Kilkenny look the finished article

ALL-IRELAND MHC FINAL Kilkenny v Galway: NO CLEAN sweep this year for Kilkenny. Cork saw to that in the intermediate All-Ireland final, but part one of the treble bid begins at lunch-time tomorrow and there is an ominous look to this Kilkenny minor outfit.

Six players who featured in last year’s All-Ireland final are back again with corner forward Martin Gaffney regaining his place as 17 -year-old Ger Aylward is ruled out of a dangerous full forward line due to illness. Walter Walsh scored the crucial goal to help see off Tipperary in the semi-final while captain Canice Maher looks another key element.

In fact, the forwards pose a major threat, with all of them scoring against Tipperary.

The other late Kilkenny change sees Danny Kenny named at ful back after Willie Phelan sustained a broken collarbone in training.

It should prove helpful that Galway’s full back line refused to concede a single score in their defeat of Munster champions Waterford. Domhnail Fox has been moved up to centre forward, but the excellent Daithí Burke (tasked with silencing Walsh) remains at full back, flanked by Conor Burke and Johnny Coen – makeshift corner backs, but of such talent they needed to be accommodated in the team.

Midfielder Davy Glennon fractured a bone in his hand the last day but has recovered.

Mattie Murphy is back again, successfully guiding teenagers to underage silverware – not his fault if they consistently fail to repeat the process at senior level.

“We needed to get over the line and we did that (against Waterford). But it wasn’t the real deal in terms of performance,” said Murphy – a fair point as Waterford was their first championship outing of the season.

Nevertheless, this promises to be a keenly matched contest.

Kilkenny to sneak a 20th title by the slimmest of margins and secure back-to-back titles for the first time since 2003, when ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and Richie Power were at work.

Considering the amount of guys due back in 2010 from the current panel, it would set up the most hyped of GAA achievements – the three-in-a-row.

KILKENNY: J Power; J Lyng, D Kenny, I Duggan; J Gannon, R Doyle, L Harney; C Kenny, O Walsh; G Brennan, S Kehoe, C Buckley; M Gaffney, W Walsh, C Maher (capt).

GALWAY: F Flannery; J Coen, D Burke, C Burke; M Keating, B Flaherty, J Cooney; J Regan, D Glennon; D Fox, N Burke, J Grealish; R Cummins (capt), R Badger, S Moloney.

Referee: J McGrath(Westmeath).