GAELIC GAMES: GAVIN CUMMISKEYtalks to Kilkenny's 2009 skipper Michael Fennelly, who watched a lot of last year's final, praying to get the nod from Cody
THIS HAS already been a better season than the previous one for Michael Fennelly. That’s because he is playing. Last year ended up as something he can always cherish but, while he suffered in silence, it must have been deeply disappointing to be handed the Kilkenny captaincy and then have to watch from the stand as events unfolded, while JJ Delaney and Henry Shefflin shared the duties of leading the side into battle.
And still 2009 ended on the sweetest of notes as Fennelly made an impact off the bench to help quell the Tipperary revolt in an epic All-Ireland final.
That must have given him the justification to walk up the Hogan Stand steps to collect the Liam MacCarthy Cup. It just wouldn’t have felt right if he had not contributed. But he did. And handsomely enough to hold his head high.
The problems for Fennelly last year started with a poor performance in the opening championship scare against Leinster’s new boys Galway.
The irony is he didn’t actually win a place in midfield with some massive displays in the National League as he was either off winning an All-Ireland club title with Ballyhale Shamrocks or crocked.
“I didn’t actually play any league at all. I was injured after the club All-Ireland so I was out for about four or five weeks. I thought it might hamper my year as if you don’t get in early it makes life a bit harder. If you play well you have a good chance of staying on.”
Training nights in Nowlan Park were where Fennelly forced Brian Cody to revise his thinking. James “Cha” Fitzpatrick’s return to form in the semi-final victory over Cork has muddied the waters a little but Fennelly appears set to start against Tipp on Sunday, alongside Fitzpatrick or Michael Rice.
It is proof that form in training is paramount when it comes to Cody team selections.
“It’s all about training; if you perform in training you have a good chance of starting. That’s what it comes down to.
“I’m not doing anything different than any other year really, to be honest. I suppose with the club we had a nice kind a break. Not so much a break but training was more focused on hurling in January, February, March, whereas the boys were doing a lot more running, a lot more foundation work.
“We’ve been going non-stop from last year. Hurling away. It was non-hectic. There was no pressure this year, I suppose, last year there was more pressure with the captaincy and that. This year it is more free flowing for me, I suppose.”
The captain’s responsibilities were there but he wasn’t playing. It hurt when his team ran on to the field, but he didn’t show it, and it cut to his core as Tipperary threatened to blaze away with some magnificent hurling in the final. But there was nothing he could do until he went on.
The pain is in the waiting. As the second-half ticks by hope begins to fade. Fennelly and the rest of the under-used, yet thoroughbred hurlers are constantly praying Cody’s peak will glance in their direction.
“You are looking down the line the whole time to see if you are going to get the nod. I know (Tipperary) went two, three points ahead. They were getting on top, they were building momentum. O God, we’re going to lose this now. If we don’t get a score or two back we are in bother but thankfully TJ (Reid), myself and Gorta (Martin Comerford) came on around the same time and chipped in a few scores and that brought back the game level again.
“We were lucky enough to get out that day. There was more in us but Tipperary outhurled us for a good spell of the game. Our forward . . . looking back on the game, when you are watching and hoping to come on you are not really paying attention to different aspects of the game, but from watching it again we did lose out in personal battles. Definitely Tipperary were on top in most parts of the field. We did up it in the last 10 minutes but they had chances. PJ Ryan pulled off two or three great saves. It could have gone either way.”
Fennelly noted an important motivation Tipperary had that Kilkenny could equally tap into: in the journey to four successive All-Ireland titles this was the first meeting between the oldest of rivals.
“Last year playing the next door neighbours and it going down to the last seconds . . .” It really is a perfect way to end an era and welcome in another.
Now, as they approach a fifth title, it is a maturing Tipperary team, who seem destined for their own great feats, that stand in the way again.
Michael Fennelly
Position: Midfield
Club: Ballyhale Shamrocks Age: 25
Occupation: Ulster Bank
Honours: 4 All-Ireland SHC (2006-09 – captain 2009); 5 Leinster SHC (2006-10); 2 NHL (2006, 2009); 2 All-Ireland Under-21 HC (2004, 2006); All-Ireland MHC (2003); 2 All-Ireland Club SHC (2007, 2010)
