Meyler hoping to face JBM

Cork hurling manager Jimmy Barry Murphy could be plotting against a familiar face in his first competitive match back in charge of the Rebels if Kerry defeat IT Tralee in the preliminary round of the Waterford Crystal Cup this Sunday.

With Murphy’s former St Finbarr’s and Cork hurling team-mate John Meyler in charge of Kerry for a third season, both men know that a Kingdom victory at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney (2pm) this weekend will set-up a tantalising provincial showdown between the two early next month, in the quarter-finals of the competition.

“We played together for around 10 years with the Barrs, football and hurling, and there were a couple of league and championship games with Cork as well, so we certainly aren’t strangers,” Meyler explained

“It’s great to see him back with the Cork hurlers. The reports coming out are very positive and it looks like they have some serious training done. Jimmy and Ger Cunningham have been through the mill, they have won All-Irelands, and they know what it’s like to win All-Irelands. They are working extremely hard, which is good for Cork hurling.”

While both Meyler, as a sub, and Murphy were on the 1986 All-Ireland winning Cork panel, friendships will be parked firmly to one side if Christy Ring Cup champions Kerry can claim their first ever Waterford Crystal Cup win against IT Tralee, having lost their previous six matches.

“It’s an incentive to know that Cork are waiting. It’s important to play the top teams every now and then just to give you an indication of where you are and where you stand,” Meyler said.

Without five-time All-Ireland winning former Kilkenny hurler Willie O’Dwyer this weekend as he is on holidays, Meyler wants a strong run in the provincial competition to set Kerry up for an assault on Division 2 of the National League.

The former Cork hurler said: “This competition gives us the chance to get a few competitive hurling matches before the start of the league.

“Division 2A is very competitive this year, from a Kerry viewpoint, with Carlow, Westmeath, Down, Derry and Wicklow all in. Every team is expecting to win that league and go into Division 1B; we all share the same goal.”