Comerford’s tribute to young guns and selectors as game plan works out

A day to remember for O’Loughlin Gaels captain Martin Comerford in Nowlan Park yesterday, his third county medal, and relief that finally, they are back on top of the heap in Kilkenny.

“The feckin’ pressure we’ve been under for the last two weeks, I don’t think I can take any more of it – living close to the co-manager, he’s on the phone every second minute!”

The ‘co-manager’ of course is Martin’s older brother Andy, former Kilkenny All-Ireland-winning captain but now in tracksuit and bib, giving the orders on the sideline and in training.

Andy it was who, along with Mick Nolan, plotted the course for the Gaels this year, and a tough course it was. The semi-final win over the five-in-a-row-seeking Shefflin-less Shamrocks set them up, but yesterday, says Martin, yesterday was the summit.

“Yeah, a great day. Conditions were great, suited hurling down to the ground. We had put in a huge effort all year in training, a good young crop of hurlers coming through in the club, a very enthusiastic bunch – a very physical bunch as well, which stands to you in the kind of tight games we had throughout the year.

” I suppose Michael Rice (Carrickshock’s county centre-forward) going off injured swung it in our favour in the end, but we’re very, very pleased with our victory, being underdogs.

“The forwards worked very hard when Carrickshock had the ball; the game-plan was to put them under pressure with their clearances, not give them a chance to pick out Richie Power, and then if the ball did to go him, to try to flick it away as fast as possible. Fair play to Andy (the brother) and Mick Nolan, they had their homework done.”

Mention of Richie Power; the Carrickshock full-forward has had another tremendous season with club and county, recently won another All Star award, and yesterday again looked dangerous every time he got near the ball. Nevertheless he was really well marked by recent Kilkenny U-21 county player Andy Kearns, one of two brothers in the O’Loughlin Gaels full-back line, both of them live county prospects.

Said Martin: “Andy (21) did a great job on Richie – himself and Eddie (19) are two up-and-coming players in the club, very physical players, big, strong chaps. They have a history of boxing, won Leinster championships, and that stood to them out there, they’re well able to hold their own in the physical stakes.

” We’re delighted with them, they’ve been improving over the last few years but they came of age today.”