Kilkenny legend DJ Carey believes that the ‘Drive for Five’ will have no bearing on how Kilkenny approach Sunday’s All-Ireland Hurling Final against Tipperary.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Damien O’Meara at the launch of Bóthar’s Golfwithstars.com raffle in Dublin, the former All-Ireland winning captain said: ‘It’s another All-Ireland Final, just as if it was the first one.
‘I know from the time that I spent in the dressing room that the focus is always on the next match, particularly since Brian Cody took over. Brian’s mantra has always been to give the opposition total respect before and after a game.
‘Brian is not thinking about history, he is thinking about winning the next match which just happens to be an All-Ireland Final on Sunday.
‘Hurling is crying out for a good game in the final. The Galway-Tipp game was the only great game this year. Tipperary and Kilkenny are very close to being equal and hopefully they provide great entertainment for the fans, but whoever wins will not care what kind of game it was.
‘I think the game on Sunday will be very tight. Tipp have the stuff to win an All-Ireland and Kilkenny know that. Kilkenny will be very wary.
‘With Henry Shefflin and a few others being injured, I’m being asked if these guys are really injured at all! All I know, from my own point of view, is that no-one wants to go into an All-Ireland with a whole pile of media attention on whether they are injured or not. If they are injured, they are definitely injured.
‘And if they are injured it is absolutely worth the risk of them playing. Particularly for Henry and John Tennyson who have cruciate knee injuries.
'Their year is gone anyway so they can try and get right for the game, try and play in the game, and their year is up then anyway. They will be out for six or seven months if they have an operation and it’s only one match.’
