Effort and enthusiasm were key in Cats’ victory

It was a relief for the man in the hurling hot seat to get that first game out of the way, but Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng was full of praise for the other people who had their first taste of the senior intercounty scene.

“Their attitude has been top class,” the Emeralds (Urlingford) man said in the aftermath of Sunday’s Walsh Cup win over Offaly. “It’s a new experience for a lot of those lads - they wouldn’t have been exposed to that level of training before, but they have been excellent - I couldn’t say anything less about them.”

Lyng was able to look back on a good win for a Cats team which featured six newcomers. While the physicality of senior intercounty hurling was new to them, something the manager stressed can’t be learned overnight, he was happy that plans are in place to make sure they develop steadily.

“We’ll see how the next few weeks go,” he said, when asked about how the players in his training squad have fared thus far.

“Some lads might have to step away but as part of their development they’ll be kept on programmes and come back in as the year goes on.

“It’s about getting players ready,” he added, “getting that bit of exposure and seeing how they go.”

Lyng was able to reflect on a winning start to his tenure, admitting it was simply good to get going.

“I’m delighted to get stuck into it,” he said. “I was appointed in August so it’s been a long wait! The games will be coming thick and fast now, which is what we want.

“There was some good and bad in that game,” he said, reviewing Sunday’s fare in Callan. “We can be happy with the performance - the effort was really good. We’ve only done a little hurling since coming back after Christmas so you could see a little rustiness there, but the players were trying to do the right thing all the time.

“We accept there are going to be mistakes, but the effort was very good,” he added. “I thought Offaly were moving well, so it was a good challenge.

“We tired at stages and went out of the game at times, but that’s to be expected at this time of year,” the manager noted.

“We’ll build on this in the coming weeks - we want to have a competitive panel by the time the League rolls around.”

And that panel could be strengthened by a number of returning players in the coming weeks. Lyng will be able to call on plenty of Kilkenny experience, with no retirements announced from last year’s squad.

“There has been a fantastic attitude from the players, with everyone raring to go. They are seriously ambitious players with a huge amount to offer, so I’m delighted to still have them. A lot of the players are working through their own programmes now but, as time goes on, we’ll see more of them.”

And while there may be a new manager, what’s asked of the players remains the same.

“We’re looking for lads who will put their hand up when the games come,” the manager said. “Even in training we’re looking at their attitude. We want ambitious players, guys who want to play for Kilkenny - that doesn’t change.

“We want a competitive panel by the time the League rolls around, and the same for the championship. We want players who are fighting fit and fighting for places.”