By John Harrington

Age is clearly just a number for O’Loughlin Gaels stalwart and former Kilkenny star Martin Comerford.

He turned 38 earlier this month but is living proof that elite sport is not necessarily a young man’s game.

He’ll be a key man for the Kilkenny side in Sunday’s AIB Leinster club SHC Final against Dublin champions Cuala just like he has been all year.

His most recent performance in the Leinster semi-final over Oulart was as good as he’s ever produced as he slung over four spectacular points and gave his team the sort of ball-winning presence in attack that’s especially vital on heavy pitches at this time of the year.

He’s still as lean as a greyhound and when he sat down in a Dublin office yesterday to talk to the media about Sunday’s upcoming match he didn’t look any different to the man who last hurled for Kilkenny in 2010.

“Listen, I've been playing sport all my life,” said Comerford. “Whether it was hurling when I was young, soccer and so forth, I've been always doing something every year since I was able to walk. I'm involved in running, stretching, and fitness and keep looking after myself as best I could. Maybe it stood to me over time.

“Maybe giving up Kilkenny when I did when I was 31 or 32 might have stood to me regarding injuries and so forth. Obviously it's very taxing on the body to be training so hard the way inter-county panels are at the minute.

“Maybe that stood to me with regards to hip injuries, knee injuries, and so forth. Touch wood, bar a couple of niggles and so forth which you're always going to get, I'm in good old shape.

“I'll keep playing as long as I can. Because you'll be retired long enough. Fan Larkin always says to me, 'Keep going for as long as you can and enjoy it, because when you're gone, that's it.'”

He certainly enjoyed being a part of his club’s first county championship success since 2010. So much so, that the emotion of the moment overcame him and a photo of him in floods of tears adorned most reports of the match.

“It's a very emotional thing,” said Comerford. “You invest so much time and energy and effort into something and, you know, to win it at the end of the day is fantastic.

“You know, when you see friends and family and club-men that you know have really put in a ferocious effort with the club down through thankless years where we haven't been successful and to see the joy on their faces would bring out emotions in you.

“It was just one of those occasions where I got caught on the hop. Hopefully it won't happen again!”

There’s a good chance those tears were the emotional release of the disappointment Comerford has kept bottled inside himself ever since O’Loughlin Gaels were defeated by Clarinbridge in the 2011 All-Ireland club SHC Final.

They were blown away that day in the second-half and ended up losing by 2-18 to 0-12. Comerford admits he still has sleepless nights about the match, and it clearly took a heavy toll on him at the time. He was so fed up with the game afterwards that he decided he couldn’t face back into another year with Kilkenny and so retired from inter-county hurling.

“Motivation was very difficult, we also lost the five in a row the year previous to that (with Kilkenny), so that was another kick,” he said. “My brother was the manager of the team and we put in a massive effort.

“I never trained as hard and everybody was really into it. We started fierce well against Clarenbridge and we looked very, very good for the first half and just completely collapsed in the second-half. I met Brian Cody a few weeks after it and spoke to him about the way I was thinking and feeling.

“I just couldn't face hurling for a while and I just didn't have the enthusiasm for it. He told me to think about it and I did for a couple of weeks and that was the decision I made.

“Maybe it was the wrong decision, maybe I could have been on the panel for another few years. I was in relatively good shape but it was just a decision I made. That's it, we all make decisions in life you just have to live with them and get on with them.”

He could easily have won two more All-Ireland medals in 2011 and 2012 had he decided to stay on with Kilkenny, but that’s not something that bothers him in the slightest.

He has six All-Ireland medals, eight Leinster medals, four National League medals, and three All-Star awards from his time with the Cats. Not bad going for someone who never played minor or U-21 with the county.

“Yeah, absolutely I couldn't agree more with you,” he says. “I would've been playing with O'Loughlins '97, '98, '99, '2000, I was getting better every year and improving as I went along, I was improving.

“I started in the backs and then they were moving me up along, midfield and half-forward and ended up in the forwards then, played a couple of good games and got a chance to play with Kilkenny, played a few league games and done well.

“Got into the team and so forth so it was very surprising for me to be playing with Kilkenny you know, if you had of said to me when I started out hurling senior with O'Loughlins that I would've hurled senior with Kilkenny I wouldn't have believed you. So, absolutely, I wouldn't have been earmarked to play for Kilkenny when I was underage by any stretch of the imagination.

“I'm ultra-satisfied with what I got out of playing with Kilkenny. To win so much as much as we won is very satisfying, it's difficult as we all know to win an All-Ireland, there's so much competition there.

“I think really that we had a very strong team and everyone here recognises that we had a brilliant team, let's be straight, fantastic players like Tommy, JJ, Noel Hickey, Mick Kavanagh, Henry, Eddie and so forth, we all know the standard of player we had during the 200os and you know we made hay while the sun shined and we enjoyed it.”

The sun is still shining on him as an O’Louglin’s player and he has no intention of retreating into the shade any time soon. A third Leinster club medal would be a nice reward, but more important to him is the desire to make a valuable contribution to the club he loves for as long as possible.

“As long as I’m fit and healthy you’d be hoping…try and get myself on the team and work as hard as I can and try and be an influence on younger players and try and be a good influence on them is important,” he said.

“As long as I can hold my own I have no intention of giving up anyway.”