The Main Talking Points as Kilkenny claim early season silverware

Main Man
Eoin Cody (Kilkenny)
The Shamrocks Ballyhale star only got 30 minutes of action but his introduction, along with a number of Kilkenny regulars, turned the tide in the Cats’ favour. Cody finished up with seven points in total and along with Ed McDermott also contributing three points from play, Derek Lyng’s side got on top near the end.

Highlight
The sight of Paddy Deegan, Richie Reid, John Donnelly and Mikey Butler all getting their first piece of competitive action for the year will have pleased the Kilkenny manager ahead of the league commencement this weekend.

Lowlight
The first half display where Kilkenny looked very rusty and Kildare played the better hurling will have been a bit of a concern as will Cian Kenny who hobbled off with what looked like a hamstring injury.

Turning Point
The half-time break gave Kilkenny a chance to reset on the back of a two point deficit and they were a much different side upon the resumption and looked a lot more like themselves as they hunted the Lilywhites down.

Venue Watch
With UPMC Nowlan Park locked down ahead of the league start, John Locke Park in Callan proved to be a more than adequate venue and even though the pitch played understandably soft, a big crowd still turned up for what proved to be a cracking pre-season affair.

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What’s Next
All Kilkenny focus will now rest on this Sunday’s Allianz League Division 1 opener at home to Offaly in Nowlan Park while Brian Dowling’s Kildare enjoy a bye week before they kick off their 1B campaign away to Dublin in Parnell Park.