AFL 2024: Geelong mature-age recruit Shaun Mannagh opens up on his debut, his substitute cameo and his journey

Some would be miffed to debut in the green vest, but not Shaun Mannagh. The former VFL phenom reflects on his cameo with the game on the line and his long journey to the bigtime.

Shaun Mannagh receives his jumper from James Saker. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

When you have waited until 26 to make your AFL debut, an extra couple of hours doesn’t feel so long.

Shaun Mannagh started his first game for Geelong in the green vest and while some may have felt a little miffed, the selfless and ever grateful mature-age recruit was just happy to get on.

“Nothing short of amazing, it’s what you dream of doing as a young kid so just try to stay as calm as I could throughout the week and there’s obviously a lot of people wishing you well which is amazing, so it was really nice,” Mannagh said.

“And then family coming down and making it really special so it’s just about trying to keep my mind active and not think about footy too much and then get to tonight and try to explode.

“I knew I was going to be the sub coming in and I don’t find it disappointing at all. I think my first AFL game, if that’s playing as sub or playing on the field it is still the same thing. I’m really grateful for the experience and hopefully I’ll just build on that from there,” Mannagh said.

“I knew throughout the week that when Scotty told me it could be at any stage and you don’t hope for any injuries.”

Chris Scott speaks with Shaun Mannagh during the match Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The former Werribee VFL phenom prepared to come on in the first quarter when Tanner Bruhn went down the race to get his ankle checked, but he came back up the race and played on.

Mannagh finally got his shot late in the piece, replacing the cramping Tyson Stengle at the three-quarter-time break, and he certainly gave the Cats a spark in a tense final term with the game on the line.

While his stats will show five kicks at 40 per cent efficiency and two tackles, he provided an exciting glimpse of the high-impact forward half play that that was all over his scouting report.

His first kick was somewhat fortunate after being run down, but the clever soccer off the ground got it off to Oliver Dempsey who centred a pass to Zach Tuohy for a much-needed Cats goal.

Mannagh still managed to get this one away to Oliver Dempsey. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Mannagh then shot up like a jack in the box after laying a tackle on the wing, gathering in congestion and quickly selling candy to a would-be St Kilda tackler before banging it forward.

The Lavington product then cleverly roved a pack inside 50 with his snap on goal thwarted by a desperate lunge form St Kilda skipper Jack Steele.

Then with 80 seconds left on the clock, Mannagh found himself in space close to goal but his shot was smothered by the oncoming Zaine Cordy.

Mannagh had another near-chance in the dying seconds with a banana that looked to be dribbling close to goal, but this time it was touched by an unlikely source.

“It actually come off ‘Hawk’ (Tom Hawkins’) head so it was always going to be a point but we thought we’d try and cheer it home anyway,” Mannagh said with a laugh.

“It is pretty indescribable. That crowd was going off and I’ll have to savour that for a long time, that’s for sure.”

Mannagh's Moment 🫶 #WeAreGeelongpic.twitter.com/3VfGL4K5EV

— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) March 16, 2024

It says a bit about the dedicated Mannagh that his first thought was to refine these almost moments.

“I’d like to think that I got myself in good positions to impact the game but I just didn’t finish off so I’ll work on that throughout the week and hopefully go to Adelaide next week, that’d be awesome,” Mannagh said.

“I had to bide my time and I knew when I came on I had to make it count and missed a couple, but it was good to be out there, fans were bloody amazing, it was something else.

“Just those little half chances, that’ll be the difference between being a consistent AFL player and first game so I got in the right spots which was the positive thing but next time I’ll have to finish them.”

He is no certainty to face the Crows next week, but Scott’s face lit up when he spoke about Mannagh post-game.

“He’s got some real energy, it would have been fitting if he could have tipped over one of those goals, but it’s a great story full stop. I tend to be more pleased for the guys that, he would have been up and about and bubbly if he didn’t get a game tonight,” Scott said.

“He’s one of those guys that everyone’s happy for because he’s happy for his teammates, and you can just see he’s relishing his chance. I’m sure in part he’s thinking, ‘what took an AFL club so long to get me on a list’, but that’s fair.”

Instead, Mannagh has been hellbent on making his AFL lifeline count.

Mannagh with friends and family before his debut. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Being that bit older I had to prove myself pretty early so I tried to, at training and in the drills in match play do as much as I can to stand out, within the structures of the team obviously but played to my strengths a little bit and be a good person off the field as well.

“Because that’s what the culture is down here, they don’t draft dickheads and I’m lucky that I got to this great club and I’ve just got to repay all that faith they paid in me.”

There were moments where Mannagh wondered if the bigtime had passed him by, but he continued to persevere.

“Obviously there is stages where you start to doubt yourself a little bit. But then I kind of turned it into a bit of a positive where, ‘if I’m not going to make the AFL, then I’m going to play the highest level of footy I can and be the best player I possibly can be in that league’,” Mannagh said.

“VFL is the best competition outside the AFL in Australia, so I tried to prove myself at that and I obviously had a great club at Werribee that have a proud history of getting people drafted and we had a bit of team success, which led to me getting a bit of personal success here. Never gave up on the dream and I’m so glad I didn’t, because I wouldn’t be here now.”

Saturday night’s cameo was just a sneak peek, and there is no doubt he will do everything in his power to become a key player for the Cats.

Originally published as AFL 2024: Geelong mature-age recruit Shaun Mannagh opens up on his debut, his substitute cameo and his journey