BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Next weekend two teams will run out at Croke Park to contest this year’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. The participants involved in the 2024 decider are Cork and Clare, an all-Munster affair after the finalists got the better of Limerick and Kilkenny respectively. The punters across the island would probably have backed the beaten semi-finalists to be battling it out on Sunday, but alas, it’s the Rebels vs The Banner.
Despite the Cats not being involved in this year’s decider, many Gaels will have one-eye on the game at headquarters, pondering what might have been, could this have been the year that the drought ended? There’s no doubting that had Kilkenny made Sunday’s showpiece; they would have fancied their chances of being reunited with Liam after what seems to have been a lifetime without the big cup.
I’m sure down Limerick way, the feeling is exactly the same. The ‘drive for five’ had appeared to be pretty much nailed on if you listened to or read the views of many. Getting over the line this season would have really set this team apart from any that has gone before them. Despite having dominated both provincial and Liam MacCarthy matters recently, the hurt for John Kiely and his panel will be no different, in fact it will probably be a little worse, as it takes a hell of a lot to put yourself in the position to be on the verge of claiming a fifth national title on the bounce. So, The Treaty will hit the reset button and reappear recharged in 2025.
Getting back to matters on Noreside, there will be plenty to ponder over the remainder of the summer and into early Autumn. While there doesn’t appear to be a concerted call for a change in management, this unusual ‘down time’ allows time for thinking, dreaming and ‘what if’ scenarios to be considered. It was early October 2023, when the County Board met and ratified the Emerald’s clubman and his management team of Peter Barry, Michael Rice, Conor Phelan and Peter O’Donovan for the current season. All eyes will be on the next announcement, which may come at a similar time this year.
Taking the reins from the legendary Brian Cody was never going to be easy, and in some respects, only winning the All-Ireland would be seen as justification for the change. Yes, there had been calls and discussion for The Village man to step aside in the final few years of his tenure, but such a seismic change to Kilkenny hurling was always going to be fraught with difficulty. Let’s be frank, it’s not just down to Derek and his management team, the players selected to represent the Marble County have a duty to deliver to the best of their ability each and every time each and every time they take to a pitch in the black and amber stripes. This doesn’t always happen, and there may be a variety of reasons for this.
To be an intercounty player takes serious commitment and desire. It’s not like the ‘olden days’ when it was perhaps two to three times per week that were required from your schedule. Essentially, a lot of your life goes on hold in the pursuit of glory for your county and no player chooses this for the craic, they put their everything into it for whatever length of time they have in the panel.
This year’s panel is no different, they will have been focused and preparing for competing to the very end of the season, with the belief that the season would culminate in All-Ireland glory. The long dark nights of January and February, fitness work in the rain, frost and even snow at times, the hard yards are put in to try and leave yourself and your team in the best place possible come the business end of the year. Players at both ends of the age spectrum will take time in the off-season to reflect on the 2024 campaign and make decisions on whether they will be available for selection next year.
Casting an eye over the Kilkenny panel that took to the pitch in Croker for the semi-final clash with Clare, there will be a few players who will have plenty of ‘food for thought’ in the weeks ahead. Perhaps those numbered 16 to 26 will have most to think about, especially if they didn’t get the minutes they had hoped for, or felt they deserved. Before you look at those named on the bench you have to start with the one name on most people’s lips, and that will undoubtably be TJ Reid.
Having joined the senior ranks in 2007 TJ was part of the panel that won both Leinster and Liam MacCarthy that year. Reid made his debut the following season in a league fixture against the Dubs and has been soldiering brilliantly for the Cats ever since. Time doesn’t stand still, but the Shamrocks Ballyhale man keeps himself in outstanding condition and injuries permitting, fitness shouldn’t be an issue. TJ has a young family now and a thriving business, so there will be plenty to consider before he says ‘yea or nay’ for next season. Should TJ decide to hang up the hurl, he will do so, owing absolutely nothing to Kilkenny.
Other players that may have a decision to make include Conor Fogarty, Cillian Buckley and Walter Walsh. Erin’s Own’s Fogarty turned 34 in May past and has had his fair share of injuries and knocks along the way, but has always added a little bit of steel to the Cats. Dicksboro’s Cillian Buckley is a couple of years younger than Fogarty but has something like 13 seasons under his belt with the senior team. It seems no time since Cillian captained the minor’s team to All-Ireland glory in 2010, and went on to claim 3 senior titles under Brian Cody. Should Buckley step back from the senior set-up, his Leinster final winning goal against Henry Shefflin’s Galway in 2023, will be one of several memories to treasure. For Tullogher Rosbercon’s Walter Walsh, it could also be a summer of contemplation. A player that has been hampered by injuries has done exceptionally well to still be available for selection in 2024. I’m sure Wally doesn’t like or want the title of ‘impact sub’ but the towering forward has contributed plenty to the Kilkenny cause since bursting onto the scene.
Former players have spoken about the reality of retirements of members of the current panel, and it is likely to happen, and supporters will be prepared for it. Some younger players may decide they want to travel for a year or so, but rest assured there will be plenty of players bursting to wear the black and amber next season.
