Injuries mount ahead of Cats’ Leinster defence

There was big disappointment as Kilkenny suffered defeat in last Saturday night’s Allianz Hurling League Final with Clare.

While it was different to the subsequent fixture in 2023 which saw the Cats lose out to Limerick, it’s still a sizeable blow as national silverware would have given the team great momentum ahead of the championship.

There was very little between the sides with second half goals from David Fitzgerald and Aidan McCarthy helping Brian Lohan’s team to a 3-16 to 1-20 victory.

Kilkenny can still take plenty from the game as they were possibly only a missed Eoin Cody penalty away from snatching a late victory and that’s despite being without a number of key players.

The most notable absentee was TJ Reid who picked up a hamstring knock during training last Thursday and wasn’t risked for the game but from a positive point of view, he was out pucking away on the pitch before the game.

Whether the Shamrocks man is deemed fit enough or even risked for the Leinster opener with Antrim on Sunday week is a topic of discussion but Derek Lyng will certainly be hoping to have the 36 year-old available for the following week’s game away to Henry Shefflin’s Galway in Salthill.

TJ is not the only injury concern either with the likes of Mikey Butler, Walter Walsh, Mikey Carey, Conor Heary and Tom Phelan all currently sidelined.

Of those five players, Walter Walsh will definitely be out of the opening two games as he recovers from a groin injury he picked up in the round 3 league victory over Offaly.

The two-week gap between the Galway and Carlow games may give the Tullogher Rosbercon man a chance to stake a claim for the neighbourly clash in Netwatch Cullen Park on the second Saturday in May.

Mikey Carey and Mikey Butler both picked up injuries on the same afternoon against Waterford in Walsh Park on March 16 and have not been involved in the two games since while Conor Heary has been missing since the early stages of the league and Tom Phelan hasn’t been seen since Walsh Cup.

UNDER-20'S

There was better news elsewhere on Saturday with Mark Dowling’s under -20 side picking up their second win of the leinster campaign against Laois in MW Hire O’Moore Park.

The young cats offset the playing of the game during Storm Kathleen as they netted six goals in a hugely impressive display with senior star Gearoid Dunne getting four goals.

On the back of also defeating Wexford a few weeks ago, Kilkenny now move onto a Leinster semi-final but that game won’t take place till Wednesday, May 15.

Despite the long gap between games, Dowling is happy to be just 60 minutes away from a provincial decider.

“First and foremost I’m glad we’ll have five weeks off rather than having a preliminary quarter-final or actual quarter-final in three or four weeks time.

“It does give a chance for some of the injured players to recover and reset.

“It also gives a chance to get all the players back in and go at it and fight for places in our own setup and they’ll all get an opportunity to put their hand up for selection again.

“It’s a long period of time but it will still go by quick enough.

“We probably won’t regroup till the end of this week and that’s one of the weeks gone already while the last week you are just fine-tuning things as you get ready for that semi-final.

“We’ll be glad of it to be honest as it’s been heavy going and with the way the weather and picthes are at the moment it adds to it so it will be nice to get a bit of a breather.”