It's the last throw of the dice for Kenny
The Cork senior midfielder was on the losing teams of 2001 to UCD in a replay and 2004 to Waterford IT, and this weekend is his last chance to win that coveted medal as he leaves the Cork university with a Masters degree in Commerce at the end of the academic year.
The Grenagh man's only reward from hurling so far has been two senior All-Ireland medals with Cork, having failed to garner any honours at minor or U21 levels with the county. His passionate desire to add a Fitzgibbon Cup medal to his collection is understandable.
"A Fitzgibbon medal is second only to the All-Ireland and it is something I would dearly love to have now that my student career is coming to an end," said Tom.
"Of the two finals I've lost, the 2004 was the hardest to take. We had that game in the bag but couldn't put Waterford IT away, wasting some great chances, and we paid the price. The Fitzgibbon has become so competitive in recent years, I began to doubt I would ever win a medal.
"Thankfully I'm getting one final chance to win that medal, but it's going to take maximum effort and concentration on the part of myself and my team-mates to get it, because from what I've read, we are up against a very good UCD team.
"They went to Limerick and gave UL a bit of a trimming. They also denied me that medal in 2001, so you could say I have a score to settle with them.
"When playing Fitzgibbon hurling, it's not just yourself who has to play well, it's the whole team. You have to be a unit at this level. It's what makes the Fitzgibbon Cup so unique. Friendships are made that last a lifetime."
Looking to today's semi-final against their Dublin counterparts, Tom says UCC will be hoping for a more even spread of scores.
"In all our games this year it's been the same few players who are doing all the scoring. We need all the forwards to get in on the act. It's the only way you can be sure of winning.
"UCD have one big advantage over us in that most of their players would have played in the Leinster Club Championship, which would have given them quality matches as preparation for the Fitzgibbon.
"We weren't as fortunate in the Waterford Crystal tournament, but we did play a number of very good challenge games against the county team which stood to us, particularly for the quarter-final against Limerick IT.
"We played our best hurling to date in that game but, to be fair to LIT, they were without Eoin Kelly who would have made a big difference had he been fit to play."
There is so much talent on both the UCC and UCD teams that today's semi-final promises to be a thriller. It should get the Fitzgibbon weekend off to the perfect start, and Tom Kenny and his colleagues should remain on course for that much coveted medal.
