O’Dwyer ‘loving’ Kingdom life

Five time All-Ireland winning Kilkenny hurler Willie O’Dwyer is loving his new lease of life in the Kingdom.

Marking his competitive debut with two points in Kerry’s Allianz League defeat to Westmeath, a new chapter opened in O’Dwyer’s hurling career.

O’Dwyer (27) said: “It did feel a little bit different pulling on a Kerry jersey but I had played a few challenge games in the last month and the real challenge for me is trying to get back up to inter-county level. You only have a small timespan in your career and you want to play hurling as much as you can. I am based here in Kerry and it’s a move the makes sense, instead of pulling and dragging all over the country. The lads have made me feel very welcome, there is a great camaraderie and it’s a very good set-up. John Meyler and his backroom team have done a good job. If you compare where Kerry hurling is now to when they initially took on the job, they have progressed it a lot and it’s moving in the right direction.”

Living in Killarney and working with wind turbine company Enercom in Tralee, O’Dwyer believes that ‘competition for places’ is the difference between the top flight and lower tier sides.

“I was blessed to have been involved with Kilkenny for so long and I loved every moment of it but playing with Kerry has shown me a different side to hurling that lads with Kilkenny and Tipperary don’t get to see. There are equally as good hurlers in Kerry, Carlow and Westmeath that don’t get the limelight. Kilkenny and Tipperary are playing hurling at a different level. That’s evident enough to see, and you even see the likes of Galway and Dublin struggling to bridge that gap. The likes of Kerry and Westmeath are playing at a different level but the standard is still very good. The speed of the game is probably not as quick but the intensity of training gets them (Kilkenny) to that level. The competition for places is the secret to the success of the stronger counties, whereas the weaker counties probably don’t have as much.”