Derek Lyng dismisses suggestion Kilkenny are at a disadvantage ahead of Allianz League
Listen to the full interview on the latest Kilkenny People Sport Podcast
Kilkenny senior hurling manager Derek Lyng has dismissed any suggestions playing teams in the Walsh Shield rather than the competition's cup equivalent is a disadvantage as they prepare for the Allianz Hurling League which begins at home to Offaly on Sunday, January 25.
Kilkenny eased to their first competitive win of the 2026 senior inter-county season, beating Laois by 13 points (2-17 to 0-10) in the Walsh Shield semi-final in a wet Rathdowney on Sunday and will play Kildare in the final of the competition at a home venue next weekend.
"We are where we are now. We'll get a very strong game off whoever we're playing next weekend," Lyng told Clubber after the match.
"We have plenty of numbers in there and we'll have internal matches all going well the following week so we have to get on with it," he added.
"All the time we're looking to improve our own game so really opposition doesn't matter a huge amount and who we're playing at this time of year. We just have to get on with trying to practice what we're doing in training, bringing that into a game situation and getting a bit of sharpness ahead of the league."