ONE OF THE most decorated hurlers of all-time can pinpoint the exact moment it hit home that it was all over.
It was mid-February when Richie Power and his son Rory took their place on the grassy bank behind the goals at Walsh Park for Kilkenny’s first league game of the year against Waterford.
“I was standing on the bank and I just kind of realised that this is it,” says Power as he reflects on a career that coincided with the most successful period in Kilkenny’s history.
Still, after 11 years at the very top of the game, it’s plain to see on his face that it pains him not to be joining his teammates behind the marching band on Sunday.
He’s not afraid to admit he was in a dark place after the surgeon told him he’d have to park his plans of returning to the field in 2016. He was confident he had “two or three years” left in the black and amber when the bad news was delivered.
From that point, it took him three months to wrap his head around the idea of retiring and finally making it public.
“It’s probably a little bit different if you make the decision yourself because it gives you time to come to terms with it. I know the likes of JJ [Delaney], he had his mind made up from the beginning of 2014 that it was going to be his last year.
“So he had a lot of time to get his head around it. But when it’s forced upon you, it’s completely different.
“I would be in contact with a good few of the lads on a weekly basis but it’s still not the same.
“The nights out, the socialising aspect of it, the craic you have in training, the weekends away and things like that you miss. But I suppose it’s like anyone. When you retire you have to adapt to it and move on.”
With 12 minutes left in last year’s final, Power made what turned out to be his last ever appearance for Kilkenny.
It was the only championship match he featured in all year, going under the knife three times in the space of 10 months as he tried desperately to sort out his knee issues.
“It would have been nice to have been given the option, ‘Take 12 months off. The knee is in a bad way.’ Course I would have done it.
“Having three operations in 10 months, the deterioration in the knee was a lot worse than the specialist was expecting. I was under the influence, as was the surgeon, that he’d get me back hurling going into the operation last October.
“Unfortunately, after he came out of the knee, that wasn’t the case. What happened between July and October was a lot more severe than we all thought.”
“A knee is not something you can build up. It’s not a muscle. You can’t really do much bar build up around it. From a very young age I was prone to knee problems. First operation was when I was 16. That’s when it all started for me. I got 14 years out of it.
“If I can get back with the club, that will be something. It would be nice to give something back after missing so many years after being involved with Kilkenny. Time will tell on that front.”
The 30-year-old is aware he faces knee replacement surgery 10 or 15 years down the line. In day-to-day life the knee gives him pain some mornings and especially during the winter months. That’s part of the deal when you have ”two bones grinding off each other,” as he describes it.
Power is asked if he would trade an All-Ireland medal or two for a fully-functioning knee.
“Of course I would – you’d give it back.”
But then, even with eight Celtic Crosses in his medal cabinet at home, he backtracks somewhat.
“It’s a high price to pay from that point of view but I suppose then you’re playing at the highest level. You’re going to get these knocks and bruises and bumps.
“Would I like to have a fully functioning knee? Absolutely. Would I change my career? I don’t think so. The success that we had. I suppose it’s a price I kind of have to pay on a personal level.”
That can be put down to the Kilkenny psyche. He wouldn’t have won so much and played for so long if he didn’t value All-Irelands as highly as he does.
Michael Fennelly will be joining Power in the stands, having suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the semi-final win over Waterford.
The Carrickshock man feels Michael Ryan might have been preparing his Tipperary team all year with the elder Fennelly in mind.
“Michael Fennelly missing on Sunday is a massive massive blow for Kilkenny. I think it’s a huge lift for Tipperary. We saw the impact of Michael going off against Waterford. For the first 45 minutes he was a colossus for Kilkenny up and down the field.
“The minute he went off Waterford got a stranglehold of the game. That’s what you are lacking with Mick. He can cover every blade of grass in Croke Park. He can do the defensive side of things, he can score.
“Looking at Tipp I think there was one or two players brought in, moulded for Michael Fennelly. Michael Ryan was targeting the likes of Mick Fennelly to try and nullify his influence on the game.
“Brian has proven in the past that he can get the match ups right. If Kilkenny can stop Tipp scoring goals they might sneak it.”
Richie Power was speaking as Volkswagen and St. Jude’s GAA Club officially launched the 2016 Junior Hurling Sevens event. It takes place on Saturday 3 September.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
