Bob O’Keefe defence begins with Antrim visit

BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR

sportseditor@kilkennyobserver.ie

Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship

Round 1

Kilkenny vs Antrim

UPMC Nowlan Park, Sunday, 2:30pm

The penultimate Sunday in April can only mean one thing – Championship hurling!  The debates over the ‘split season’ will undoubtably rage on, but for now any thoughts on the future structure of the GAA calendar are on the back burner.  Fresh from their Allianz League Final defeat at the hands of Clare, Kilkenny welcome Ulster’s finest, Antrim to UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday as the 2024 Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship gets underway (Throw-in 2:30pm).

Derek Lyng and his backroom team will have been working hard over the last two weeks, rehabbing bodies and focusing minds with this season’s provincial opener on the horizon.  Given Antrim’s difficult league campaign, confidence won’t be that high in the Saffron’s camp, but I’d imagine Darren Gleeson will instill some fire in the bellies of his troops, ahead of what is sure to be a testing opening fixture for the Tipperary natives side.

Antrim lost all five of their league games and finished bottom in their group, and as a result will play their league hurling in Division 1B next season.  Several experienced players opted out of the early season action, and this was always going to make it an uphill struggle for the team from the North.  The good news for Gleeson and his management team is that many of these players have since rejoined the panel and will be keen to show their worth on Noreside this weekend.

Dunloy clubmen, Keelan Molloy, Daire McMullan, Aodhan McGarry along with a trio of Elliott’s in Nigel, Seaan and Ryan will certainly bring quality to the Saffrons, while Conal Cunning, James McNaughton and Michael Bradley have all returned to full training in the last few weeks.  Two standout names in this list are Keelan Molloy and Conal Cunning.   Both these talented hurlers pose a big threat to defenders, Cunning is an accurate exponent of the placed ball, while Molloy’s pace and trickery are vital assets in his armory.

The Antrim supporters are a proud bunch and will make the journey to Kilkenny more in hope than in expectation but will demand that their players leave all on the UPMC Nowlan Park pitch and do themselves justice.  The addition of some of those listed above will certainly create a little belief, or perhaps less dread as they travel south on Sunday.

The first of five league defeats saw the Ulstermen take a road trip to Semple Stadium and face-off against John Kiely’s Limerick.  Gleeson’s charges suffered a huge 27-point defeat in the Allianz opener, and this loss was clearly difficult to shake-off as the next four games highlighted.  Next up for the Saffron’s was a home tie with Dublin, at the compact Corrigan Park. You’d imagine that the Antrim management might have earmarked this encounter as one to gain points from, but the Fibrus sponsored side came out on the wrong side of a 1-point defeat.

With a fortnight to lick their wounds and try and prepare for the visit of the Tribesmen, this probably wasn’t the match that Darren Gleeson would have wanted for his beleaguered panel.  Henry’s men couldn’t quite match the 27-point gap that Limerick managed, they fell two points short, but the likes of Evan Niland, Jason Flynn, Tom Monaghan and Conor Cooney ensured that there was to be no home comforts for Antrim.

A trip to Mullingar followed, as did another defeat, but this time the deficit was just six points, again an opponent in Westmeath, that Antrim might have fancied putting to the sword, but a thoroughly testing winless campaign continued.  The final match of the league saw Tipperary roll into West Belfast and skip out of it with a 15-point victory.  A forgettable 2024 Allianz league now put to bed for the Northerners, and just over a month to try and turn things round ahead of Sunday’s trip to the Marble City.

It’s probably no surprise that Antrim were the lowest scorers and conceded the most in their league group, but the return of many players, including a large Dunloy contingent will give some reasons for optimism, or less fear as they seek to lay a glove on their illustrious hosts this weekend.

For Derek Lyng, he will have taken many positives from his side’s league campaign.  In particular, it will have been pleasing for the management team to see how some new faces adapted to the pressure of wearing the black and amber.  Jordan Molloy for one, has looked right at home and brings a lovely blend of skill and menace to this Cats side.  One of Molloy’s club mates, Mikey Butler, has been nursing an injury, along with Mikey Carey and Walter Walsh, the latter not expected to return before mid-May.

TJ Reid was a late withdrawal from the league final decider defeat to the Banner, having suffered a little knock in training and I can’t see Derek Lyng taking any chances with his talisman.  There is enough quality in the squad to get over the obstacle that is Antrim on Sunday.  Reid’s absence could pave the way for Martin Keoghan to make the starting line-up against the Saffrons.  Mossy was in great form having been sprung from the bench before halftime and finished with 0-4 to his name, having replaced Luke Hogan.

Eoin Cody who struck a lovely goal in the Clare game, has had a few battles with Antrim’s main marker, Paddy Burke, and may find himself being tracked around Nowlan Park by the tenacious Ruairí Óg’s man.

Another of Kilkenny’s Shamrocks Ballyhale contingent, Adrian Mullen has been in great form also, and will be hoping his manager isn’t tempted to suggest a rest this weekend.  Billy Drennan is another player, like Mossy, that will be hoping to get some championship minutes against the Saffrons.  The Galmoy man has been an able deputy on placed ball duty when TJ has been absent.  There’s more to Drennan than the dead ball stuff, and I would like to see him given the chance to ply his trade this weekend.

The midfield area has seen a few variations to date this season.  In the semi-final win over Limerick in the league, Cian Kenny and Jordan Molloy performed brilliantly, getting through serious work and ensuring a decent platform for those ahead of them. Will Derek Lyng want this duo to build on their chemistry against the Ulstermen? We will know soon!

Captain Paddy Deegan and David Blanchfield have cemented half-back roles while former captain Richie Reid could probably do with more minutes on Sunday.  Shane Murphy has been one of the revelations to force his way into this Kilkenny side and has the right mix of everything to succeed on the intercounty scene.  Tommy Walsh, I would say, is getting better each season and if we can get a full-back line of Huw Lawlor, flanked by Butler and Walsh on the pitch during this provincial campaign, we will be heading in the right direction.

The management team will hope that the chosen XV can start brightly and build a comfortable lead by the interval, which will allow plenty of subs to get minutes in their legs, ahead of round two – another meeting with Henry.  A good performance and running up a big score will be the perfect way to prepare for heading west.  The battle to retain Bob O’Keefe starts now. Let the games begin!