Cats in better shape than last year, warns Hickey

If he was a cynical sort, Noel Hickey would have clapped himself on the back last summer and reasoned that he quit Kilkenny at just the right time before the inevitable decline of a great team, which their Championship results appeared to signify.

He didn’t, of course, and in fact tormented himself with ‘what ifs’ on the morning of the qualifier game with Tipperary, conceding he’d love to have been involved.

For the most part, he’s rarely regretted retirement though and, likewise, isn’t convinced that Kilkenny’s 2013 form was anything other than a blip.

Their form throughout this year would certainly indicate that the former full-back is on the money, having won every competition they’ve entered so far. On Sunday, Limerick will attempt to halt their gallop towards the All-Ireland title and hope they can catch Kilkenny cold after a tame enough Leinster championship.

“Limerick could do that, but we have heard that a lot of times before,” said Hickey. “I know myself that there would have been good matches in Kilkenny training and the boys would be up to speed. I wouldn’t be concerned about being undercooked or that. They are definitely in better shape than they were last year when they were flogged with matches and that didn’t work for them at all. They just seemed a tired team last year.”

If he had to put his finger on it, Hickey would suggest hunger was lacking last year. He suspected as much when he decided to retire the previous winter. “When it went to a replay against Galway in 2012, I got a feeling, ‘would lads come back as hungry?’ and I said to myself, ‘I’m out’. Looking at them last year, there was definitely a levelling off. That wasn’t that buzz as there was in other years. There was something missing, but it’s back this year.

“If you look back at 2013, they struggled to beat Offaly in the first round. They beat them in the end but this year they were back to being a bit more Kilkenny-like and they wiped the floor with them. They are definitely in better shape.”

Brian Cody has brought a renewed appetite to his panel by shaking it up with new players, particularly during the league. Ultimately, though, it is the old faces who are delivering most for him this summer, like TJ Reid and Richie Hogan.

“TJ was always capable of doing super things with the ball, even better than anyone else,” said Hickey. “He just wasn’t always consistent. He’d do a lovely thing and then mightn’t do anything for 10 minutes. This year he’s just a constant threat.

“I think TJ and Richie Hogan are the two on top form for Kilkenny. They’re leading by what they’re doing on the pitch, playing super hurling.”

On the issue of where Henry Shefflin and Tommy Walsh fit into the first team now, if at all, Hickey shrugged. A betting man would probably wager that Shefflin will start against Limerick though Walsh’s case is less certain, having not featured in the Leinster final.

“I hear Tommy is going well in training but I don’t know if he’ll make it or not for Sunday,” said Hickey. “It is hard when you are after playing for 10 or 12 years and are used to starting and playing in Croke Park. I certainly found it totally different to be sitting in the stand in my last year. There’s no comparison. I know it’s a panel but you can’t beat being on the pitch.”

Asked to call it on Sunday, Hickey naturally plumped for his county, with some provisos.

“There’s no pressure on Limerick,” he said. “You’d imagine their mindset will be to go out and tear into Kilkenny and give it their all. I’d see either team winning by a margin of maybe five points, no more.”