James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick admits he faces a battle to regain his place in the Kilkenny team for Sunday's Leinster SHC final against Galway.

The former All-Ireland winning captain missed the semi-final rout of Dublin through injury, with Michael Rice and Michael Fennelly deputising in his absence.

"Yeah, that's it, the two boys haven't put a foot wrong, but I'm trying to put pressure on them for a place on the team," he said in the Irish Examiner.

"Hopefully I'll play some part on Sunday, whether starting or coming on; I won't know until the team is announced on Friday but I'm flying fit, finding a bit of form.

"There's so much competition for places in Kilkenny, you have to be fully fit and you have to be on top of your game - if you're not, there's always someone waiting to come in. It's tough going, but that's just the way it is. There's never any let-up, none whatsoever. This year the trainers and management, Brian (Cody) and Mick Dempsey, have really kept things fresh, especially with the drills, the physical training - maybe even the frequency of it, which is very important to keep things going.

"We're all peaking now in fitness and in freshness - this is the time of the year for that, this is what you need in the heat of battle."

Despite needing a replay to overcome Offaly, Fitzpatrick views first-time Leinster finalists Galway as extremely dangerous opposition for Kilkenny, who are bidding for their 12th provincial title in 13 years.

"I saw those games, and Offaly were very good. Galway didn't play to their full potential but they still won - you have to be cautious when you meet a team like that, so much room for improvement. We're concentrating on our own game, as usual, but we're expecting Galway to come out of the traps fairly lively," he added. Tweet

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