'We're not going to get ahead of ourselves' - James Mahon
By Kevin Egan
When YouTube or TikTok creators go about splicing together game footage to try and capture the ever-shortening attention spans of their audience, the trickery and wristwork of attackers like Adam Screeney or Charlie Mitchell will usually be the main ingredient introduced to the pot. An alternative approach might see those same editors look for the big hitters, or the hatchet men.
In neither editorial approach will James Mahon feature prominently. The Kilcormac-Killoughey and Offaly U-20 hurler is usually found in the full-back line, but in the face of a promising opposition attack, Mahon prefers to defuse rather than demolish the threat, to wield a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer. Outstanding positional sense, immaculate timing and quick, thoughtful use of the ball are the most important tools in his kit.
Don’t, however, mistake that more cerebral approach for a lack of passion.
“I wouldn’t be at it if I didn’t love it,” he said with a smile, when asked about effectively hurling non-stop for two years.
“It is good to be able to do these things, a lot of lads can’t do it. I don’t find it much of a workload. We got our break after the county, a week or two off and then we were lucky with the way the fixtures went. I just love the game and want to stay hurling.”
The Kilcormac-Killoughey backline could face an interesting test on Sunday against Ballinamere if Cillian Kiely is unable to line out, but Mahon expects Kiely to play a part, but also for the team to adapt if he cannot do so due to his thumb injury.
“Conor (Slevin) brings huge experience, he’s around a long time and he’s a great help in guiding us from the goal. We played a few practice matches without Cillian but hopefully now he will be fit, he will be doing everything he can.
“We played a few matches without Cillian earlier in the year and it was no bother. You have Brecon Kavanagh playing centre-back on the U-20 team and he would be well able to fill in there and you have loads of lads on the line as well. It is a 20-man thing and there are lads as good as anyone on the team.
“There is a lot of competition for jerseys and every night in training you have to be on top of your game to try and get in the team for the weekend. Competition is massive. I knew when I came back with the club after last year that I needed to put the head down and get onto the team and try maintain my spot after the first day.”
Expectations are growing that this Kilcormac-Killoughey group could also make waves outside the Faithful County. For Mahon, who last year played at full-back on the team that won the senior 'B' title, his only concern is getting his hands on a first county senior 'A' medal.
“We are not going to get ahead of ourselves yet,” he said.
“In the next few years we hope to drive it on and get silverware in bigger competitions down the road, but we are not forgetting that we’ve a lot of work to do before we can earn the right to think about that.
"We are still very young, and Sunday is the big one to qualify for Leinster. The goal at the start of the year is to win the county final. You don’t think any further ahead of yourself because if you do you will just get shot in the foot straight away,” he concluded.