Kenny hoping Tribe start afresh

On the one hand in Sunday’s Leinster SHC final in Croke Park you have Dublin, four huge games in four weeks, a draw and a replay before Wexford were conquered, another draw and another replay to slay the dragon, send Kilkenny to the qualifiers.

On the other we have Galway with just one game, a tester against huge underdogs Laois three weeks ago before eventually getting on top in the final 10 minutes.

Very different routes, but are Dublin battle-hardened or battle-weary? Galway undercooked or fresh? Pros and cons either way, says Galway coach/selector Mattie Kenny. “It is very different but you look at it from a Dublin point of view, between Wexford and Kilkenny they’re after getting four very good games. They can settle on a team, see what players are on form and you can see Dublin as a team have grown over those four games, they’re growing as the championship goes on. Galway on the other hand, after the Laois game you might say we’re coming in a little bit fresher, now we’ve got to get that championship run going. There are advantages and disadvantages on both sides but these are things you have to overcome in championship.”

The three-week wait apart, another challenge the Galway management team of Kenny, fellow coach Tom Helebert and manager Anthony Cunningham have had to overcome is that they didn’t know who they were going to be playing until last Saturday evening, reducing the opportunity for analysis of the opposition. Not that they’re going in blind, exactly.

“Well we knew it was down to two, obviously, Dublin or Kilkenny. We have played both of them several times in the last few years, played Kilkenny three times in championship last year and it’s only a little over 12 months since we played Dublin twice in the league relegation final (Galway won the replay).

“We’re very, very aware of what we’re facing, we’re also aware of what Dublin will bring. I was at both games (against Kilkenny) and was very impressed with the workrate and the attitude Dublin had. They were playing the reigning All-Ireland and current league champions but gave a very good performance on both days.

“We in Galway are well aware of the challenge that’s ahead. For us it’s about getting our game right on the day, make sure we’re operating well mentally and physically, make sure we stick to our game-plan and our style of hurling. We’re in a Leinster final, our aim is to go up to Dublin and give a very good performance. We think we’re in a good position to give that performance, to take the Galway game to Croke Park. If we deliver that performance, the result can look after itself.”

Croke Park will be a factor. A different surface to any other pitch in the country, full-size dimensions in length and width, neither Dublin nor Galway have played on anything like it this year. No advantage to either side then, says Kenny: “Every team that starts out in the championship, their aim is to get to Croke Park. It’s a fine pitch, great venue, gives players the opportunity to show their ability. To get there you need the level of fitness, the level of skill, and the game, and then hopefully deliver a performance. We were in the Leinster final last year, played there three times (All-Ireland final and replay also). Ultimately though the dimensions of the pitch don’t vary that much from venue to venue . The pitch isn’t going to decide this game; it’s the attitude of the players, the desire, the skills. When you get to Croke Park, when you get to a Leinster final, you’ve got to bring your game. If you don’t, irrespective of the opposition you’re going to be in trouble. Our sole aim is to work on our performance. For us it’s all about Galway, it’s all about our own performance. We understand completely the test Dublin will offer on Sunday but it’s about concentrating on ourselves, bringing our game to Dublin this weekend.”