ENDING WAIT WON'T BE CATS’ MOTIVATION

FORMER KILKENNY star Paul Murphy reckons the decade-long gap to Kilkenny’s last All-Ireland title won't be something the players are thinking about.

- BY KARL O'KANE

Four-time All Star Murphy, part of their last Liam MacCarthy Cup success in 2015, said: “I don't think they'll look at it from the point of view of that, ‘Oh it’s 11 years’ and, ‘If we don’t win, it'll be 12 years’.

“From having been in dressing rooms with Derek Lyng, he is a very proud person and a very proud Kilkenny man.

“He'll be certainly harping on the point that, ‘Look lads, we do so much for you but it’s you lads who go out on the pitch and it's medals in or out of your pocket essentially if you don't win an All-Ireland’.

“Derek has his All-Ireland medals. I think Derek will very much put the onus on the players, that, ‘You have one shot at this in your career and you have to go and win one’.

“I don't think they'll look at it and say, ‘It's 11 years. It's 12 years’. People are talking about Cork like that (20-year gap to last All-Ireland) but I don't think we're looking at Cork saying that's their downfall, that that’s the reason they're not winning All-Irelands.