Tipperary captain Eoin Kelly is ready to take on the Cats this weekend, as the sides meet for the third time in succession in the All-Ireland final – a first for the senior hurling championship.
The Mullinahone ace says there is no pressure on his side, despite Tipperary's failure to put two All-Ireland senior titles in succession since the 1960s.
“I don't think there is any pressure on Tipperary going into this final,” he said.
“Our performance going into the semi-final against Dublin wasn't what we expected it to be, so we know that we have to up our performance if we are to do the business against Kilkenny, especially a Kilkenny team that is well used to playing in All-Ireland finals.
“It is a massive challenge that we have on our hands now.”
Dublin pushed Tipperary all the way in that All-Ireland semi-final, and Kelly says it is the best way for his side to be approaching an All-Ireland decider knowing that improvements are required.
“Our objective on the day was to win the semi-final and get into an All-Ireland final and we have done that,” he said.
“Our performance wouldn't win you an All-Ireland. There is work to be done, we have started already and an improved performance will be definitely needed the next day.
“You have to give Dublin credit as well. They were really up for the challenge, they have some fine hurlers as well and I'm sure we will see more from them in the future.
“From our point of view we know that we have to up our performance because we know that Kilkenny beat Dublin fairly well in the Leinster final and definitely Dublin are one of the top three teams in the country this year and we have seen that.”
Kelly says that there is a huge respect between Tipperary and Kilkenny and that will once again manifest itself this weekend.
“Tipperary and Kilkenny have probably got more familiar with each other the past couple of seasons than maybe in previous years, but there is a great respect and a great rivalry between the two counties and that will continue after the All-Ireland final,” he said.
“From a neutral point of view, there is after being some serious games served up and I'm sure that is what the neutrals will be looking for.”
Kelly is impressed with the strength in depth at Brian Cody's disposal.
“He probably has a more experienced squad than ourselves,” Kelly said.
“We have a lot of fresh guys in this year from the under-21 last year, so this is new to them.
“Kilkenny have the bit of experience not only in the team, but in the subs bench as well. We have seen that you need your subs coming on to make an impact as well,” he said.
“It's certainly a big challenge for us ahead.”
