Mikey Butler and O'Loughlin Gaels teammates primed for Leinster club SHC challenge after NYC getaway

Butler battles for possession in the Kilkenny Club SHC semi-final match against Bennettsbridge.

Mikey Butler has revealed how he geared up for Leinster club SHC duty with a training session in New York's Central Park.

All-Star Butler, along with O'Loughlin Gaels colleagues Huw Lawlor, Conor Heary and Paddy Deegan, were all part of Kilkenny's recent team holiday to the US.

Team holidays have traditionally taken place later in the year but Kilkenny are among a number of counties that brought theirs forward to avoid any interference with pre-season training.

But the getaway fell in the fortnight between O'Loughlin Gaels' county final win over Ballyhale Shamrocks and last weekend's provincial opener against Mount Leinster Rangers, meaning the players couldn't party too hard.

"We had a word with Brian Hogan, our manager, and he told us to work away," said Butler of the Kilkenny trip. "Our S&C man, Mickey Comerford, was over in New York with us so we got two or three training sessions in over there. So we were as fit as ever.

"We were in Central Park for one and we were in the gym on the bike so we did our sessions over there and said we'd keep on top of it."

All four county men started in Sunday's nine-point provincial quarter-final win over Mount Leinster Rangers.

It was the club's first game at Carlow's Netwatch Cullen Park since beating Oulart-The-Ballagh in the 2010 Leinster decider.

Reigning Young Hurler of the Year Butler was a water boy that day.

"I carried water for the senior team for a good few years so I would have been at all those matches," he said. "I think I was 10 or 11 for that one against Oulart."

O'Loughlin Gaels were strong favourites before last Sunday's return to Carlow though Butler felt hosts and 2013 champions Mount Leinster Rangers were being talked up in the media. He said it provided some motivation to perform as they did with the Kilkenny city side eventually running out 2-16 to 0-13 winners following goals from Owen Wall and Luke Hogan.

"We knew Mount Leinster Rangers were going to be tough," said Butler. "It was all about them in the media but we knew ourselves that we had the work done and all we had to do was come down and perform and thankfully we did that, for the guts of 40 minutes anyway.

"There was a period at the start of the second-half where they got back on top but thankfully we got a lucky break and a goal and we got back into it."

Next up for Hogan's Gaels is a semi-final clash with Kilcormac-Killoughey on Saturday week in Tullamore.

Butler feels their clash with the physically powerful Mount Leinster Rangers side was perfect preparation.

"Kilcormac-Killoughey are similar in strength to Mount Leinster," said the back to back All-Ireland finalist with Kilkenny. "They're a big team and they're well able to score. They have dangerous forwards and we just have to get back training now on Tuesday night and get ready for them. We'll have a video session and see what they're like. We'll work it from there but we know it'll be a tough game."