Munster Express Online

If the Waterford hurlers wish to avail of some ‘mind coaching’ ahead of the 2011 All-Ireland Hurling Championship, Keith Barry’s offer to assist remains on the table.

Speaking to this newspaper, the Williamstown illusionist says he is willing to do whatever he can to help the Deisemen bridge a 52-year wait for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

He first made the offer in an exclusive Munster Express interview ahead of Waterford’s semi-final defeat to Tipperary, a story subsequently ‘lifted’ by the national and other local media.

“As a Mount Sion old boy and major Waterford hurling fan, I want to do what I can to help end the famine,” he said.

“I first made the offer at the end of July, and, since things didn’t work out for Davy and the lads against Tipp in the semi-final, I just want to make it known that the offer still stands.”

Reflecting on the semi-final defeat, Keith said: “We could have finished the game better. We ought to have made more effective use of the last five, ten minutes of the game when we could still have pulled it ought of the fire and made next Sunday’s final.

“And by using the best mind control techniques that I can teach, I believe I could have programmed the players to play differently, to help them find that something extra.”

Many hurling observers believed that even the most possessed of hurlers wouldn’t beat the current Kilkenny team, now just one win away from an unprecedented fifth successive title. But Keith believes much of the Cats’ success is all in the mind.

“To the best of my knowledge, the Kilkenny panel uses some hypnotherapy, and it’s obviously having the desired effect,” said Keith, who attended the (Dublin) launch of the Waterford Festival of Music on Friday last.

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