Shanahan stays focused on Cork

Normally the recipients of the Vodafone Player of the Month are hounded over their performance, analysed until paralysed.

For Waterford hurler Dan Shanahan, in Dublin yesterday to collect the May award, the hounding drifted naturally towards Kilkenny, the All-Ireland champions downed in Leinster for the first time in seven years by Wexford.

It could be assumed that those counties still in the hunt for the All-Ireland hurling title - including Waterford - would feel Wexford did them all a favour by beating Kilkenny. Shanahan sees it a little differently.

If Waterford fall to Cork in the Munster final on Sunday week, then they come back into the same rocking boat as the All-Ireland champions - provided, of course, Kilkenny beat the losers of the Dublin-Offaly Leinster semi-final final.

"You just have to look at that draw on Sunday night," he says. "I mean, if we lose our Cork match then we're back into a dog war again. Kilkenny or Galway are the only teams we are likely to get. So of course we'll be all out against Cork, because it's all about winning.

"We didn't win a trophy against Clare or Tipperary but we can win one against Cork. And our main ambition is to win the All-Ireland. We believe now we have the ability to win it."

Shanahan also believes Kilkenny will come back into that All-Ireland mix. While admitting he was a little startled at their defeat on Sunday, he also feels Kilkenny still have the power to have a major say in the destination of this year's title.

"Of course I was a small bit surprised. Just because Kilkenny are Kilkenny, and you'd nearly expect to cruise through a game like that. But I was looking through the papers during the week. And the only Wexford people who seemed to be talking were Larry O'Gorman and Liam Dunne. Just like ourselves the week before when only Stephen Frampton was talking.

"And then Wexford had just totally different tactics altogether. The short puck outs were outstanding, and so was Darragh Ryan. David O'Connor was supposed to be having a bad year too. But you could go through the whole team. They were all brilliant.

"But then Kilkenny weren't that bad either. So I expect them to bounce back twice as dangerously. And God help the teams that have to play them over the next few weeks."

Shanahan's own fiery form kick-started with Waterford's league final when he scored 1-3 in the defeat to Galway. A week later he collected 3-1 in the hammering of Clare, and he added two more goals in the Munster semi-final win over Tipperary last Sunday week.

At 27, the Lismore forward is clearly a hurler in his prime, yet Shanahan has had to endure his share of lows since breaking into the senior panel in 1998, a season he ended as an All Star nominee. Last summer, his first championship start didn't come until the Wexford qualifier, and even his league form this season had been a little inconsistent.

"I felt I'd been scoring in every game," he adds, "but I'd been taken off against Cork and Tipperary the week before, so I just decided to go out in the league final and play the game and forget about the pressure.

"The one thing you can't do is give up, because if you throw in the towel, you'll be answering to all the critics out there. I just kept my head down and did a lot of hard work myself."

During the Clare game, Shanahan was a revelation; getting into acres of space; moving in behind the full forwards and becoming a ball watcher in the best possible sense. But there's only so much of that he can explain.

"Look, I can't be giving away my secrets. You make your own space, and of course you wouldn't be doing that if the right ball wasn't coming in. It happens sometimes at training on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but still it isn't a planned thing. But look, I don't want to give too much away in case Seán Óg Ó hAilpín is reading this. To be honest, though, I'm just keeping my eye on the ball and hoping for the best.

"And as Justin McCarthy is always putting across to us, this is a 30-man panel. I'm marking someone different every night at training. Someone big and strong, or small and fast. Or both."

Shanahan knows as well as anyone just how loud Waterford are crying out for an All-Ireland title. And while Kilkenny's defeat has provided a minor distraction, the focus remains firmly on their own date with Cork.

"Of course it's hard to ignore all the talk on the streets. But we'll never get carried away. And I know I'll be stabbed in the back if I don't perform against Cork."