HURLER OF THE Year Richie Hogan battled through injury hell before steering Kilkenny into another All-Ireland final.
The Danesfort maestro scored 0-5 in Sunday’s win over Waterford – a little more than a week after a back injury had left him unable to walk.
Hogan needed multiple painkilling injections in the week leading up to the Croke Park clash, and revealed that his fitness was still touch and go less than 48 hours before throw-in.
He was given the green light after coming through training on Friday, and showed no ill-effects with a starring role for the Cats.
“I couldn’t walk last Friday,” he said after the six-point win.
“I had a prolapsed disc and I had damage to a couple of joints, so I got a few injections and a week’s rest, a bit of physio and stuff like that.
“It was great to get back. I didn’t think I’d be playing up until maybe Friday when I was feeling a little bit better.
“It’s huge credit to the medical staff there as well. Everybody only sees what happens on the field.
In the last week I’ve going to physio every day, sometimes twice a day, getting needles, injections, cortisone injections that sort of stuff, just to get ready.
“You only have a certain amount of games in the year and you want to play them all.”
“I didn’t even run until (Saturday),” he added, “just trying to rest and trying to free up the back. It was a nightmare of an injury.
“At the start it was a bit stiff but once I got going I was okay.”
Kilkenny have their sights set now on a 14th All-Ireland final of the Brian Cody era, with either Tipperary or Galway awaiting them in the decider.
There are still question marks over the fitness of Jackie Tyrrell and Richie Power, but Hogan is confident that he will be ready himself come 6 September.
“I feel great, though I won’t feel like that in three or four hours’ time I can tell you,” he joked.
No, I feel grand now and hopefully I’ll be alright in a couple of days.
“I presume there’ll be a recovery session during the week and we can look forward then to the final. You just put these things out of your head.”
