A look back at Derek Lyng's four year in tenure in charge of the Kilkenny Hurlers

After four years at the helm, Kilkenny now move into the post Derek Lyng era after the Urlingford man stepped away from the senior manager’s role over the last week.

In many ways it was seen as the impossible job as Lyng took over from Brian Cody but after serving as a senior selector between 2014 and 2019 and winning a Leinster and All-Ireland title with the Under-20’s in 2022, he had more than served his apprenticeship ahead of landing the top gig.

When Cody stepped away as Kilkenny manager on the back of the 2022 All-Ireland Final loss to Limerick after an incredible 24 years in charge, it was time for a new era with Peter Barry, Michael Rice, Peter O’Donovan and Conor Phelan joning the Urlingford man as his selectors.

Initially, things seemed to be going to plan and even better than predicted as the Cats racked off four wins from their five Division 1 league clashes as they sealed a place in the semi-finals.

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A home win over Cork followed in the last four before the Noresiders set up a rematch from the 2022 All-Ireland Final as they locked horns with Limerick in the 2023 Allianz League Division 1 Final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Backed by a huge crowd from the Treaty County, John Kiely’s men proved superior on that occasion as they ran out 2-20 to 0-15 winners with Billy Drennan leading the scoring for the Cats.

Kilkenny soon got over that disappointment with a victory over Westmeath and a draw against Galway in Nowlan Park kickstarting the defence to their Leinster title before they added on further victories against Antrim and Dublin.

The one black mark in the round-robin arrived via a defeat to Wexford in the last round but with a Leinster Final spot already assured, all eyes were fixed on a return to Croke Park for the provincial decider.

There was a familiar face in the opposition dugout as Henry Shefflin’s Galway team took on the defending champions in what proved to be a cracking contest.

Galway looked to have Kilkenny’s number but with time almost up, Cillian Buckley bagged a match saving goal with practically the last puck of the game to ensure the Bob O’Keeffe Cup returned to the Marble City for a fourth year on the trot and it was noticeable how much the victory meant to the entire squad.

An All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Clare a month later awaited Derek Lyng’s oufit and after a thrilling encounter, the Cats held on to claim a 1-25 to 1-22 victory with an Eoin Cody goal and a wonder Eoin Murphy save ensuring the side in black and amber advanced to the final.

Limerick were a major stumbling block as Kilkenny looked to win a first All-Ireland crown since 2015 but with Paddy Deegan and Eoin Cody netting goals, the Cats looked primed to kick for home as they led by five points in the early stages of the second half but a dominant Limerick fightback pounded the Leinster champions into submission as the Shannonsiders brought home the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the fifth time in six years.

A disappointing ending but overall a pretty promising first year in charge for Derek Lyng and 2024 maintained a similar timeline as they again qualified for the Allianz League Final with Clare proving the opposition on this occasion.

TJ Reid sat out that early spring decider with injury and the Banner County very much had Kilkenny’s number with goals from Aidan McCarthy and David Fitzgerald giving Brian Lohan’s side the edge as they battled to a two point success at the expense of the Cats.

Like the previous season, Kilkenny were impressive for the most part throughout the round-robin stages of the Leinster campaign with a win away in Parnell Park and a draw in Salthill against Galway, two of the more standout moments.

There was also a draw to Carlow in the midst of the group but a final round victory over Wexford on home soil where TJ Reid netted a winning penalty ensured another Leinster Final awaited with Dublin the opponents in Croke Park.

It turned into a real turkey shoot of a provincial decider with the Dubs failing to put their best foot forward as the Cats blew them away in a 3-28 to 1-18 victory that saw TJ Reid and Eoin Cody grab the goals in front of a crowd of over 35,000.

That was Kilkenny’s fifth Leinster title on the trot and for the third year in a row, Clare awaited the Cats in the semi-finals but unlike the previous two seasons, it was here that Kilkenny’s luck ran out.

The Banner County backed up the earlier league success with a come from behind victory in Croke Park and to make things worse, the Munster side also went on to defeat Cork in the All-Ireland Final Replay a fortnight later.

Year three of the Derek Lyng era saw the Cats chase a sixth Leinster hurling crown on the spin and like the previous two years, that was all going to plan as they claimed successive victories over Antrim, Offaly, Dublin and Galway before the Noresiders fell to Wexford on the last day for the second time in three years in a game that proved to be a dead rubber once again.

The Leinster Final against Galway followed and like the round-robin clash between the two counties, Kilkenny were much the better as they ran out 3-22 to 1-20 winners with goals from Mossy Keoghan and TJ Reid gifting the Cats a 77th provincial crown in total.

A meeting with near neighbours and fierce rivals Tipperary was the prize in the All-Ireland Semi-Finals as the counties locked horns in the championship for the first time since the 2019 All-Ireland Final and the game proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone involved.

Tipp’s goal scoring prowess put pay to the Cats chances as Jason Forde, John McGrath, Darragh McCarthy and Oisin O’Donoghue all found the net on a dream afternoon for Liam Cahill’s side.

The drama of that afternoon only started in the minutes after the game however when it was clear that there was a malfunction with the scoreboard in the ground.

Kilkenny and Tipperary were of the understanding that the latter were four points ahead after Noel McGrath’s 70th minute point attempt. The shot was waved wide but the scoreboard counted it as a point.

Following a Jordan Molloy point in the second minute of additional time, Kilkenny went in search of what they thought was a required goal to force extra-time when they were in fact only two points behind.

Kilkenny, it is understood, wrote to Croke Park seeking clarification about the matter although a replay was never in question.

The GAA would later offer an apology to Kilkenny but that wasn’t much solace to Kilkenny as they licked their wounds on the back of a two point loss and that pain only grew further when the Premier County then stunned Cork in the All-Ireland decider.

It kind of summed up Lyng’s first three years in a sense with the fact that they were close but not close enough as they lost out to all three All-Ireland champions in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

That brings us to the 2026 inter-county season and the year that just passed and from the moment we got confirmation that Huw Lawlor and Billy Ryan were going to be unavailable as they went off travelling, there was a nagging sense that this could be a difficult season for the Cats.

A disappointing league campaign did little to alleviate those fears or question marks and a real sense of the uphill task that the championship may provide was offered when Galway beat Derek Lyng’s men by all of 18 points and unfortunatley for everyone involved it wouldn’t be the last big setback in Salthill either.

There was hope that once the championship came around, there would be an upturn in Kilkenny’s form but when they returned to the scene of the crime in Pearse Stadium for the opening round-robin clash, there was a cruel sense of deja vu as the subsequent new Leinster Champions ran riot at Kilkenny’s expense to claim a 3-25 to 1-16 win.

There were home victories to improve the mood over Wexford and Kildare but in between those two wins, a draw with Offaly was the real result that put their qualification in doubt.

A Dublin victory on the last day would have been enough to eliminate the Cats at the round-robin stage for the first time ever and that’s what transpired as the city slickers ran out seven point winners on a roasting afternoon in Donnycarney. That proved to be the Emeralds man’s last game in charge as his four year term in charge of the Cats came to an earlier end then expected.

The last few weeks and months were undoubtedly very difficult and while he didn’t achieve what he would have liked, he still brought home three Leinster titles and can hold his head high for great service as both a player and manager.