Kearney grows into Rebel role

Has the era of the hurling behemoths passed? Over the last 13 seasons of Kilkenny dominance the increasing size, strength and power of hurlers was becoming more and more of a factor.

Conventional wisdom was that to beat the Cats you would first have to match them physically. Galway, Dublin and Limerick all went down that route, all were seen as the sides most likely to topple the Marble citadel.

Well, Galway did it last year, in the Leinster final, Dublin this year in the provincial semi-final, but the team that finally drove the stake through Kilkenny hearts? Cork, with the tidy (5ft 9ins) Daniel Kearney and the taller (6ft) but more slightly-built (11st 7lbs) Lorcán McLoughlin alongside him. That day they were up against the powerful Eoin Larkin and the even more imposing Michael Fennelly, but in a triumph of the rapier over the broadsword, it was victory to Cork.

Tomorrow, then, the All-Ireland final, sees a changing of the guard. Kearney and McLoughlin up against two guys far more their physical match, Tony Kelly (6ft, 12st 4lbs) and Colm Galvin (5ft 10ins, 11st 5lbs). Not before time, reckons Kearney.

“When Cha Fitzpatrick quit [2011, lightly-built multiple All-Ireland-winning midfielder with Kilkenny] I read some quote where he said he couldn’t keep chasing Michael Fennelly up and down the pitch.

“It was a bit disheartening when you saw a similar player to yourself saying he wasn’t able for it anymore. But it’s the game I love. Whenever I get an opportunity to play that’s what I do.”

Fortunately for Daniel, just as he was beginning to really shine for his club Sars, along came Jimmy Barry-Murphy for a second stint as Cork senior manager. Jimmy knows what he likes in a hurler and in the young Kearney (still only 23) he liked what he saw.

“I think he had said before that he likes fast, skilful players and maybe I kind of fitted that. I wouldn’t be the biggest nor the most physical and if it had been another manager I mightn’t have got the call at all, but I was lucky enough to get it.”

It wasn’t luck, it was talent, hurling ability, pace and stamina. He’s neither the fastest nor the most enduring on the Cork panel: “Christopher Joyce is definitely one of the fittest, he does runs there and no one can keep up with him!

“The fastest is probably Conor Lehane or Cathal Naughton. Conor’s power is something else; he got a point against Dublin, fell on the ground but was able to get up, sprint away and get off the shot, a fantastic point — he’s fierce quick.”

It has taken him a while to settle, much of that down to his own lack of belief; Kilkenny finally changed that. “It probably does take you a year or so to find your feet and get the confidence that you can play at this level,” he said. “I wasn’t too confident in the beginning that I was up to it but we played one or two practice games in 2012 and I did okay.”

Then came Kilkenny this year, not once but on the double.

“We played them in the league in Nowlan Park, probably the best team of all time; in the back of your head you’re saying, ‘we’re up against it here’, but I did reasonably okay that day, happy enough with my performance. That gave me a lot of confidence for the championship match. In Thurles we just tore into them, all of us, I think every player that day took the game to them and that was huge.”

Which leaves us with Clare tomorrow.

“I marked Colm Galvin before, a great player, very skilful; Tony Kelly is probably the best young player in the country, maybe the best player in the championship this season.

“I think we’re evenly matched, very similar teams; it should be interesting to see how it pans out.”