The Kildare players
There are two Tipperary men on Kildare’s starting team for Saturday’s Christy Ring Cup hurling semi-final against Kerry at St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge.
Sean Treacy’s defender Dinny Stapleton has been named at wing-back and Willie Greene from Moneygall will operate at left half forward.
Greene has already made his mark in this year’s competition, scoring two goals against Mayo to help overcome a nine-point deficit.
Greene bagged a point in the quarter-final victory against Meath, with Stapleton and another well-known Tipperary man, David Young, doing likewise.
Young was a member of Tipperary’s 2010 All-Ireland winning panel and he came on in the final against Kilkenny as the Cats were denied the five-in-a-row.
Toomevara native Young is named on the bench for Saturday’s semi-final.
The Kildare management
Current Kildare manager Brian Lawlor was right corner back on the Kildangan team that won the 2005 All-Ireland intermediate club hurling title.
He was in charge of Kildare club side Ardclough for two seasons before taking the county post in November 2013.
Lawlor masterminded last year’s Christy Ring Cup win and one of his current selectors is Tom O’Meara, a Toomevara clubmate of David Young.
The Kerry players
Goalkeeper James Logue is an All-Ireland medallist with Tipperary at minor, U21 and intermeda level, but saw his path to the senior team blocked by Darren Gleeson and Darragh Egan last year.
That prompted the Ballingarry man to throw in his lot with Kerry for the 2015 season but he’s had to fight hard for his place on the team, with Stephen Murphy providing stiff competition.
John O’Neill is no stranger to silverware either, as the Clonoulty-Rossmore clubman won minor and U21 All-Ireland medals with Tipperary.
O’Neill was also a member of the Thurles CBS team that won the 2009 Harty and Croke Cups.
O’Neill, 24, made his Tipperary senior debut in 2011 but struggled to nail down a regular place in the team.
David Butler is the other Tipperary player in Kerry colours, having declared for the Kingdom last year.
This is a second season in green and gold for Butler, who hails from the Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams club in West Tipperary.
The Kerry management
Kerry boss Eamonn Kelly won three All-Ireland medals with Tipperary – U21 and junior in 1989, and junior again two years later.
From Kildangan, Kelly also had the honour of managing his club to the inaugural All-Ireland intermediate club title in 2005, when Kildare boss Brian Lawlor starred at corner back.
Conor Gleeson is a former Tipperary senior hurling team captain who won an All-Ireland senior medal in 2001.
The Boherlahan-Dualla man succeeded another former Tipperary player, Brian Horgan, as Kerry senior hurling team coach earlier this year.
Last, and certainly not least, is The42‘s new hurling columnist Brendan Cummins, who works as goalkeeping coach with the Kerry team.
Cummins needs no introduction to hurling fans but he’s getting one anyway.
The former goalkeeper played 19 competitive seasons from Tipperary from 1995 until his retirement in 2013, winning two All-Ireland senior medals, five Allstar awards, five Munster championships and four National Hurling League crowns (the first of those in 1993-94).
Cummins is also on board with the Laois senior hurlers, working with goalkeepers Eoin Reilly and Enda Rowland.