CIAN KENNY HAS revealed how he had to bulk up in the last few seasons to become a heavyweight hurler for Kilkenny.

Kenny struck the winning point for the Cats during Sunday’s Allianz NHL Division 1A win over Waterford at UPMC Nowlan Park.

He attributed his nerveless 75th-minute score from a free partly to veteran teammate TJ Reid, whom he said he has learned so much from.

But the James Stephens man, comfortable anywhere across the middle third these days, deserves huge credit for the significant work he has put in himself, particularly on his physique.

Crashing into Limerick’s William O’Donoghue in his first All-Ireland final taught Kenny a valuable lesson about just how big the hits are at the very top level.

“I’ll never forget the All-Ireland final in 2022, I went in on Will O’Donoghue and that lad is a big dude!” said Kenny. “So I looked at my size then. I think I was only something like 70kgs, 69 or 70kgs, for that All-Ireland final and now I’m up to 81kgs, which I’m happy with.

“You do feel it on the pitch now because you’re able to take a hit and not be winded for four or five seconds.”

Kenny was speaking at an event to promote next Sunday’s glamour clash with League title holders and current table-toppers, Cork.

The Munster champions will have done their homework on Kenny, who has developed into a big player for Kilkenny, capitalising on his extra muscle around the middle of the field.

“For me, it was kind of a hurdle to get over,” said five-foot-10-inch Kenny of his size. “Because you would be hearing a lot of that talk (about size), and that talk would get to me a small bit, prior to now. The way I feel now is that you don’t have to be the biggest player on the pitch to be a good hurler, as long as you’re willing to go up against the big men on the pitch.”

Kilkenny can underline their title credentials with a win over Cork. There was some cutting commentary from pundit and former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy in the wake of their win over Waterford, though.

Sheedy suggested that while the Leinster champions always ‘bring a great attitude to the pitch’, they are ‘lacking up front’ and, with TJ Ryan in mind, he claimed that they are ‘going to ask a 38-year-old to come back in’ and solve their issues.

“I think the lads that are in our forwards are proving it in every game, and they’ve proved themselves in the last couple of years,” countered Kenny.

“You’re talking about TJ Reid, Eoin Cody, John Donnelly, Stephen Donnelly, Mossy Keoghan. Personally, I see it every day in training, so I know what they’re like. If it doesn’t happen one day for them, so be it. But it’s going to happen.

“You just have to keep trusting the players. For us, that’s outside noise. We don’t listen to any of that. I don’t sit down every Sunday and watch what people want to say about us. We know our capabilities.”

Registering a win over Cork would be a significant statement in light of that criticism.

“Cork are a savage team,” said Kenny. “They’ve been in the last two All-Ireland finals, they’ve proved themselves in the Munster championship as well. You look forward to these games; you look forward to Cork coming to town because you’re coming up against top-quality players. It’s the only way to improve and a great test coming into the Championship.”

On his winning point against Waterford, Kenny said it was simply about holding his nerve in a cauldron atmosphere. Some Waterford supporters questioned if the sliotar definitely dissected the posts, but Kenny felt it was ‘perfect’.

“When I struck it, I got the feeling of a good strike,” he said. “When you hear the ball slap off the hurley, you know it’s a sweet strike. And then I heard the crowd behind me, so I knew it was good.

“Then I looked up before I ran away, I kind of seen it tailing right. So I was hoping it might travel a bit faster so it doesn’t go wide! But no, it looked perfect to me, yeah.”