Andy Comerford is expected to be a huge influence at midfield. Ian O'Riordan talks to the captain at the heart of everything.

There is no disguising Andy Comerford. Scratch the surface and you find the central character. Intense, and a little daunting.

Talk to him about being Kilkenny captain and you find it's mostly about being Andy Comerford.

This is a player who cares as deeply for the team as for his own game. He represents Kilkenny and defends Kilkenny like it was the family name.

Yet, he'll never flaunt the captaincy because he's a natural-born leader, a candidate that never needed to canvass. A year in the position and he's hardly put a foot wrong.

All-Ireland Sunday is almost breaking now and Comerford's leadership takes on a different sort of role, becomes more strategic.

He walks the fine line between building players' confidence and keeping their feet on the ground.

To outsiders, he must talk up and talk down Kilkenny's chances in the same breath.

First of all, the prospect of playing Clare: "Well people go on about Clare's heart. I can tell you one thing Kilkenny won't be beaten for heart.

"Clare might think they're going to have more heart than we do, but we have a great system, a great panel, and a great squad. That's our strength. We have guys we can call on for any position.

"But I honestly think it will be a question of our debut finalists against their debut finalists. Clare have a fair few players in their first final and so do we.

"Whichever of them come off the better will have a huge bearing on the result. If all our players can react to the occasion and get on with the game it will mean an awful lot."

More specifically, what does he feel is Clare's greatest strength?

"For us, it will be their defence. Basically, you're looking at six backs that are as formidable a back-line as you're going to get. They all have the calibre and they've all proven themselves on the highest stage.

"But we have a plan, a strategy to get the better of them. It's going to be tough, because up the middle they are very strong as well. At half forward too.

"Jamesie O'Connor is still there and I'd say he'd be disappointed so far with his performances. He still has a big game in him, but hopefully, he won't have it on Sunday from our perspective."

On the subject of big games, Comerford's performance in the semi-final against Tipperary is worthy of mention.

After being replaced in the Leinster final against Wexford, and a little uneasy at having to walk from the bench to collect the trophy, he refocused and dug that bit deeper in training. When that was done he did a little more on his own.

The result? Against Tipperary came one of his finest games in a Kilkenny jersey, or, according to one Kilkenny mentor, a "200 per cent improvement on the best he has achieved this year".

A long way from London, where he spent two years on the building sites, hurled with Brother Pearse's, and helped London to an All-Ireland B title in 1995. Then did he ever think he'd be captaining Kilkenny on All-Ireland Sunday?

"Ah no, that's dream talk," he says. "Fairytale talk."

In 1996, Comerford was brought into the senior panel. The following year, when Kilkenny fell to Clare in the semi-final, he was already settled at midfield. Five years on, he took the captaincy after his O'Loughlin Gaels, situated alongside Kilkenny's Nowlan Park, won their first senior title.

"I think it's difficult to know who is or isn't captaincy material. I got my grounding with O'Loughlin's, but it's not something you practise for. It's the honour first. Because to captain Kilkenny is an unbelievable thing.

"Brian Cody captained them before and we had a few words on what it's all about. But I know from growing up the great honour it is."

It's an honour, too, he says to have his brother Martin, six years younger at 23, also on the panel. Similarly, his O'Loughlin's club-mates Seán Dowling, Brian Dowling and Alan Geoghegan.

So much, though, of Comerford's talk evolves around the importance of players, not individuals.

"It's like the last day people were talking about DJ and that without him we wouldn't have won it. I wouldn't agree with that. Our strength is our squad. We can pull out any player and he can deliver for us.

"What I'm saying is if DJ hadn't played then another one could have come in. I know ye guys are talking about his amazing runs and scores and all that, but we have other guys we can bring in there. And given the same chances and the same opportunities they could have done the same thing.

"Sure, the Tipperary game was a massive game for us. It was played on a knife-edge and I know DJ, the man that he is, unlocked their defence at vital times. But you don't know if another contribution in the first half was as effective as what DJ did in the second half."

John Power is mentioned as an example of another team player, yet to be utilised, but capable of doing something big. Comerford can't agree quickly enough.

"Of yeah, John Power is another ace up our sleeve. I was talking to him there and trying to keep him patient and I said it's a long road that has no turning. I mean, look at any All-Ireland down through the years and there's nearly always a twist.

"We experienced it ourselves in 1998 with Brian Whelahan. Who would have expected him to come from the backs up to the forwards? There is always some turn like that.

"So I've been getting on to John and saying he could be introduced at any stage, and he could be the twist."

If captaincy means keeping players focused on the game, Comerford seems to be doing fine. Some of the talk around Kilkenny this past week has been bold and self-assured, as if the beating of Tipperary has been more than half the battle won. Comerford knows otherwise.

"Look. We know we have to improve. We had a discussion after the Tipperary game and we talked about needing another 10 or 15 per cent improvement to beat Clare. We've kept our heads down and just kept focused on Clare.

"And we just try as best we can to keep away from what's going on around us. And that can be difficult enough. As a team we just know we've got over the semi-final and now we're in the final. Different ball game. It's like we're starting from scratch again."

So just past 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, when the dressing-rooms of Croke Park empty and Kilkenny and Clare tread nervously before the throw-in, it's time for Comerford to slip some simple last-minute advice.

"It's like all the boys know the job they have to do. We're focused as a team because everyone knows exactly what they have to do.

"There are some responsibilities as captain, but it doesn't mean any added pressure. I'll just go up for the toss, get that out the way, and get back down to my part on the team."

On the day just one of 15 players, with a job to do. No one disguising the other: Comerford's motto.