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Eoin Kelly's view of the All Ireland

Kelly backs Cats to overcome lack of competition

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By Brendan O'Brien

TIPPERARY'S Eoin Kelly doesn't believe that Kilkenny's relative lack of competition this summer will count against them when they face a battle-hardened Limerick side in next month's All-Ireland hurling final.

Limerick's unexpected odyssey began with the three-game saga against

Kelly's own Tipp side back in early June and Richie Bennis' side have

taken part in three more hard-fought encounters since then.

Kilkenny's season has been far more sedate with the quarter-final

against Galway the only occasion they were pushed out of the comfort

zone.

That is a scenario they are well versed in, according to the Mullinahone

man: ''Kilkenny are battle hardened from the last few years and the

Galway game was a good 60 minutes of championship pace. They were able

to pull away in the last five or ten minutes so that isn't their fault.

"Kilkenny know the challenge and they don't get complacent in any game

but it's good to see a new team in the All-Ireland final."

Like most neutrals, Kelly would love to see the Shannonsiders cap their

fairytale season with a first All-Ireland title in 34 years but he

doesn't see the Leinster champions being "caught" on the day.

"Kilkenny are a step above everyone at the moment and there are a lot of

teams then on level par. Any of those teams on any given day you could

see as All-Ireland contenders. Limerick are fitting that bill this year

and you would give them a chance but Kilkenny are obviously raging hot

favourites."

The tag of underdog has not been a burden to Limerick so far. They upset

the odds with their eventual defeat of Tipp while last Sunday's win

against Waterford was nothing short of a seismic shock to the system.

"It has been a good hurling championship this year. The games have been

flying in and out every week and you have to get up for them," said

Kelly.

"Waterford didn't play totally badly. They got caught in the first 10,

20 minutes and they pegged them back. Limerick got the goals and goals

win games."

As Kelly admits, the victory over Tipperary just over seven weeks ago -

their first Munster Championship win in six years - was the springboard

from which everything else has come for Limerick.

Far from thinking what might have been had Tipp emerged victorious from

that second replay, Kelly instead sees their neighbours' progress as a

source of optimism for the years ahead.

"It gives a lot of teams the confidence to say that we could be in the

final. It will be interesting to see how they get on."

Kelly himself is fully over the groin strain which hampered the latter

stages of his inter-county season, one that ended on a sour note with

former manager Babs Keating criticising his fitness levels.

Tonight sees him in action for his club against Upperchurch and it is

forwards rather than backwards he is looking: "The year is over at this

stage and I'm just looking forward to next year, especially with the

minors in the final," he said when asked about Keatings' comments.

"It's great to have a Tipp team back in a final. If they could win it

would be great.

"We (the seniors) haven't got past the quarter-final stages in the last

couple of years so we would be disappointed with that. There's players

coming through with the minors back in the All-Ireland final. It will be

interesting to see how they get on."