Comeback Carey raring to turn on the style in final

DJ CAREY doesn’t need to be encouraged to turn on the style for his club, to be as highly motivated as when he dons the black and amber. He’s not that type of person.

Despite all his success, the reputation he has earned and the respect in which he is held, he remains the same more confident, yes, and much more at ease in dealing with the media, but modest about his achievements.

On Sunday, in Portlaoise (2 pm), he lines out with Young Irelands, Gowran, in the AIB Leinster club final, against reigning All-Ireland champions, Birr. He doesn't need to be reminded it's an unexpected bonus for him and his team-mates, among whom are his brothers Jack and Martin, the captain.

It has been well chronicled how Carey made an unexpected return to the Kilkenny team for the All-Ireland semi-final game against Tipperary and how influential a role he played in that game and later in the final with Clare.

By his own admission, he had more or less given up hope of playing a part in this year's championship. He also acknowledges he might never have made it back but for the opportunities presented to him through his club involvement. Kilkenny County Board has a policy of playing off a few rounds of their championship in between their inter-county engagements.

"The club games I played in during the summer were important. I had a neck operation and then I had an appendix operation. I felt my fitness wasn't there, but the selectors felt otherwise,'' he said.

"If I hadn't club action and if we didn't have the system we operate in Kilkenny which means all players play with their clubs it's quite possible I wouldn't have made it back. It's as simple as that.

"We were playing competitive matches. You can't beat competitive matches, no matter what anybody says."

The irony is that having missed all early season training with Kilkenny, he has been busy with Gowran in their preparations for the club championship.

"I made a comment during the week that it's a nightmare going back to training in November. But, it has to be a dream still training in November. My year was gone, over, finished with. Now, all of a sudden I have won an All-Ireland, a county championship and we are playing in the Leinster final on Sunday. It's great. It's hard to get better."

Carey emphasised the benefits of a good championship run for a club, dwelling on the aspect that teams are invariably made up of brothers, cousins, friends and schoolmates. "The club is so much more meaningful. All the serious glory goes with inter-county obviously, but when it comes to the pure passion of things, it revolves around the club. These are mostly the unsung heroes who work at grassroots level and most of the players will never get to play with their county. And yet they are passionately involved and hurling for years.

"It's something very new for our club to be playing Leinster club championship. Gowran people are coming out of the woodwork at the moment following the team. We are having huge crowds following us and that's great.

"I have experienced it with the Kilkenny seniors, but most of our players would have only been used to club people supporting them. Now they have all of Kilkenny."

They also have the support of well-known Corkman Denis Philpott, a member of the county's first ever team to win the All-Ireland minor football title back in 1961 and a star with UCC in Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cup competitions over the next few years. He was brought in to help in the coaching of the team.

"Denis is a great motivator and a great GAA man. It's great when you have people involved who are really passionate about the thing and Denis certainly is all that,'' he said.

At a different level, Carey is loud in his praise for the role broadcaster

Eamonn Dunphy (who has Kilkenny family connections) is playing in helping the team's fundraising for their trip to South Africa in January. "I was very annoyed when the GAA announced we were getting €65,000 and then it turned out that Guinness and Leinster Council money we would have presumed we were getting, was included in that.

"In fairness to the GAA they have come up with extra money and we'd like to thank them for that. But to send so many people on a foreign holiday like we are planning takes serious fundraising. I was on the Eamonn Dunphy show complaining about the money we were getting and Eamonn rang me back and told he would help out.''

The result of his endeavours has been the promise of a 10,000 donation, which it is hoped will be enhanced by the proceeds from a concert in Dublin soon. "We are often clapped on the back and told how great we are, but quite often people are not prepared to back that up. Eamonn decided he was going to do something for Kilkenny hurling and this is absolutely huge. We're very grateful to him."