Kilkenny manager Brian Cody says Sunday’s Leinster final against Galway will be both a challenge and a "huge opportunity" for his inexperienced team.
The Cats will be underdogs when they take on the reigning provincial and All-Ireland champions at Croke Park, and if League form is anything to go by, Cody will have his work cut out to mastermind an incredible 16th Leinster title in the Kilkenny hotseat.
The round-robin defeat in Salthill, where the Tribesmen coasted to an eight-point win and conceded just 1-02 from play, was seen as further evidence to the changing of the guard in hurling.
Now facing into his 20th Championship season at the helm, he knows exactly what they are facing in the 44th Championship meeting of the two teams.
"They are the All-Ireland champions, the best team around and when we played them recently in Salthill, they were stronger than us," he told RTÉ Sport.
"We stayed with them for a while but they were stronger. That’s the challenge we are facing."
Were there any learnings he took from Pearse Stadium on how to topple the Tribesmen?
"I wouldn’t say we learned how to beat them," he said, "but it gave our players a sample of what it is like to take on a team of that calibre.
"Galway are physically huge and strong in every line of the field"
"The big thing about Galway, they are top-class hurlers, always have been, but they are physically huge, and strong in every line of the field.
"They have huge motivation just to keep things going."
The side selected by Cody will feature a number of players who have never played in a Leinster decider before, including Championship debutant Billy Ryan, and the 63-year-old says it should be an occasion to savour for some of his callow Cats.
"There is a huge opportunity there," he said. "We have a lot of inexperience in the team this year and they are responding well.
"I’d have huge confidence in the players I have."
Follow all the hurling games this weekend via our live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the News Now App, watch live on RTÉ2’s The Sunday Game (from 2pm) or listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport.
