Davy Fitzgerald could unleash Tony Kelly on Kilkenny in Clare's Allianz Hurling League Division 1 semi-final on Sunday, as the 2013 Hurler of the Year closes in on a welcome comeback.
Kelly suffered an ankle ligament injury in training back in January but looks set to feature in the Banner's last-four clash with the All-Ireland champions.
“We want to get Tony Kelly some action," Fitzgerald told RTÉ Sport. "I don’t think he’ll start but if things go well training wise he’ll play some part in it.
“It’s been very nip and tuck the last few years [against Kilkenny]. It’ll be a very intense match. They’ll be going flat out to get to another league final.
“In Clare we’d have a massive respect for Kilkenny. What they’ve done is phenomenal. We respect them; we don’t fear them. We look forward to the battle. That’s what every team wants. They want good battles; they want to be tested. These are stepping stones for the year ahead."
The counties clashed twice in last year’s league with Kilkenny winning both games by a point in Nowlan Park.
Clare topped Division 1B this year before beating Tipperary in the quarter-final and Fitzgerald is confident he's cultivating some serious competition for places within his squad.
"This year the public have been brilliant in Clare. They've got behind us. That makes a difference, trust me. For all of us.” - Tony Kelly
“The performances up to now have been good," he said. "The most important thing is we’re getting wins; that’s all you can do. Winning Division 1B was very important to us. Naturally you want to be in the top bracket, you want to be playing the big matches. We’re delighted with that.
“We’re proud of the lads. We think we’ve a strong panel. We want a massive panel of players fighting for places. We want as much competition as we can have. We’re taking each game as it comes and let them fight away for their places – that’s what we’ve always said.
“Some of the new lads are doing really well and it’s important that they’re giving us other options. It’s a long year ahead. We’re happy with what we’ve done but there’s a lot more that has to be done as the year goes on."
Clare have won all six of their league games to date, as they look to keep building momentum for a summer charge.
Fitzgerald warned the 2013 All-Ireland champions have a long way to go before entertaining talk of capturing another Liam MacCarthy Cup, but he's happy with the positivity currently around the camp, and hopes the good vibes last.
“Kilkenny have their way of playing and they are very good at doing so many different roles in the game. They’re the most successful county and deservedly so. You can’t argue with what they’ve done. It’s phenomenal.
“I can't say that we’re going to win another All-Ireland, I don’t know, but all I want us to do is go out, enjoy ourselves and play with a freedom. This year the public have been brilliant in Clare. They've got behind us. That makes a difference, trust me. For all of us.”
