Kenny calmly facing final countdown

Hurling/Kilmacud Sevens: As the annual curtain-raiser to the All-Ireland hurling final weekend it was fitting that yesterday's launch of the Kilmacud Hurling Sevens was attended by one of Cork's unsung heroes - midfielder Tom Kenny.

The AIB Sevens competition prides itself on giving some of the lesser known players a chance to experience an All-Ireland stage, and this year's expanded version, set for September 9th-10th, presents an unprecedented opportunity for hurling talent to fall under the national spotlight.

And Kenny can certainly relate to that situation. He is the only member of the Grenagh club on the current Cork hurling panel, and outside of his role with the county team is more used to playing in front of single-digit crowds in some of the most remote places of Cork.

Even these days, when manager John Allen would like to think all his players are wrapped up in cotton wool, Kenny hasn't forgotten about where he comes from. So last Friday he lined out for Grenagh in a football match, temporarily suspending the usually cautious approach to an All-Ireland final countdown.

"Sure it's always great to play with your club," said Kenny, "even if it was two weeks before the All-Ireland final. The game needed to be played, and had been cancelled a few times, and thankfully we won. It is probably more of a football club now, but at least we're trying to stay on as a dual club."

Grenagh is located just north of Blarney, part of the mid-Cork division, and before Kenny its most noted contribution to Cork hurling was Phil Duggan, who played with the county in the 1950s and 1960s.

Kenny's countdown to Sunday week's clash with Galway is unique in that he doesn't know any other way. He made the All-Ireland in his first year playing with Cork in 2003, and it's been the same again for the past two years. The only difference has been his inspired switch from the number five shirt to midfield during last year's championship.

Not surprisingly then the 23-year-old is taking the countdown all in his stride: "It's just about counting down these 10 days really, and just getting to the night before without thinking about the occasion too much. You wouldn't read too many newspapers because you don't want to come across something you mightn't agree with. It's about keeping the head down and getting this build-up over with.

"This is my third final in three years, but you have to approach it like it could be your last one. You have to make sure you make the most of it. Galway have been playing some exceptional hurling. But their run hasn't surprised me. You could see they were improving during the round-robin games, and to get over Kilkenny is no mean achievement."

Despite Cork's somewhat rocky road to the final, Kenny is confident most things are going to plan, and now it's all about finishing it off.

"It was a very close one against Clare the last day. But semi-finals are all about winning, but obviously when we were six points down we were wondering. It was a very tight finish.

"But it was the same in 2003. It was a very close game against Waterford, and again against Wexford in the drawn semi-final. It's been another tough campaign, and we expect the same on Sunday week. But any team will take the result over the performance as long as you keep winning."

Although it was Donal O'Grady who introduced him to the senior panel, new manager Allen has shown no less faith in his obvious talent. "John just does the same things in a slightly different way. But we all knew the new manager would come from within, and everyone knows the ropes. It has helped freshen things up, and it's a different voice on the training field. But I don't think tiredness was going to set in when you've a chance of winning another All-Ireland."