Down but not out - Kilkenny senior hurlers turn attention to 2024

What a difference a week makes...

As I sit at my keyboard, I recall this time last week. Feelings of hope, optimism and, dare I say confidence, took hold - I’m sure much of the county truly believed we could bring home Liam!

Much, if not all, of the country thought Limerick would prevail, and why wouldn’t they? I have not seen a greater hurling ‘force’ in my short lifetime, and the word ‘force’ is apt. We’ve seen many great teams in recent years, not least our own, but the power, fitness and ability to turn a match around so effortlessly is both spectacular and scary. How do they do it!? I dare say we haven’t seen an amateur team at such professional levels in the history of the GAA.

The tide turned shortly after half-time. A confident Kilkenny, who had hurled well for much of the opening 35 minutes, were about to be hit by an almighty green wave! The Limerick team and their supporters were in sync, the roar was deafening and the writing was on the wall. Yes, the Cats led by three points at half-time, and of course we had to be relatively happy with their work rate and performance - but! We had seen it all year, it was all the chat in the stands: ‘Limerick are not playing well here, but they will’.

And so it proved. In spite of brilliant first half performances from Kilkenny players such as Tom Phelan and Huw Lawlor, the Cats were flattened by the hurricane of all hurricanes.

Limerick grew and despite a rasping goal from Paddy Deegan the match was slipping. By the 51st minute when Darragh O’Donovan put Limerick in front there was no way back. Yes, we hoped, but how could any hurler stop this machine?

Players who we classed as ‘missing persons’ in the first half came alive for the Treatymen after the restart. Peter Casey was immense at corner-forward, scoring some beautiful points. Aaron Gillane was a constant threat, and what can you say about Cian Lynch? We may be Kilkenny supporters, but the Patrickswell man has suffered injury heartbreak in recent years, the distressing scenes of Lynch on crutches were a distant memory to his display in midfield on Sunday.

In many respects, it’s unfair to pick out individuals from Treaty County. From their hard-working backs to their half-back line which, in truth, is a ‘forward launching pad’, they’re a unit. How many counties could cope with a non-performing Gearoid Hegarty or come back from a first half performance which I can only describe as a ‘buffering display’ with more stutters than the RTÉ Player. But yet, they could do it. Like a lion eyeing its prey, the opening half is used to observe the opposition; the second is to pounce!

Forgive me if this sounds like a Limerick love-in, but their display was exceptional. I’ve never witnessed such effortless hurling and a crowd whose noise was quite literally deafening.

But, due credit must be paid to Kilkenny. They have proven over the past two years they are the best county equipped to take out this Limerick team.

When will that be? Who knows…

For now, we should just pay due praise to an incredible planning. The first half, for me and I’m sure many of you, feels like a distant memory, but we played a good game.

We should remember, Limerick were under sizeable pressure in that period, Kilkenny swarmed them at every opportunity, with both back-lines putting admirable performances. Even at their lowest points against Galway, John Kiely’s men found scores; on Sunday, Diarmaid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane’s frees were safety nets for the county’s ‘four in a row’ hopes. Only Clare can say they had their Munster rivals on the ropes in such a manner. But alas, it wasn’t to be.

As we face a new week, the players will get much deserved downtime but as the dust settles, we must ask, where to from here? Will some of the older statesmen stay on the team and can we bounce back for a third time in 2024?

Firstly, players (if any) who decide to hang up their boots deserve nothing but praise - they owe us nothing.

But crucially, can we replace them? One under-20 title since 2009 and no minor title since 2014 is very concerning. Our rivals of the early 2000s, Cork, allowed their underage system to slip; fast-forward 18 years and Liam MacCarthy has failed to make a return to Leeside. That should be a warning. As an outsider, I’m only too aware of the fantastic personnel over such teams. However, in any walk of life, if the system is broken it won’t deliver results. Those far more knowledgeable than me need to access our under-age system and bring back under-age All-Ireland titles on a regular basis. After all, it would be naive to separate those teams from a senior team’s fortunes.

But let’s be positive, we have the best possible man in the shape of Derek Lyng guiding us into 2024. There is undoubted talent in that team and a hunger to return to Croke Park.

We’re certainly contenders for 2024. If Limerick slip, like they almost did in Munster this year, who’s to say we can't pounce?