Fan backs Philly to go all the way
IN stature, he’s a bit taller and fills the jersey more but you can see striking similarities between Philly Larkin and his famous dad Phil, better known as Fan.
Five times an All-Ireland winner and one of the great characters of the game, his own father Paddy was a member of the team which beat Clare in the 1932 final, bringing him the first of four medals.
Two generations later, at 29, Philly has just two and suggests he might be happy to walk away from the game with one more. Fan says he could always see Kilkenny getting to this year’s final. “After they won the League, the only team going to beat them was Tipp. We were hoping last year we would meet them but Galway spoiled us,’’ he says.
“I wouldn’t say the six week’s lay-off came against Kilkenny. They were geared to playing Limerick but Wexford beat them. Kilkenny weren’t ready for Galway - and you know what they are capable of. They always play one good match every year. Every now and then they’ll come good, except that they find it very difficult to put two good matches together.’’
Brian Cody is a former team-mate - they shared in James Stephens’ two All-Ireland club wins in 1976 and 1982 - so he knows him well and appreciates his style of management. “He’d be very good at it, because he knows his hurling,’’ he says. “He has been through it all. Brian would be very sincere and very fair, but he’d be doing it is own way. Nobody would change him.’’
When Kilkenny met Offaly in the 1998 All-Ireland (under the management of Kevin Fennelly), Philly lined out at midfield alongside his club-mate Peter Barry. A year earlier he partnered Andy Comerford and in the 2000 final, he and Barry were the two wing-backs. For much of the last two seasons he has been operating in the corner - and making a fine job of it.
“In Brian’s first game after he got the job, we played Cork in the National League and he picked me corner-back.
“I never played much there, except when I was very young and when I was in my first year senior with The Village (James Stephens),” he points out. “I’d prefer to be playing out the field to be honest.’’
He was taken off in the Leinster final against Wexford, a decision which surprised many people. He says he was more disappointed than surprised. “All I could do was fight for my place for the All-Ireland semi-final. I wouldn’t say it drove me on. Everyone was fighting for a place. Training was very competitive.’’
Showing the same competitive streak as his father and displaying a lot of his cuteness, he emerged one of the stars - even though Tipp star Eoin Kelly was still prominent at stages.
“All the backs did well that day,’’ he says modestly. “Our forwards worked great when they hadn’t the ball. It meant that the ball coming into the Tipperary forwards wasn’t perfect (for them). That made a difference to us in the backs. That was the way we looked at it in the full-back line.
“Then you had JJ Delaney, Peter Barry and Richie Mullally in the half- back line stopping a lot of ball from coming in. Andy Comerford had a great game. He was disappointed too after the Leinster final but he came back well.’’
Fan is his biggest critic - and he’s known as a man who speaks his mind. And, acknowledging that corner-back wouldn’t be Philly’s favourite position, he says he wouldn’t be picking him there. Knowing him, I’d say he has probably told Cody this a few times.
“His best position is probably where he plays with the club, - and that’s number six. Up to this year Peter Barry always played left half-back, but he played centre-forward last year when we tried to change the team around. We tried to utilise the three county men (Brian McEvoy being the third) as best we could. Two years ago the three of them played in the half-forward line.’’
In further conversation what I found more interesting was to hear all three are accomplished footballers. Indeed, they would have ambitions (and the ability, according to Fan) to play with the Kilkenny juniors - except their hurling commitments would not permit.
Fan remembers his father talking about the 1932 final against Clare as being very close (3-3 to 2-3).
“I often heard him say they were lucky enough to win it. Tull Considine got a chance for Clare near the end, but Paudge Byrne hooked him and the ball was cleared. In those days it was a different game to now.
Philly speaks highly of the Kilkenny full-back Noel Hickey - a man you rarely if ever see in trouble.
“He’s as good as what’s around. He’s fierce strong and he’s very fast out to the ball,’’ Fan agrees. “He’s a very good hurler. We picked him on the minor team four or five years ago and he was only 16 at the time. He played left half-back the year Clare beat us in the semi-final. Definitely, Noel is a fine hurler. You could play him anywhere.”
Fan doesn’t go along with all the talk about the Clare backs being so tough. His attitude is that the game is tough, full stop.
“We’ll have forwards every bit as big as the Clare lads - and our lads won’t be one bit afraid of them.
“We’ll match physical for physical if it goes to that, but I think it will be an open game myself.
“The semi-final against Tipp was a good match. But it was more like a Kilkenny/Cork game. It wasn’t the way Tipp used to play before. Now they have fierce stylish hurlers - every one of them from the full-back line up. In the old days they’d stop you and then they’d hurl. Now, they’re hurling; they’re all going to the ball.’’
Philly feels that people aren’t focusing enough on the quality of the Clare forwards.
“They’re all able to score - and well able to travel too,’’ he.
“It will be on the day. It always is in a final.’’
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