Cork super-sub Shane Kingston has said that he was determined to make his mark when introduced having been dropped from the starting line-up for the All-Ireland semi-final victory over Kilkenny.
The Douglas attacker only came into the fray in the 42nd minute of the 1-37 to 1-32 extra-time win at Croke Park, but he would go on to rack up a magnificent seven-point tally from play to help propel the Rebels into their first final since 2013 with Limerick awaiting on 22 August.
"I kind of knew at the start of the week I wasn't going to be playing," Kingston told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
"I got lucky in a few games getting a goal a game but I knew myself I wasn’t performing so look, fair enough.
"I didn’t mind but look, when I got the chance to come on I just wanted to prove it. Hopefully I will be playing again the next day."
Cork had looked set to progress in normal time only for Adrian Mullen to grab a goal for Kilkenny in the final seconds to force an additional 20 minutes.
It appeared to be a massive psychological blow to Kieran Kingston’s side, but his son said that there was no panic in the Rebel dressing room.
"We’ve had extra-time before back in 2018 (the All-Ireland semi-final loss to Limerick)," he said.
"We’ve trained hard enough since the start of December. We knew we had it in the tank so it was just about showing it out on the pitch for the last 20."
And it’s the Treaty county standing in their way of a first All-Ireland success since 2005. Having made his debut in 2016, Kingston said that he would be as ready as he could be for his first experience of the biggest day in hurling.
"For the majority of us, bar the few old fellas, it’s our first time.
"We’ll do what we can over the next two weeks to put ourselves in the best position going into the game against Limerick."
'For the majority of us, bar a few old fellas, it's a first All-Ireland final' - Shane Kingston the young man of the match looks forward to Limerick#rtegaa https://t.co/J3NwqtvxKW pic.twitter.com/zhr5hDsXJo
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 8, 2021
