Neil McManus

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

| code= Hurling

| sport = Hurling

| image =

| name = Neil McManus

| irish = Niall Mac Mánais

| fullname =

| birth_date = 1988

| feet = 6

| inches = 2

| occupation =

| county = Antrim

| province = Ulster

| club = Ruairí Óg

| cposition =

| clubs =

| clyears = 2005-present

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 3

| clprovince= 2

| clallireland =

| counties = Antrim

| icposition = Centre-forward

| icyears = 2007-present

| icapps(points) = 30 (7-112)

| icprovince = 5

| icallireland = 0

| nhl = 0

| allstars = 0

| clupdate =

| icupdate = 13:20, 11 June 2022

| birth_place=Cushendall, County Antrim,
Northern Ireland

}}

Neil McManus (born 1988) is an Irish hurler who plays as a centre-forward for the Antrim senior team.{{cite web|url=http://antrim.gaa.ie/teams/profiles/?id=217 |title=Player profile: Neil McManus |publisher=Antrim GAA website |accessdate=1 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716132656/http://antrim.gaa.ie/teams/profiles/?id=217 |archivedate=16 July 2011 }}

Born in Cushendall, County Antrim, McManus first played competitive hurling during his school days at St MacNissi's College. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Antrim minor team, before later lining out with the under-21 side. He made his senior debut in the 2007 championship. McManus has been a key member of the team since then, and has won five Ulster medals and one Walsh Cup medal.

McManus has represented the Ulster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions. At club level he is a two-time Ulster medallist with Ruairí Óg. He has also won three championship medals. Notoriously associated with Gnasher McLongtooth embroiled in a scandal where McLongtooth fielded McManus in an under 14 camogie game.

Playing career

=Club=

McManus plays his club hurling with the Cushendall Ruairí Óg club and has enjoyed much success. After a promising under-age career he made his senior debut as a seventeen-year-old in 2005. That year he won his first senior county championship.

Cushendall made it two-in-a-row in 2006 with McManus later collecting an Ulster club title.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/cushendall-crush-lynchs-to-take-ulster-club-crown-68407.html|title=Cushendall crush Lynch's to take Ulster club crown|publisher=Irish Independent|date=13 November 2006|accessdate=11 June 2011}}

After surrendering their county and provincial titles in 2007, Cushendall returned in 2008 with McMaus winning a third county title following another win over Loughgiel Shamrocks.{{cite web|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/gaa/cushendall-ease-past-loughgiel-13987213.html|title=Cushendall ease past Loughgiel|publisher=Belfast Telegraph|date=29 September 2008|accessdate=11 June 2011}} He later secured a second Ulster club title following a win over Ballygalget.{{cite web|url=http://ulster.gaa.ie/2008/10/20/ruairi-ogs-take-hurling-club-title/|title=Ruairi Ogs take hurling club title|publisher=Ulster GAA|date=20 October 2008|accessdate=11 June 2011}}

=Inter-county=

McManus first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Antrim minor hurling team. With the 'young saffrons' he won three Ulster titles in succession in 2004, 2005 and as captain in 2006. He subsequently joined the Antrim under-21 hurling team, winning his first Ulster title while still a minor in 2006. He won a second Ulster under-21 title in 2009.

McManus made his senior debut in 2007 in a National Hurling League game against Dublin.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Antrim/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=73617|title=Antrim draft in McManus|publisher=Hogan Stand|date=2 March 2007|accessdate=11 June 2011}} Later that year he made his championship debut in the provincial decider. A 2–24 to 0-4 trouncing of Down gave McManus his first Ulster title.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6716747.stm|title=Gaelic Games Clockwatch|publisher=BBC Sport|date=3 June 2007|accessdate=11 June 2011}}

In 2008 McManus missed the later stages of the National League and the entire championship campaign due to injury.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Antrim/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=94129|title=Double blow for Antrim|publisher=Hogan Stand|date=3 May 2008|accessdate=11 June 2011}} He returned in 2009 and has become Antrim's top score-getters.

=Inter-provincial=

McManus has also lined out with Ulster in the inter-provincial series of games.

Career statistics

=Club=

rowspan="2"\|Team !rowspan="2"\|Year !colspan="2"\|Ulster !colspan="2"\|All-Ireland !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score
rowspan="5"\|Ruairí Óg, Cushendall \|2005-06	1	0-00	0	0-00	1	0-00
2006-07	2	0-00	1	0-00	3	0-00
2008-09	2	0-01	1	0-04	3	0-05
2014-15	3	1-19	0	0-00	3	1-19
2015-16	2	0-15	2	2-14	4	2-29
colspan="2"\|Total \|10\|\|1-35\|\|4\|\|2-18\|\|14\|\|3-53

=Inter-county=

rowspan="2"\|Team !rowspan="2"\|Year !colspan="3"\|National League !colspan="2"\|Ring Cup !colspan="2"\|McDonagh Cup !colspan="2"\|Ulster !colspan="2"\|Leinster !colspan="2"\|All-Ireland !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Division	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score
rowspan="15"\|Antrim \|2007 \|rowspan="2"\|Division 1 \|3	1-04	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	1	0-07	colspan=2\|—	3	1-03	7	2-14
2008 \|2	0-04	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	0	0-00	colspan=2\|—	0	0-00	2	0-04
2009 \|rowspan="3"\|Division 2 \|5	4-03	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	1	0-03	1	0-01	1	1-00	8	5-07
2010 \|6	6-19	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	1	0-04	1	1-04	3	0-22	11	7-49
2011 \|7	4-46	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	0	0-00	2	0-15	3	0-27	12	4-88
2012 \|rowspan="4"\|Division 1B \|5	0-12	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	1	0-01	1	0-03	1	1-01	8	1-17
2013 \|5	1-41	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	1	1-05	2	2-09	1	0-06	9	4-61
2014 \|5	0-07	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	0	0-00	5	0-07	1	0-01	11	0-15
2015 \|7	0-07	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	0	0-00	2	1-02	1	0-01	10	1-10
2016 \|rowspan="2"\|Division 2A \|colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—
2017 \|3	1-05	3	2-19	colspan=2\|—	1	1-06	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	7	4-30
2018 \|rowspan="1"\|Division 1B \|6	0-62	colspan=2\|—	6	3-67	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	12	3-129
2019 \|rowspan="2"\|Division 2A \|2	0-02	colspan=2\|—	4	1-30	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	6	1-32
2020 \|6	4-33	colspan=2\|—	1	0-04	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	7	4-37
2021 \|rowspan="1"\|Division 1B \|4	2-06	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	colspan=2\|—	1	0-06	colspan=2\|—	5	2-12
colspan="3"\|Total \|66\|\|23-251\|\|3\|\|2-19\|\|11\|\|4-101\|\|6\|\|2-26\|\|15\|\|4-47\|\|14\|\|3-61\|\|115\|\|38-505