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Kelly at yesterday's 'Off The Booze and On The Ball' launch at Croke Park.
All-Stars

Kelly looking forward to erasing Cork defeat from his memory

The Dublin All Star believes it will take a few games of the new season to ‘get it out of his system’.

PETER KELLY IS keen to get back playing inter-county hurling so he can move on from Dublin’s All-Ireland semi-final loss to Cork.

The Lucan Sarsfields clubman, who won a first All Star for his performances at full-back in this year’s senior hurling championship, was in the starting XV when the Rebels earned a five-point victory over the Leinster champions back in August.

“We had our medals night on Saturday night and I think that was firmly putting to bed all the trophies we had won during the year and focusing on 2014,” Kelly said at the launch of ‘Off The Booze and On The Ball at Croke Park yesterday.

“It will probably take a while for the Cork game to get out of the system and going into the first few games of the league we will still be thinking about it.

“You are always thinking about your last game and that was the last game and until we get that one out of the way it will still be there.”

The 24-year-old jets off to China with the All Star panel today and, having switched from the forward-line into the backs in 2011, says he has adapted to be able to deal with the duties that come with playing at 3.

I never thought I’d win an All Star full stop, so I’m happy wherever I’m going to win it,” he says. “I think the full-back by accident thing was in 2011, and I’ve grown into it since then and made the position my own.

“I benefitted from Tomas Brady hurting his knee that time so 2011 was a bit of a surprise year for me. But after that, I grew into the position and am happy to be there.

“That’s for the manager to decide. I’m very happy at full-back and, with the lads around me, I’m very comfortable there. But you never know, he could have a trick up his sleeve for next year.

Looking forward, he added: “2013 was our highest year, I think, so we’ll be keenly aware that’s the pinnacle that we’ve set. That’s the bar we’ve set now. We were a lot more mature last year.

“It was definitely a noticeable improvement and we’ll try and bring that into 2014 again. It’s scary the mistakes we made in those off years so we’ll be keenly aware not to make them again.”

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