Limerick showdown a perfect early season test for Kilkenny

UPMC Nowlan Park is expected to attract a big crowd this Sunday as Kilkenny and Limerick meet in the Allianz Hurling League.

After a two week break in action, points will be at a premium with both sides eager to impress once again.

Of all the teams in Division 1A, the break was of most importance for Kilkenny as they don’t have their bye until the very last round so it was their only rest period in a schedule of six games in seven weeks.

Add in Limerick showing well in a win over Tipperary and a draw away to Cork and it’s very clear that the Treaty County will be a tough nut to crack on Noreside.

The game is a repeat of last year’s league semi-final which saw Kilkenny run out big winners, but you can expect a much different affair here with both teams still down a number of regulars.

From a Kilkenny point of view, we are still yet to see the likes of Eoin Murphy, Richie Reid, Adrian Mullen, TJ Reid, Tommy Walsh or John Donnelly in league action and their return over the next few weeks will be most welcome even if the likes of Mossy Keoghan, Cian Kenny, David Blanchfield and Mikey Carey have starred in their absence.

The Cats will also get full access to their college contingent from now on after a sizeable Kilkenny selection lined out in last week’s Fitzgibbon Cup final - that can only bode well for the future.

If anything though Limerick are without just as many of their frontliners but the big difference between the two counties as it stands is that last year’s Munster champions appear to have another crop of talented youngsters coming through with Paddy O’Donovan and Aidan O’Connor among the new faces to be watched in the ’Park.

The winner on Sunday will rightfully have eyes on possibly making a league final but with the competitiveness of the new structure, just maintaining a position in the top tier is definitely a big aim and the addition of two going down only adds to the pressure levels.

One win in the final three games should move Kilkenny towards the safety position and they can then can adapt their ambitions accordingly but with clashes against traditional rivals Cork and Tipperary to follow the Limerick game, there won’t be any soft touches.

One thing Kilkenny will be eager to correct is their lack of consistency over the course of the 70 minutes thus far.

The Cats started slowly in the opening two games with Clare and Galway while the Wexford encounter saw the Noresiders dominate the first half, but they fell off it a bit after that. While they still won comfortably, the reaction wasn’t overly positive from a Kilkenny point of view.

In the past Kilkenny would have won a similar contest by a lot more than eight points so rediscovering that ruthless edge is a crucial ingredient if Derek Lyng’s men are going to compete for the All-Ireland title later in the summer.

The Cats have been in the last two league deciders and although there is still much ground to be covered over the next month or so, aiming to reach a final could be a big positive for Kilkenny in 2025 as there is a big gap from their March 9 clash at home against Tipperary to the opening round of the Leinster Championship against Galway on Easter Saturday (April 19).

While Kilkenny are without some big players, it’s attack and midfield where we’ve seen the most experimentation with much of the defence having a familiar look as Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, David Blanchfield and Mikey Carey all look to nail down spots in the starting lineup.

One of last year’s big finds, Shane Murphy, has got another chance to impress along with the Fitzgibbon trio of Padraic Moylan, Billy Reid and Zach Bay Hammond who got some valuable gametime with the Rower-Inistioge’s Eoghan Lyng.

While Cian Kenny finished last year as an All-Star nominee in the midfield, he has played a lot of his hurling during the spring time in the forward line as Killian Doyle, Peter McDonald and Jordan Molloy have made starts alongside the versatile Paddy Deegan who has played at both ends of the field.

In between the sticks Aidan Tallis has looked very much at home and, on current form he has a real chance of taking the jersey for the summer with Eoin Murphy only back in training after getting married recently.

The undoubted Kilkenny star in the opening three games though has been Mossy Keoghan as he leads the scoring charts with 2-12. While the impact of the Tullaroan man has been huge, Derek Lyng will be hoping the rest of the forward line can find their form with some notable stars also due to return very soon.

Another busy period starts with a high profile televised game with Limerick on Sunday as the second block of league games kick into action with a bang.

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