ALL-IRELAND UNDER-21 HC SEMI-FINALS:JOE CANNING has admitted that Galway's enduring struggle in senior hurling is now "more a mental thing than anything else" – especially given their strength at underage level remains undiminished.

Galway are this year only rivalled by Dublin in their quest to dominate the underage ranks: both counties will this Saturday look to secure a place in the All-Ireland Under-21 final, to go with their showdown in the All-Ireland minor final – and indeed will start as favourites against Limerick and Antrim respectively.

For Canning, who first found fame as a minor and Under-21 All-Ireland winner with Galway, the lack of success at senior level is becoming more galling every year. He admits that last month’s quarter-final defeat to Waterford was another hugely disappointing end to the season, yet has given his backing to John McIntyre to continue for another year, saying the players themselves are ultimately to blame.

“We know on the day we didn’t really turn up, but I suppose they (Waterford) just wanted it that bit more after losing to Tipperary,” says Canning.

“It was more a mental thing than anything else I think. Even after playing badly in the first half, we were a point up at one stage, after giving them such an early lead. Just after half time they got the momentum, and Waterford are a team that thrive on the supporters, and momentum, and things going their way, and it was very hard for us to get back at them.

“But it’s definitely not a talent problem with us. We’ve all won All-Irelands at underage level, everybody on the team. So it’s hard for me to put a finger on it. It won’t be easy to fix.

“I don’t like thinking too much about the defeat to Waterford. I just try to move on to the next thing. There’s more to life than drowning your sorrows. But hopefully we will improve next year.”

McIntyre is known to be considering his future, even though he has another year to go on his term as manager. “Well it’s not up to us,” says Canning. “There’ll be a new panel next year, obviously. He does have another year, but there will be some meeting to ratify that. But I have good time for John McIntyre and the management. I don’t think it’s any of their fault. We were well prepared, felt good coming into the game, and it was just on the day we fell apart.

“But certainly when I was playing minor and Under-21 I would have hoped to have won a senior All-Ireland by now. I certainly would have thought I’d be playing in the month of August, at senior level. And I haven’t done that yet, in four years. We haven’t got past the All-Ireland quarter-final since 2005. That’s a massive thing for a county like Galway with such underage success.”

In the meantime Canning is carving out a new career as a hurley maker, with the family business, in Portumna: “We’ve been doing it for the last year. It’s going fine. It’s picking up a small bit with every bit of time. Some of the brothers were kind of out of work for a while so we’re just trying to start up a business and have a go at it.

“There’s a lot of competition, there’s a lot of hurley makers out there at the moment. We’re just trying to have good quality hurlers. A few of the guys are using them in Galway at the moment and even in other counties so it’s taking time but hopefully it’ll work out.”

Galway do have a difficult Under-21 semi-final against Munster champions Limerick, set for Thurles, but for Dublin, part of the challenge in facing Antrim will be getting over last Sunday’s narrow defeat to Tipperary, at least for Under-21 captain Liam Rushe.

“If we learned anything last year, it’s write Antrim off at your peril,” says Rushe. “They had a tough game against Armagh in the Ulster final. They will be battle-hardened coming in. They will certainly give us a game of it.”

Rushe admits Dublin are expecting Anthony Daly will be back as senior manager next year, and there’s nothing to suggest he won’t, but in the meantime he’s glad to have the Under-21s to fall back on: “It is a bit hard to build myself up for this game, but then it’s just as big as the last one was. Up in Newry, and another chance to get into an All-Ireland final.”