HURLING/Focus on All-Ireland Under-21 final: Ian O'Riordan finds two sides very motivated for this Sunday's final in Thurles, but for different reasons.

Though Kilkenny are on the verge of collecting their third All-Ireland title of the summer, it seems Sunday's Erin under-21 hurling final in Thurles is a game loaded with sub-plots and reasons both they and Galway are desperate to win.

Dominance at all three grades is far from the only motivation for Kilkenny. Three years ago the majority of this under-21 team were beaten in the Leinster minor championship by Offaly, so that Kilkenny failed to collect the Leinster title for the first time in 10 years. That hurt.

And while the team has its fair spread of senior talent - with eight of last Sunday's panel in the mix - it's a chance for the lesser-known players to shine. A good show in Thurles and they might get their ticket to the Kilkenny senior panel.

For Kilkenny manager Martin Fogarty the first question, however, is whether he feels any extra pressure with a team that sets out to secure Kilkenny the treble.

"Sure there's pressure every time Kilkenny go out to win a match," he says. "Whether it's a treble or a double or the first one.

"In fact if anything the talk of a treble would be a help for Sunday. Winning last Sunday gave everyone a boost. If they'd gone out then and been beaten I'd say the pressure on us would be worse."

Fogarty is in his first year of management with Kilkenny, and he doesn't try to hide the wealth of talent at his disposal. He has Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney, who both started in the senior win last Sunday, and Conor Phelan, who came on as a substitute. His captain Jackie Tyrell, Brian Dowling, Ken Coogan, Aidan Cummins and Walter Burke are all part of Brian Cody's senior panel.

Indeed one of Fogarty's problems is how to use so much talent. Tommy Walsh, for example?

"Sure we could use him anywhere. Tommy can play everywhere except in goals. We'll just have to decide where we can get the most benefit out of him.

"But if you look at Sunday's game, the players that show up there nearly have a ticket on to the senior panel, if they're not there already. For older players at 23 or 24 it's a lot harder to get on to the senior panel, unless he is really showing up at club level. So they'll all be up for it."

Kilkenny last took the under-21 title in 1999 (before Limerick started their three-in-a-row) when they also beat Galway 1-13 to 0-14. Both counties have seven titles in all, with Galway's last one coming in 1996. Fogarty reckons under-21 titles are never easily won.

"Players might have done well at minor, but under-21 is a totally different grade of hurling. From boys to men. I know Kilkenny have a lot of great minors that never made it any further, because they just weren't able to make the step up. But I certainly think under-21 is a great grade of hurling."

Galway's motivations are a little different. Manager John Hardiman is in his second season in charge and Sunday's game is the chance of getting over last year, when Limerick beat them heavily in the final. Their semi-final win over Tipperary, though hard earned, has only helped ease some of the pain.

"It was very important to get a good result this year. We were just wiped out last year by the Munster champions, and were coming in against the Munster champions in the semi-final this year. So our hearts were in our mouths, especially after we fell behind 1-2 to no score. And last year was a bit of a setback. Anytime you lose an All-Ireland is hard, but to lose when you don't do yourself justice is very cruel.

"But there hasn't been any great drop-off from our players of last year. Whether or not they can step it, we'll have to wait and see. But most of them have been through it before, and hopefully that will help."

There is also the one-point loss to Kilkenny in last Sunday's minor final to inspire them - even if only one member of that Galway team, Niall Healy, was used as a substitute against Tipperary. But players like Ger Farragher and Richie Murray have enough experience to ensure Kilkenny will be tested.

"I know in Galway we are very proud of the way the minors played last Sunday," says Hardiman. "There is a perception of a huge drop-off from minor in Galway. But we've actually won only five minor titles in the history of the competition. And we also have an easier route to the final than teams in Munster or Leinster."

Clearly then this is a title chance that neither team wants to let slip.