Kilkenny Senior Hurling coach, Derek Lyng, has praised his Kilkenny side for overcoming several obstacles on their way to the All-Ireland final.
Limerick and Kilkenny will face each other in the Croke Park hurling finale this coming Sunday, and it is fair to say Kilkenny's return to the final has not come easily.
The former Kilkenny U-20 boss' team had close scares against the likes of Galway and Clare, where they let leads slip, only to win the games outright in the end.
Kilkenny has not won an All-Ireland since 2015, and Lyng believes that even though Kilkenny will have to improve again on Sunday, he also believes that they have the personnel and expierence to do so.
"From time to time, we slip out of a game for a few minutes, but the reality is that when you're playing top opposition, they get a run on you as well, they get their spell," said the Kilkenny boss to RTE.
"It's about how you respond to that. At all times, we have responded in a really good manner. We've got a contribution from the bench. The attitude from our players, when the going gets tough, they still look for the ball and are capable of making those tough decisions on the pitch.
"You need players to take on that responsibility; we have a number of those players. It's about developing that even further; we'll need more of it for what lies ahead. The improvement will need to be there, but I think we're more than capable of doing that."
"The attitude and the commitment the players have shown are second to none; they have been outstanding," he added.
As tensions build, #GAANOW sat down with the Bainisteoirí ahead of Sunday's 2023 All-Ireland Hurling Final, @KilkennyCLG v @LimerickCLG. Derek Lyng and John Kiely share their thoughts as they prepare to battle for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. pic.twitter.com/c6cK7p1Oea
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 20, 2023
Kilkenny's quest for another All-Ireland will also have the added factor of stopping Limerick from winning their first-ever fourth Liam McCarthy fourpeat. The sides played last year in the final, where Limerick won by a score of 2-26 to 1-31 last July.
Despite this, Lyng says only Kilkenny can focus on themselves in the rematch.
"Every game you play against opposition, you learn something from them. They [Limerick] are a fantastic team and are going rightfully for four in a row; they deserve that right, so that's the challenge that lies ahead. It's also about looking at ourselves; we've been pretty decent this year and are focusing on our own strengths as well and making sure we bring them into the game.
"Our focus is on where we can get better."
The All-Ireland Hurling Championship final between Limerick v Kilkenny kicks off this Sunday from 2.30pm on RTÉ2.
