National Hurling League Preview: Spotlight on Kilkenny as new season starts

The return of the Allianz National League is upon us and while it will be played at a completely different time of the year, the anticipation is building.

Kilkenny have traditionally taken the league seriously and they last achieved success when defeating Tipperary in the 2018 decider.

The Cats are coming into this campaign under a bit of a cloud however with the loss of a couple of experienced players and they will need a few newcomers to make a mark early on.

In similar fashion to the 2020 campaign, Division 1 of the League will be split into two sections and Kilkenny will take their place alongside Dublin, Antrim, Wexford, Laois and Clare.

The defending Leinster champions will have three home games back to back in the middle of the series of the matches against the promoted Antrim as well as Wexford and Laois.

How successful the league is may depend on the two games on the road with a visit to Parnell Park in the opening game against Dublin bookended by a trip to Ennis to face the Banner County in the last game on June 12.

The one big difference for this year’s league, in comparison to previous year’s, is the lack of a knockout stage and the final will only take place if the counties subsequently meet later in the Championship.

There is a lot of water to cross before anyone even takes that into consideration though and Kilkenny’s eyes will firmly be drawn towards Dublin on Saturday afternoon.

The Cats won the corresponding fixture last year before fighting off a phenomenal Dublin comeback to also taste success when they met a few months later in the Championship.

But that late theme wasn’t dismissed from view with Waterford eventually ending Kilkenny’s interest the 2020 Championship with a sensational come from behind victory.

That Kilkenny collapse is something that has been discussed a lot in the intervening months and, more than maybe any other year, eyes will be fetched on how Brian Cody’s team react to last season.

While the mood was a bit downbeat in the aftermath of that defeat and what the future may hold there were still a couple of positives to be gained after Kilkenny won their first Leinster title in five years after goals from the experienced pair of TJ Reid and Richie Hogan helped them to a two point victory over Galway in an end to end tussle.

Those older heads will be crucial in the months ahead as Brian Cody continues to look for the right formula in bringing a new array of talent through the ranks and the fact that eight players tasted their first provincial success will have been seen as a big positive.

In saying that the absence of Colin Fennelly, Ger Aylward and Paul Murphy is likely to be felt at some stage throughout the season which is why the likes of David Blanchfield, Darragh Corcoran, Eoin Guilfoyle, Aidan Nolan, Eoin O’Shea, and Cian Kenny will all be aiming to stake their place for game time.

One thing to note from the extended break is that it has allowed newly appointed captain Adrian Mullen to get a step closer to resuming full fitness.

The Ballyhale Shamrock star ruptured his cruciate ligament in a League game against Clare last year and as a result he missed out on the club’s Kilkenny Senior title defence.

The return of the 2019 player of the year will be a big asset to the Kilkenny attack and with Eoin Cody having a breakout year last term the hope is that a bit of pressure can be alleviated from TJ Reid who has led the forward line in great style the last few seasons.

All will be revealed in the short-term and with five games in seven weeks it’s set to be a feast of action and in reality it’s just great to have it back.