GAELIC GAMES All-Ireland Hurling Semi-finals: Ian O'Riordan finds Kilkenny's new star intent more on holding his berth than basking in praise

With the manner of an altar boy rather than a boy wonder Tommy Walsh is addressing questions about the fall and rise of the All-Ireland champions.

It's lunchtime in a fancy hotel in Dublin and Walsh has every reason to feel this is the last place he should be. Yet the 20-year-old Kilkenny hurler stands his ground, oblivious it seems to the hype he's inevitably attracted of late.

And with every superlative and word of praise now heaped on Walsh there is reason to hope he might start blasting some warnings: that Kilkenny are only finding their feet again and can't wait to get stuck into Waterford in Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park.

Alas, Walsh says all the right things. He may already be a candidate for hurler of the year but right now all that matters is playing well for Kilkenny.

They're two games away from a third successive All-Ireland, and that's enough reason in his book to leave the hard talking to the playing field.

"Sure Waterford are after having a great run in Munster," he says, "and they'll still be on a high for this. So we know it's going to be another very tough match. And we're not expecting it to be any more or less physical. We know Waterford will give it their all.

"But I don't know if Kilkenny are back to their best yet. We always go out to play our best. Sometimes that means a great performance, but other times we've been poor.

"So this year has been a big change. But we were just so glad to have that second chance after being beaten by Wexford, so we're going out every time now to give it our best shot.

"And it might seem we've been on the road a long time, but the team has been changing around the whole time. And things are always being freshened up in training.

"Most of all we're just delighted to be still in the championship, and back at Croke Park. We've drawn a match there and lost a match there this year, so hopefully we can win this one."

In the physical sense Walsh is perhaps the greatest contradiction in modern hurling. He stands 5ft 9in in his boots and barely tips the scale past 11 stone. And yet his power and speed have this season proved irrepressible.

His lightness of touch and pinpoint accuracy can at least be attributed to talent but that doesn't account for all his brilliance. He puts much of it down to the wearing of the black and amber.

"The competition is just so high in Kilkenny, and will always be. Once you get the jersey there is great pride in it, so you just want to hold onto it.

"But it's true that the training would be very competitive, and we do train like we would play in matches. That's what has been instilled into us. When you get used to that it just becomes second nature."

His move back into the defence from his more recent shows in the half-forward line has also been one of the talking points of the championship. At wing back against Clare last Saturday he was flawless. Again Walsh keeps the whole thing in perspective.

"I'd played all my underage in the defence, but I've still no preference. Again with Kilkenny you're just glad to be playing.

"To me it doesn't matter at all. It's hard enough to get that jersey. So when you get it you don't complain about where you're playing.

"It is a little different from playing with the forwards, but from being there in training you get used to it again. And there have been great players in the Kilkenny defence, so you'll never get a big head after any match. There's always another lad there on the line if things aren't going well."

What you won't get out of Walsh is any hint of negativity. The Tullaroan man is the embodiment of positive thinking.

So what about three successive weekends of championship hurling?

"As Brian Cody keeps saying, it's better to be playing a week later than not be playing at all. At the start of the week you'd be feeling tired alright. But by the time Sunday comes we'll be fine.

"And we've a great trainer in Mick O'Flynn and he'll have us ready. All we'll do this week is a bit of stretching and a little ball work. Just relax really.

"All the hard work is done, and there's nothing more you can do in a week. It's more like a week of warming down, and keeping the body in tow."