'Five-in-a-row' talk is all the rage among media hacks, and the general hurling public this weather as Kilkenny begin their assault on making that dream become a reality for the first time in the 126-year history of the GAA; in a few weeks time.
Ballyhale Shamrocks Michael Fennelly, lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup last year, but he says the Cats have to treat this year’s All-Ireland Championship as if it were just like any other.
“To be honest, the five-in-a-row is there, but it is in the back of my mind,” Fennelly said at the launch of Ulster Bank’s GAA Rivals campaign in Croke Park on Monday.
I’m not really thinking about it or anything like that. For some people it is an incentive; other people are just looking at it as another All-Ireland. Whatever way you believe in it yourself, you use it to your own advantage.
“Personally, myself, I’m looking at it as another year, a new year. We are starting from scratch again and it’s another All-Ireland Championship to me.”
The Ulster Bank official waged a personal battle to force his way into the Kilkenny team as captain last year and faces a similar problem in 2010. Not having the captaincy duties this year, he admits is almost a relief, as he bids to nail down a spot in the Kilkenny midfield.
“Being captain, you’re supposed to start and it can get a bit awkward if you’re not a
first team player. I suppose there is a slight bit of pressure off," he adds.
“But at the same time I don’t want to be on the bench. I want to be in the starting line-up. This is my fifth year in the Kilkenny team and I want to be making progress. It’s been five long years and I’d want to be making a bit more progress this year, nailing down a spot.”
Fennelly didn’t play a single minute of Kilkenny’s league campaign due to his involvement with Ballyhale Shamrocks in the AIB All-Ireland and Leinster Club Championships, as well as a subsequent hamstring injury.
However, he is confident that he will be up to Championship pace by the time Kilkenny open the defence of their Leinster title on June 20.
“I’ve seen no league campaign at all which is a pity. The league games bring you on for Championship pace, but we are training for the last couple of weeks and we’ve three or four weeks until the semi-final, so we are getting ourselves ready,” added Fennelly, who spent the weekend at a training camp in Carton House with the Cats.
