Galway ready as Cats bring out big guns

IT was two years ago in Ballinasloe that Kilkenny manager Brian Cody first unveiled some of the talent that would go on to help Kilkenny to back-to-back All-Ireland titles.

Kilkenny lost 0-15 to 0-9, but look what they gained. JJ Delaney, last year's player of the year, at corner-back, Richie Mullally in midfield, double Allstar Martin Comerford at full-forward, Derek Lyng at centre-forward. Others such as Pat Tennyson, Aidan Cummins were also handed starting roles.

Tomorrow at Pearse Stadium, Delaney, Mullally, Lyng and Comerford are all in the starting line-up as Kilkenny bid to get their unprecedented treble double attempt back on track, following a surprising opening- round home loss to Waterford last week.

Galway captain Ollie Canning admits: "It's a heavyweight Kilkenny line-up. After losing the first day out, it means they're under a bit more pressure to win this one. Certainly they won't want to lose two on the trot, and they seem to have all their big guns out for us."

Galway are in a better position, a win over Dublin already in the bank, but with due respect to the metropolitans, these are cats of a different stripe. "We had our ups and downs in that game but we went up there for the win, to get the two points."

Even this early in the season, this is one of those guaranteed cut-throat games. Under the hugely-competitive Cody, Kilkenny are a driven side, and will be hungry to get their League challenge back on track. They realise, one more loss and they may not even make it to the next qualifying stage, never mind retain the title, the treble double dream dead right there.

For Galway, there is the growing desperation for Canning and company to win something, anything. Championship-wise, the '90s were a barren decade for the Tribesmen, an uncomfortable reminder of all those other barren decades until the breakthrough '80s. Last year, Canning finally got an Allstar award he should have got for the previous couple of years but, that's about all he's got. He wants more, wouldn't scoff at a League title.

A win tomorrow would certainly put them on the right road.

"We're overdue; every year that goes by without achieving something is a disappointment. We're trying very hard every year, there was only a point in it last year against Tipperary (in the championship), a point in it the year before against Clare, lost the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny the year before that. We're not far away.

"Sometimes you get the breaks, sometimes you don't; we didn't play particularly well against Tipp last year, went 20 minutes without getting a score, and yet we came within a score at the end, nearly got them. We need to work on our performances, starting this weekend."

Kilkenny show a number of significant changes from last week, specifically the recall of new captain Martin Comerford and Sean Dowling, both of whom suffered disappointment with the O'Loughlin Gaels loss to Newtownshandrum in the All-Ireland club championship semi-final; also returning, DJ Carey, and James Ryall, meaning that Kilkenny will have 12 of the 15 starters from last September in their line-up. Galway show just one change, enforced, the experienced Alan Kerins coming in for hamstrung Kevin Broderick. The flying Broderick is a loss, but Kerins won't be a weakness, so Galway too will have close to their strongest 15 on view.

This one could be, should be, the game of the weekend.

GALWAY : L O'Donoghue; D Joyce, D Cloonan, O Canning; D Hardiman, T Og Regan, F Moore; D Tierney, F Healy; J O'Loughlin, M Kerins, D Forde; A Kerins, E Cloonan, D Hayes.

KILKENNY: J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, J Ryall; R Mullally, JJ Delaney, S Dowling; D Lyng, J Tyrrell; J Maher, H Shefflin, T Walsh; DJ Carey, M Comerford, E Brennan.