Brian Cody will survey an embarrassment of riches when sits down to pick his team tonight, but he will be positively giddy at news that two of his warriors - Jackie Tyrell and Richie Power - have been cleared to line out for Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final.
Colm Keys reports in today's Independent that Cody intends to employ Power and Tyrell on the bench after both have recovered from injury. Keys says Cody intends to name an unchanged Kilkenny team tonight.
The pair have 14 All-Ireland medals between them.
The news on Power is particularly exciting for Kilkenny. Power has been nagged by injury all season and has yet to play a second of the Championship. He brings an X factor in attack and will likely be brought to test the tiring Galway defense.
The news on Tyrell is intriguing as well. Tyrell was called ashore during the second half of the Leinster final, at a moment where the Kilkenny backs were looking particularly vulnerable. Seamus Prendergast came in to steady the ship and filled Jackie's massive shoes ably in the semifinal against Waterford, which Tyrell sat out due to injury.
