By Cian O'Connell

Potential exists in the capital, but Dublin hurling manager Mattie Kenny is eager to ensure his team delivers in the Leinster Championship.

Saturday's high stakes encounter against Kilkenny at Nowlan Park will be revealing.

Dublin's performance levels were impressive in the summer of 2018 under Pat Gilroy and Kenny wants to keep the team competitive.

Kenny doesn't necessarily feel that it is an extra challenge with it being his first year in charge of Dublin.

"It's our first year, but I don’t see that as an advantage or disadvantage," Kenny says. "Our philosophy or motto is to get our heads down, get our work done; work on the team.

"We have our own internal processes, and our own internal measures, for what we’re trying to achieve. Just to work away on that, trying to build consistent performances in the team.

"But whether you’re in your first year or third year, I think a lot of the teams we’re trying to achieve are the same.

"We understand obviously that League form is League form, and once you go into the Championship it’s a completely different animal. As we said earlier, we won’t know where teams are at until the first or second round of this Championship is played.”

With injuries bothering both camps Kenny is wary about listening to talk that Kilkenny are vulnerable.

"I think that was the narrative that was out there earlier last year - 18 months ago they were saying Kilkenny are on the wane," Kenny states.

"But then the turnaround - won the League and as the Championship went on last year, I was looking at it from a different position last year than this year, Kilkenny were getting stronger as the Championship was going on. They were unlucky to eventually lose out to the All-Ireland champions.”

That Brian Cody still supplies the passion and purpose from the sideline ensures Kilkenny remain relevant.

“Brian Cody is a legend in the game," Kenny admits. "A guy that’s so well respected and admired throughout Ireland. A guy that I've huge admiration for myself. I've met Brian on a number of occasions in the last 10 or 15 years – he's always such a gentleman, willing to give you time to talk about hurling. Everybody knows what he’s achieved with Kilkenny in those 21 years – something that will never be matched again.

"What I believe, under his reign, that Kilkenny team of a number of years ago was the greatest team ever to play the game. It was managed and built by Brian. There were a few times when he went back and rebuilt the team – on two occasions at least, and I suppose this is the third time that he’s rebuilding the team again. And, you know, somebody that you could have nothing but the utmost admiration for what he has achieved in his career – and continues to achieve.

"We saw that last year with Kilkenny – a brilliant League campaign and at the end of the day they were actually to lose out to Limerick, the eventual All-Ireland champions."

Kenny, widely regarded as an innovative coach, is enjoying operating in the inter-county arena once more.

Satisfaction is derived from the planning and plotting trying to make players better. “When you look at the characteristic of any player, what is important? One of the most important traits in a player is they have to be coachable," Kenny comments.

"You want them to become students of the game; that they have an open mind to try things differently.

“As our coaching staff and myself as manager, we have to have that also. We have, I suppose, a philosophy of the way we want to play the game. We want to play an attacking brand of hurling, but within that there are different systems and different responsibilities to get a good functioning team.

“I find the Dublin senior players are really solid guys, really good people, and very, very coachable. So, I think there’s a good dynamic within our group and we’re working to try and improve our performances every day we go out.

“We know we’re not there yet. We know we’ve a lot of work to do. But we’re willing to put that work in to see where it gets us.”