DJ Carey is back on the Kilkenny panel. Only a couple of weeks after he had ruled himself out of involvement with the county this season, the much-decorated hurler said he would be returning to training next week. Séan Moran reports

"Encouragement from people I respect in the game helped me change my mind," Carey said. "I have a lot of things on, but I will put them all on hold to see how things go. . . I expect no guarantees from the selectors."

The news comes as a major lift to Kilkenny just days after the county retained its Leinster championship for a record fifth successive year. Carey hasn't played for Kilkenny since the All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Galway last August. In his absence the team has done well, winning the National Hurling League last May before adding the provincial title.

Last week's win over Wexford in the Leinster final wasn't a complete success though, with the county failing to score a goal. Although Kilkenny are now in next month's All-Ireland semi-final, the return of the greatest goal scorer in the modern game will still be most welcome.

"DJ is still young enough to be playing at inter-county level," Kilkenny manager, Brian Cody, said. "He is going to resume training with the squad and see how things go. We are very happy about that." Cody spoke to Carey this week about returning and having considered the matter, the player agreed.

"It's great news," said county secretary Pat Dunphy. "We felt we needed someone like him in the forwards. He would be a major addition, even on the bench in big matches. We were always hopeful that he'd come back."

Carey will rejoin the squad for training at Nowlan Park on Tuesday. Initially, he was forced out of the inter-county game because of a neck injury. While he was making steady progress with his club Gowran early in the season, he suffered a setback when he underwent an appendectomy. However, he was back within 17 days.