Kilkenny advanced to another All-Ireland final on Sunday after they defeated Clare in a thrilling semi-final encounter.
Four-in-a-row chasing Limerick await in a mouth-watering repeat of last year’s decider.
The defeat of the Banner County marked another eye-catching result under the tutelage of manager Derek Lyng.
In his first year at the helm of the Cats, the Emeralds clubman has led Kilkenny to a league final and Leinster title as well as navigating a path to the showpiece event on July 23rd.
The Kilkenny boss spoke to the media after his side’s latest victory where he touched on a range of different topics.
On Eoin Murphy’s remarkable save at the end of the game, he said: “He’s a top class goalkeeper and it was a terrific save. I only seen it there and it was brilliant.”
On how Kilkenny saw out the victory: “It was very edgy towards the end. We just did enough to get over the line. I think we were pretty much in control of the game until half-time.
“They set-up differently in the second half but I’m just delighted with how the players responded.
“We got our key players on and they changed the game for us. Our work rate the whole way through was brilliant and that was the difference in the end. “
Lyng also paid tribute to the experienced members of his panel such as TJ Reid and Conor Fogarty: “TJ leads by example. Conor Fogarty is similar. They’re fantastic players for Kilkenny over the years and for them to be leading in terms of work rate tells you a lot about them. “
The 2022 All-Ireland U20 winning manager also gave his thoughts on Kilkenny’s fellow finalists.
“We just have to get our bodies right and our heads right ahead of the final. It’s a massive challenge for us.
“Limerick have been the form team of the last number of years and they’re rightly going for the four-in-a-row. It’s the next challenge that’s in front of us and we’ll look forward to it.
“It’s probably the same as last year where people didn’t expect us to get this far. We’re in the final though and that’s exactly where we want to be.
“It’s been a very satisfying this year. We have a great team and a great management team. We enjoy it and it’s about getting ready to put in a performance.”
Listen to Derek after the game below
