Tipperary captain Brendan Maher has spoken of his admiration for champions Kilkenny ahead of their Croke Park clash on Sunday in the All-Ireland SHC final.
Kilkenny are going for the three-in-a-row for the fourth time under Brian Cody, and Maher says begrudgery is the only reason anyone wouldn’t respect their achievements.
Kilkenny have won 11 All-Ireland titles since 2000 and the Borrisoleigh man says if the Premier can defeat Kilkenny on Sunday (3.30pm, live on RTÉ One), they’ll have to earn it.
“We know if we can lift Liam MacCarthy that we’ll really have earned it and deserve to be All-Ireland champions”
Maher told RTÉ Sport: “I admire Kilkenny. I’ve great respect for them as a team and as players. I think if you don’t respect them it’s begrudgery.
“To be fair, if I’m being completely honest – and I’ve no problem in saying it – that I would have admired the Kilkenny team in the way that they were able to grind out victories and the performance levels that they’ve had.”
Kilkenny edged out Tipperary the last time they met in the decider, with a replay victory by a three-point margin in 2014. So Maher knows from that experience how much it will take to dislodge the Cats, but is relishing the challenge to beat "the best".
He continued: “I’ve said this year that we want to play the Tipperary way and we want to have our own stamp on what we are about.
“So we have a massive opportunity now. We’re coming up against reigning All-Ireland champions and a team that has been winning All-Irelands over the past decade.
“But that’s where you want to be. Those are the opportunities that you want. It’s great to be there and to have a chance to pit yourself against the best.
“We know if we can lift Liam MacCarthy that we’ll really have earned it and deserve to be All-Ireland champions.”
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