LAST SEPTEMBER RICHIE Power was the goal king over two games as Kilkenny held off Tipperary to be confirmed as hurling masters.
They were back lifting Liam yesterday but Power’s introduction ten minutes from the end was his first time lining out for the Cats since last year’s All-Ireland showdown.
It’s been an injury-plagued year for Power but getting to toast success on the Croke Park pitch with his son Rory made it a day to savour.
“I spoke to him (Rory) this morning and he said to come over to him after the match, win, lose or draw.
“It’s great for him, he’s six now so he’s able to take it all in. He’s had a good couple of years.
“I only got back training two weeks ago, it’s been a frustrating year – I had a couple of keyhole surgeries but just couldn’t get it right.
“I said to Brian (Cody) during the week that anything I could do to help I was more than willing to do, whether that was one minute or fifteen or twenty, I was more than happy to come on.”
Power’s last piece of action was in a club game with Carrickshock five months ago and he outlined the extent of his injury troubles.
“It’s a chronic knee injury, I’ve had five keyhole surgeries on it and there’s very little left in there, unfortunately.
“It’ll take a long winter of building it up and hopefully coming back fitter and stronger next year.
“It didn’t look likely three or four weeks ago. I thought after surgery I’d be back for the Waterford game but it just never came right for me.
“I’ve spent the last five months in the gym every night of the week trying to get it right, and thankfully, whatever the Man above did, it came right for me at the right time and we pulled it off today.”
The nature of Kilkenny’s second-half comeback increased the satisfaction of this triumph.
“Looking at the guys from the line, they were phenomenal in the second half, every single one of them,” outlined Power.
“Talking to a few of them, it’s definitely one of the sweetest that we’ve ever won.
“Fair dues to Galway, as a reporter said, they did to us what Kilkenny try to do to some teams.
“Galway’s hunger, their tackling, everything was top class, and we knew going out for the second half to leave everything on the field. We knew if we did that we wouldn’t be too far away.”
