HURLERS HAVE SHOT AT RING

SHOWDOWN AT CROKE PARK

KERRY hurling boss Eamonn Kelly will have a full squad to choose from this week as he selects his starting fifteen for the Christy Ring Cup Final with Kildare (Croke Park, Saturday, throw-in 4pm).

The Tipperary native expects Tom Murnane, who missed the semi-final clash with Mayo due to a tummy bug, to be fit to start the game. Concerns have also been expressed for the fitness of both Shane Nolan and Colm Harty, but again both are expected to be available to the management team.

“The hamstrings were tight so we just took him off to err on the side of caution,” Kelly explained about Nolan adding that “Colm [Harty] got stitches in the bridge of his nose, he got a belt there just before halftime.”

The return to full fitness of Lixnaw midfielder John Griffin, who played a full seventy minutes in Castlebar, is another boost to the Kingdom ahead of the final with the Lilywhites in Croke Park. “Tweaky is Tweaky,” Kelly noted. “He’s very dependable. He’s always in the right place, to answer your question I was happy out with Tweaky.”

Kelly also indicated to The Kerryman that Darragh O’Connell was a likely starter for the final. The Abbeydorney man wasn’t named in the starting fifteen for the game with Mayo, but did start in place of Murnane.

“Darragh was caught there for a few weeks,” the manager explained. “He couldn’t get down. It was just a case of when he’d get on. He’ll probably start again next week.”

Kelly described Kerry’s second half collapse against Mayo – they lost the half 1-13 to 0-6, having been well up at half-time – as a timely reminder to his players that they can’t take anything for granted in Saturday’s final. He also called upon the Kerry hurling faithful to travel to Croke Park to support his team. “I hope they do,” he said. “The players really respond to that and what sticks out in my mind is when we played Carlow in Thurles. The game was going against us and we got a great score and the crowd lifted us, they were like a extra man for us it’d be great if we could get support.”