Absence makes heart grow fonder

Ian O'Riordan talks to Noel Hickey who, like Kilkenny team-mate JJ Delaney, knows a thing or two about missing out on big games

It's been impossible not to empathise with Kilkenny defender JJ Delaney - even if you're from Cork - who misses Sunday's hurling final because of the knee injury sustained at training 12 days ago. It couldn't have been timed any worse, nor happened to a more respected and admired hurler.

How must it feel? One man who should know is fellow defender Noel Hickey.

Last summer Hickey also found himself sidelined for two of Kilkenny's biggest matches of the year - the quarter-final win over Limerick, and semi-final loss to Galway. His problem was a viral infection of the heart, which required at least six months rest or else risked serious repercussions.

Hickey had been feeling unwell the week before the Limerick game, and underwent a series of hospital tests. He knew something wasn't right but he never imagined his whole season would be so suddenly cut short. "I was told on the Tuesday," he recalls, "sitting on the bed, at four in the afternoon, and of course it was a real shock. But when the doctors went through it with me, and told me I'd make a 100 per cent recovery, of course I realised it wasn't the end of the world. And thankfully I was still able to do most things.

"But yeah, hurling was just taken away from me. I was told to rest from between six to nine months, end of story. There were no buts about it. It was hard to take, and was frustrating. I only started back in January, and you just don't know if you'll ever get the sharpness back. So of course there were doubts. But the more games you play the more confidence you get. My first game back was the league semi-final, against Tipperary, and I was marking Eoin Kelly. That wasn't exactly easing back in. But things have been going nicely since."

Yet his time away from the game allowed the 25-year-old to fully appreciate what it means to play for Kilkenny - and it's clear Hickey brings that love and desire into Sunday's final. "It did leave a huge void in my life. You're so used to going training every night. And you just think it couldn't happen to me, a young lad of only 24.

"But that's life, and I appreciate the hurling a lot more now. I've always felt so lucky to wear the Kilkenny jersey, but I feel now that I am here I have to give it my all. You never know what's down the road, so it's about giving it everything."

He's shared plenty of words over Delaney the past week, deeply aware of the hurt involved: "After training all year, and suddenly it's taken away from you, I know how hard that is. And for the first week it's really heartbreaking. But you have to look at the bigger picture, that it's not the end of the world. But still, JJ will be missed, for sure. I think he's one of the best defenders in the country, and a real leader on the field."

Previously a regular at full back, this summer Hickey has operated mostly in the corner as Delaney took on the number three jersey. With Delaney out he'll most likely be playing at full back again on Sunday. That will mean marking a certain Brian Corcoran.

"I think Brian is one of the main men on the Cork team," he admits. "A lot of ball comes through him, and breaks off him. He wins ball, lays it off, and gets a couple of points every game. I marked him in 2004, and he's definitely a hard man to match. So it's not going to be easy.

"But Sunday will take a massive effort from everyone. It's like from two weeks beforehand, every night, you're thinking of it, and what Cork might be doing, or trying. But we have to concentrate on our own game as well, and making sure we get our 15 best lads out on the field. If every one of them really work together and give 100 per cent then we'll be hard to beat.

"And I know Cork like to test your defence out early, and they'll put plenty of ball into our full back line from the start. People are saying we're weak there, especially with JJ gone, and they'll really be going to town on us. But we won't be changing our game. You do have to watch their short puck outs and a few other tricks they have. And you have to be totally tuned in with what they're doing. You can't switch off for one second. They're so sharp."

As a diary and tillage farmer, Hickey knows all about hard work and effort. In ways he finds a hard hurling match a nice break from the hard work on the farm, though he's under no illusions about the effort it will take to beat Cork.

"They're a great team, going for three in a row. Of course that's in the back of their heads. You're thinking, sure three in a row would be great. You'll be remembered for it. You can get caught up in it.

"There's a lot of sideshows that go along with the All-Ireland, and you have to be careful of that. But that's not to say we're going out to stop Cork from doing that. We're going out to win an All-Ireland."

HickeyFacts

Position: Full back

Club: Dunamaggin

Honours to date: Three All-Ireland SHC; one All-Ireland under 21 HC; six Leinster SHC; four National League; two Leinster MHC; two Railway Cup; two All Stars, Young Hurler of the Year 2000.