Eoin Larkin expects Limerick to pose a serious physical threat to Kilkenny on Sunday.

"They are a good physical team and they will try and bring that to the game as well. We will have to be ready in the physical stakes as well as the hurling stakes," the 30-year-old forward tells the Irish Examiner.

"I had a battle with Richie McCarthy in 2012 and I don't think I came out on top in that one. They are fantastic hurlers, they have been coming for a couple of years.

"I suppose they are two years further down the line now, probably progressed in those two years as well so it is certainly going to be a big battle."

The James Stephens clubman says last year's championship disappointment was a reminder to Kilkenny that the good times can't last forever.

"We probably looked at it more last year than we did other years just because we were beaten in the quarter-final.

"But once you still have the hunger and the enthusiasm for it… as Tommy Walsh once said 'your legs will always do what your mind tells you to do'. So when you have the enthusiasm to keep going, why not keep going."

Asked why things didn't go according to plan last year, Larkin replied: "It could be any amount of things. We had a good few injuries, we had been on the road for a good long time.

"We had a couple of draws then as well with the All-Ireland in 2012 and the replay. Then we drew with Dublin last year and there was a replay. There were a good few things just caught up with us and Cork just overtook us on the day.

"Certainly after we got beat, you do wonder 'is it all over, is this team finished?'

"But as time goes on you start wanting to get back, you start getting the itch again and those feelings just go out of your mind. You just want to concentrate and work as hard as you can and prove people wrong." Tweet

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