thriving in 2026.