Golden era not over – Kavanagh

As we head for Tullamore tomorrow and the Leinster SHC semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny there’s a question: who holds the most Leinster senior hurling championship medals?

Henry Shefflin, Eddie Keher, perhaps one of those Kilkenny lions from the days of Tullaroan and Mooncoin dominance?

Actually it’s Michael Kavanagh, the quiet man from Freshford who made the right corner-back position his own for over a decade with Kilkenny. Michael has 13 Leinster medals, 10 on the field of play, to go with the eight All-Ireland SHC medals (seven on the field), five leagues, four All Stars, plus All-Ireland titles at colleges, U21 and with his club, St Lachtain’s at intermediate level. And he’s not done. Just a few weeks ago he collected yet another All-Ireland, this one an Inter-Firm title with Response Engineering whom he works with as an accounts manager.

Who better then to look back over the reign of Kilkenny since 2000. That reign wasn’t just over Leinster of course; the nine All-Ireland titles tell their own story but, he says, don’t overlook the league either, the eight titles since 2000 showed that spring or summer it was all the same to the Cats.

“That’s some consistency but it’s no secret that Brian [Cody] values the league, he has always said that you can’t beat that winning habit,” Kavanagh said.

“The league is the second-most important competition, has always stood well to this Kilkenny team and they’ve shown the benefits of it, found talent for the championship. We saw it again this year, a championship-type league final against Tipp which stood them in good stead going into the championship against Offaly. They hit the ground running in that game.”

Indeed they did, gave Offaly the biggest beating they’ve ever given them, 5-32 to 1-18. Could it be said then that after failing to even make it to Croke Park last year, beaten early in Leinster and in the All-Ireland, a new era is about to begin for Kilkenny? Not quite.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the old era yet. Yes, many of the familiar faces are gone but there’s still a core there. The new era won’t really kick off until after Henry, JJ and Tommy depart, perhaps even Brian himself.

“There’s a lot of new lads there this year but a lot of lads too who’ve been involved in a lot of the victories, the likes of Jackie, Brian, JJ, Tommy, Eoin and all those, Henry is still there, still leading the charge. It’s a changed team from the mid-’00s but not the end of an era yet.”

And the mid-’00s is when Kilkenny really reached the heights.

“I think we were at the peak of our powers around ’08, the performance against Waterford in that All-Ireland final was as close to hurling perfection as that which we’d always been striving for. That team, that era, we were very much all in our prime, also injury-free. That team would have taken some beating. ’07, ’08, ’09, that was when we were really in our pomp, really flying. Okay it was disappointing not to do the five-in-a-row but that was our prime.”

And the best team they met?

“In the early to mid-2000s it was Cork, great battles with that team. They were a terrific outfit, fantastic athletes, hurlers all over the field as well. Then in the late ’00s it was Tipperary, the three-in-a-row All-Ireland finals against them, so it was broken into two eras really.

“The hurling landscape has changed again now, Kilkenny are trying to get back up there and this year hopefully that will happen, we’ll get back to Croke Park.”

Which brings us nicely back to tomorrow, Galway and Tullamore. First, Galway and the Leinster championship.

“I think it’s been a positive, has made it more competitive again. They’re here now for five years and Galway hurling needed a leg up as well — they were out on a limb in Connacht.

“We didn’t know what to make of it for a while but it’s been a benefit to us all. They probably hoped to be more successful than they’ve been, only one title, but Kilkenny have played them three times in Leinster ’09, ’10 and the final in ’12, and Galway won two, lost one, so they have a winning record against us. It means Kilkenny have to be on our guard every year now, in every game, on Sunday especially.”

And Kilkenny?

“There’s been a shake-up and it was needed, fresh blood after failing last year. But that’s always been Brian’s way, he phases in one or two every year — Paul Murphy, Colin Fennelly, Walter Walsh, Cillian Buckley, Richie Hogan since 2009. It didn’t happen as much last year but this year has seen Brian Kennedy, Pádraig Walsh and Mark Kelly in the starting 15.

“He found a few new panel places as well so competition is strong again, the way you want it.”