Wary Cats won’t fall into comfort zone, warns Hickey

THE reality, sorry though it is, going into this Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final between Kilkenny and Wexford is that probably 95% of hurling fans heading to Croke Park and surely 100% of the rest of GAA land, expect nothing other than a win for the Cats.

Not as one-sided a non-event as the Leinster final, perhaps, a 2-24 to 1-12 cakewalk, but a win for Kilkenny nevertheless.

Not impressed, says Kilkenny full back Noel Hickey, not impressed at all. “Well, sure they’d probably say that, but if the players start thinking in those terms, we’re in trouble straight away. Tipperary might have been thinking like that last weekend going up to Dublin and we know where they are now (Wexford shocked Tipp in the quarter-final). We won’t be taking anything for granted, especially after the Leinster final — Wexford’s pride was dented, they came out and showed a different attitude against Tipperary, and they’ll be showing the same attitude against us on Sunday.”