It has been one hell of a roller coaster ride for Kilkenny fans since 1998. Lucky enough we've had more ups than downs during that period. It's a staggering statistic that during that time it was only twice that the Black and Amber didn’t feature.
Kilkenny have won a single (‘00 ), a double (‘03 and ‘04 ) and a treble ('06,'07,'08 ) in that period and we have beaten Offaly and all the Munster teams except the one that matters most, our deadly rivals Tipperary. The standard of this year’s championship has been ordinary enough to say the least but there is firm belief that this Sunday’s game will be a cracker. It may be 18 years since we have last met in an All-Ireland final, but matches between the two counties in the interim have remained ultra competitive whether it be league matches or All-Ireland semi-finals. This great team of ours that have given us so many great days in recent years are going for four-in-a-row on Sunday but funnily enough you wouldn't know it. The only focus among supporters and I'm sure it's the same with the players is beating the old enemy.
Why do we need to beat Tipp? It's simple and the same for the Tipperary people; it's all about the friendly bragging rights.
We've seen down the years how these two counties bring out the best in each other. In recent years we've had the upper hand, however it wasn't always that way. Since the millennium Kilkenny have beaten the Premier County in two League finals and how could we forget those two great All-Ireland semi-finals in '02 and '03?. The former was as good a game as I've ever witnessed and played in. Those great days were sweet indeed but they will count for nothing this Sunday. Tipperary are a different force this year, they made great strides last year by winning the National League and Munster championship but their youngsters weren’t hardened enough to mix it with an experienced Waterford outfit in the semi-final. This year they added a couple of more youngsters who have tasted success at underage level, the emergence of Brendan Maher, Paddy Stapleton and the hugely talented duo of Paraic Maher and Noel McGrath have been a blessing for the county. The latter two in particular have already become leaders on the field. There may be only four or five of the Tipp panel that have All-Ireland medals in their back pockets from '01 but the youngsters have won minor titles under current manager Liam Sheedy a couple of years ago. The manager knows at first hand the calibre of players he is putting his faith in and to date they have repaid him in spades.
Tipperary have reached this year’s final on the back of beating four Munster teams. Cork, Clare, Waterford and Limerick have all been put to the sword so no-one can question their passage. Kilkenny, too, had a tougher campaign than usual, Galway's arrival into Leinster saw to that. It didn't look good when Galway goaled after half-time on that balmy evening in Tullamore, it took the brilliance of Eoin Larkin and the arrival of Derek Lyng to get the job done. Kilkenny's campaign to date has been workmanlike, if not spectacular, on different days different players hit the headlines - Larkin against Galway, Comerford in the Leinster final, King Henry against Waterford. The Cats may not have needed everyone firing on all cylinders to get to this point but they will this Sunday, make no mistake. This Tipperary team won't be blinded by the headlights as Waterford were last September. They may have blown hot and cold in their Munster campaign but we can not bank on them wilting next Sunday. The Kilkenny players will have to be ready for the battle of all battles if they want to succeed. Liam Sheedy seems to have done a good job keeping his panel out of the limelight this week, he was shrewd enough to see the pitfalls that the Deise men fell into 12 months ago.
Looking at last Sunday’s All-Ireland football semi-final you couldn't but worry about the state of the playing surface for hurling’s big day. I sure hope it's a dry day...it will be some lottery if it rains. The playing surface has become so artificial looking, the authorities have a lot to answer for on this one, just when it seemed they had the balance right they decided to dig it up. The GAA can put whatever slant they want on it but at the end of the day they got greedy, U2's millions were more important.
So where will this year’s final be won and lost?. There are so many individual key battles that will have a bearing on the outcome. I expect Eddie to play centre forward at some stage, his lightening pace will surely put the Tipperary centre back Conor O'Mahony in trouble. King Henry against Paraic Maher - the Tipp youngster gave his more illustrious opponent plenty to think about in this year’s League final but Henry seems to be playing much better at present for both club and county. Jackie Tyrrell will want to set the record straight against Noel McGrath - the Village man showed his well-being by snuffing out John Mullane's challenge in the semi-final.
I don't expect Kilkenny to go route one as they did against Waterford. I expect the ball will be spread around a lot more in this game. Everyone is talking about the good start that Tipp have produced to date. If they have any chance of beating Kilkenny they will have to find a route to the Kilkenny net early because if roles are reversed and Kilkenny get off to a good start I don't see them coming back. Kilkenny can't afford to give the likes of Corbett, Kelly, McGrath and Co quality ball as they have already hit 14 goals in this year’s championship. I know six of them were against poor opposition the last day but still they are devastating when they get a run at you. I'm sure the Kilkenny management team will have a plan in place to counteract this, who knows it might mean Kilkenny dropping a lot deeper for Tipperary puck-outs- a tactic that worked very well against Cork in '06.
Team selection has been the topic of much debate over the last couple of weeks, at this stage it looks like the same 15 that started against Waterford will get the nod. There is one thing for sure, it will take more than 15 players to win this one - the bench will play a huge role next Sunday and this is where Kilkenny's strengths lie. They have a far superior bench quality wise than their opponents.
This week will seem like an eternity for the players, the hard training is over; it's all about killing time and staying focused and sharp. Like everyone else I have longed for this occasion to happen and now that it has I'm getting nervous...I suppose that’s only natural. I still think Kilkenny will have learnt more from playing Tipp in the league final than their counterparts will have learnt from Kilkenny. The pressure is on both counties to deliver next Sunday - for me it will be the Cats by 4/5 points. Hopefully Michael Fennelly can emulate his club colleagues Henry and ‘Cha by bringing back the Liam McCarthy for the 32nd time.
The minors set the day in motion when they take to the field against a fancied Galway side. They will be aware that a repeat of their second-half performance against Tipperary won't do this Sunday. A repeat of their brilliant first half display will be required if they want to retain the Irish Press Cup. They have the ability to get the job done and I’m getting the right vibes that they want to show a certain Galway manager that last year's victory was no flash in the pan. Myself and the staff of the Kilkenny Advertiser would like to wish both panels the very best of luck.
