Richie Power (1985)

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Richie Power
irish = Ristéard de Paor
fullname = Richard Power
placeofbirth = Carrickshock
countryofbirth = County Kilkenny
bday=4
bmonth=12
byear= 1985
dyear=
dday=
dmonth=
feet= 6
inches= 0
county = Kilkenny
province = Leinster
club = Carrickshock
clposition = Forward
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Kilkenny
icposition = Forward
icyears = 2005-present
icapps(points) = 13 (3-21)
icprovince = 3
icallireland = 3
nhl = 2
clupdate=
icupdate=

Richie Power (born 4 December, 1985 in Carrickshock, County Kilkenny) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Carrickshock and has been a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 2005.

Playing career

Club

Power plays his club hurling with his local Carrickshock team and has enjoyed some success. He has yet to win a senior county title.

Inter-county

Power first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kilkenny minor hurling team in the early 2000s. He won his first Leinster title in this grade in 2002 and he later lined out in his first minor championship decider. Tipperary provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was Kilkenny who won the game, giving Power a coveted All-Ireland medal. In 2003 he added a second Leinster minor medal to his collection before later winning a second consecutive All-Ireland minor medal following a victory over Galway. Power later moved on to the county under-21 team with whom he won his first Leinster under-21 title in 2004. He later captured an All-Ireland medal following a victory over Tipperary in the championship decider. 2005 saw Fitzpatrick add a second Leinster under-21 medal to his collection, however, 'the Cats' were later defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland final. In 2006 he won a third consecutive Leinster under-21 title before collecting a second All-Ireland medal after a defeat of Tipperary in a replay at Semple Stadium after a thrilling draw had been played out in Croke Park the previous week.

Power was still playing for the under-21 side when he made his debut with the Kilkenny senior hurling in 2005. That year he tasted his first senior success by winning his first National Hurling League medal. He subsequently captured his first senior Leinster title, however, Kilkenny were later defeated by Galway in a thrilling All-Ireland semi-final. In 2006 Power captured a second consecutive National League title. He subsequently captured his a second Leinster medal before lining out in an All-Ireland final against Cork. On the day Kilkenny proved to be the better team and Power captured his first senior All-Ireland medal. In 2007 Power played no part in Kilkenny's provincial championship campaign, however, he later won his second senior All-Ireland medal after 'the Cats' defeated surprise finalists Limerick in the championship decider.

2008 saw Kilkenny launch an all-out attack in an attempt to capture a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. The team had an easy passage through the Leinster Championship, however, the opening half of the provincial final against Wexford gave ‘the Cats’ another minor scare. In the end Power collected his third Leinster medal on the field of play after a 5-21 to 0-17 victory. This victory allowed Kilkenny to advance directly to the All-Ireland semi-final where arch-rivals Cork were the opponents. The game was an interesting encounter; however, Kilkenny claimed a 1-23 to 0-17 victory. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Kilkenny take on Waterford. It was their first meeting in the championship decider since 1963. A classic game of hurling was expected by many, however, Kilkenny started stronger. Two goals by Eddie Brennan after twenty minutes effectively killed the game, however, ‘the Cats’ ploughed on to record an enormous 3-30 to 1-13. It was Power's third All-Ireland medal in-a-row.

References