Ian O'Riordan

Dublin under-21 hurling manager Tommy Naughton has described this evening's Leinster final against Kilkenny as a "50-50" game. That might sound a little over-optimistic given Kilkenny's current rule on hurling in the province, yet this Dublin team can compete with the best at this level.

There are several facts to back up Naughton's confidence. A year ago Dublin came within a whisker of winning their first Leinster under-21 hurling title since 1972, denied only by a miraculous finish by Wexford. Ten players from that team are in action this evening, most of which have since graduated to the senior ranks, and this year they comfortably handled Wexford in the semi-final.

Wing-forward Conal Keaney stood out like a monument throughout the senior championship, and he is joined in the starting line-up by four other players talented enough to start in Dublin's last championship game against Offaly - Philip Brennan, Stephen Hiney, Ronan Fallon and Michael Carton. Three more starters, Derek O'Reilly, Keith Elliot and Simon Daly are also on the senior panel.

Naughton, a former Dublin senior selector and in his third season as under-21 manager, says: "I would say our confidence is reasonably high. We definitely see it as a 50-50 game, although a lot of other people mightn't think that. I'm not saying we've got a great team, but we're very pleased with the players we have. A lot of them played in last year's final, and they have matured a little more now and definitely progressed some more over the last year."

Kilkenny, by tradition alone, will start as marginal favourites. Yet their talent is already blooming as senior level too, with Tommy Walsh, JJ Delaney, Conor Phelan and Ken Coogan featuring in their starting line up.

"Well I haven't seen this Kilkenny team play yet," adds Naughton, "but you know they'll be very, very good. Sure Kilkenny teams are always good."

On paper the teams seem very evenly balanced - with Keaney and Walsh the key playmakers in either team. Dublin won't be lacking for pace or skill and the key to winning this game will be confidence, and that's something Dublin won't be lacking either.

What Naughton is at least sure of is that his team will compete. "I just don't know if the time is completely ripe to win this," he adds. "A lot of work has been put in and hopefully it is. But I think winning this wouldn't be just a breakthrough for Dublin hurling. It would be great for hurling in general, and I think even Kilkenny would appreciate a team that could really put it up to them. Not that they'll be thinking that way tomorrow evening."

Winning might well come down to the old cliché of the team that wants it more. And in that case Dublin surely have a real chance.

DUBLIN (Under-21 hurling v Kilkenny): G Maguire; K Elliot, S Daly, P Brennan; D O'Reilly, S Hiney, C O'Brien; R Fallon, S McCann; C Keaney, P Fleury, M Carton; S O'Neill, S O'Connor, F Chambers.

KILKENNY: D Herity; M Phelan, C Hickey, G Joyce; K Coogan, J Tyrrell, JJ Delaney; M Rice, T Walsh; W O'Dwyer, P Cleere, C Phelan; E McCormack, S Hennessy, A Fogarty.