All-Ireland SHC final countdown:The Kilkenny hurlers are a decent lot but they have been repeating this process for so long now they have perfected the art of winning to the same degree that they talk without saying anything. The more experienced the player the less chance there is of learning something new.
We keep coming back, though, underestimating them, seeking flaws, probably because the untrained eye becomes accustomed to excellence. They've heard most of the questions before and duly stick to the routine of complimenting everyone, while down-playing their own chances.
Most importantly, they never commit to anything that could be used for a tasty headline. This means a qualification follows anything remotely akin to the beating of one's chest.
At their recent press night they attempted to suffocate the media with kindness. They were also cute enough to ensure no younger players were on hand to say anything not cemented into the script.
Frustrating, definitely. But not a complete waste of time either.
Jackie Tyrrell has probably the most arduous task on Sunday as in all likelihood Andrew O'Shaughnessy - of the two goals in the All-Ireland semi-final - will be prowling his patch, seeking to expose even the slightest error.
Now Jackie Tyrrell has nothing to prove to anyone. He has been part of this panel since 2003. Owns four All-Ireland medals, two at senior, an under-21 and another with his club, James Stephens. He also has two Fitzgibbon Cup medals with LIT, where he is currently a student.
Campus life must make it easier to be a Kilkenny hurler. "Most definitely. Being a student you can get to the gym during the day between lectures or whatever. If you're working nine to five it becomes harder to maintain that type of flexibility when it comes to training or whatever. It did help a lot this year."
Tyrrell holds a clear advantage over team-mates who are at crucial points in their careers in that he can prioritise his conditioning above all else.
"I suppose you do. You get yourself in the best physical order you can for the game. There has definitely been, in the last couple of years, an element of professionalism brought into the game. There are big backroom teams, physios, fitness trainers. That's the way the game has gone.
"We need those people to survive but I suppose every county team is at it. Limerick are no different, they probably have the same backroom team, could even have more."
However, he feels they still have a notch to go up to achieve the same intensity they reached against Cork. "To be honest I don't think we have reached the peak we reached against Cork last year. That day everything went right for us. We had a huge level of intensity. We'd be hoping we can find that extra gear against Limerick."
He's right. We have not seen that fierce intensity from Kilkenny this year but that is more down to the opposition than themselves. We have seen it, though, from Limerick who chased down Waterford like wild dogs chasing down their prey.
"Limerick hunted in packs all over the field. They put so much pressure on Waterford that they forced them into mistakes and errors. We kind of did that last year against Cork."
"So the roles are reversed. They come in as underdogs with nothing to lose. The whole of the country is going to be behind Limerick. We're going to have to match whatever they throw at us, be it intensity or workrate. That's a great trait to have but we're not going to get too worried about whether it becomes a dogfight. We'll be ready for it."
Kilkenny welcome the hunt.
Jackie Tyrrell
Age: 25.
Height: 6ft 2in.
Weight: 14st.
Occupation: Student at LIT.
Honours: 2 All-Ireland SHC medals (2003, 2006), 1 All-Ireland under-21 HC medal, 1 All-Ireland club medal, 1 All-Ireland colleges medal (St Kieran's), 2 National Hurling League medals, 1 Railway Cup medal, 2 Fitzgibbon Cup medals, 4 Leinster SHC medals.
