Star Joyce caps year to remember

Saturday may only have been Kieran Joyce’s second All-Ireland medal but it capped a remarkable season for the man of the match.

Along with his Kilkenny team-mates, he completed the league-Leinster-All-Ireland set on top of Rower-Inistioge’s considerable All-Ireland intermediate title in February.

Looking back on it, being away from the inter-county set-up to help seal that club victory hindered his prospects. An All Star nomination last year, his only start in a black and amber jersey this championship prior to Saturday was the drawn Leinster semi-final against Galway in June. Aside from that, all he had was a substitute’s appearance in the facile win over Offaly.