Kilkenny GAA Thread

This defeat was probably necessary and it's potentially no bad thing...

Had we won today, another All Ireland semi final appearance was potentially on the horizon - and that may have masked the huge problems that exist within the setup, and indeed the county.

Now there can be no ambiguity, a very poor league campaign and fourth best in Leinster - potentially 9th best in the country. Poor coaching - severely lacking in desire, poor execution of the basic skills, poor decision making and lacking composure.

Lyng is cooked - and must step down quickly. A new appointment should be made in the coming weeks and a major rebuild, with a strong focus on youth, must begin.

Delighted to see Offaly progress Would love if they took a big scalp.

So how long exactly are you going to tolerate failure, this is what happens when you keep accepting this regardless, everyone seeks improvement and there is nothing wrong with that. I think you are coming from a C B angle. It’s not a matter of wanting the team to fail it’s if it keeps limping on then we are going nowhere and if you really love KK hurling the way you say you do then obviously you would want to see improvement. You are trying to brand honest posters here that they are not true supporters, I can guarantee you you will never be at more intercounty matches than I am. If you are willing to accept this situation then you must also be a failure in life. Every supporter should want there team to be the best and not to be accepting mediocrity and I think that’s what most people want. Gone out of the Leinster championship in May. The thing is I will keep following the team but that doesn’t say I like the way things are done and I will try and change things in whatever way I can to improve things.

There is no rejoicing in defeat, a bullshit statement. The consensus last night in every quarter was the need for change, with the defeat yesterday change will have to come. Now Njoy how long more would you look at that management team, an honest answer please.

thanks for that Nick appreciate the support. I cannot understand how Njoy thinks the way he does, it’s vital we move on and try and improve our situation we are sinking deeply for the last fifteen years it has to stop.

A lot people think that its an amateur game and once people give their time voluntary they should not be subject to scrutiny. What most people dont realise its far from amateur now. This has been coming since the loss to Tipp last year. But look at Tipp this year. Maybe this is as good as KK are. Just Leinster has been piss poor and covering over the cracks in KK hurling. Clare have taken 2 big beatings in Munster and failed to come through it last year and Tipp havnt won a game this year.

Looking at that game yesterday and i only saw the second half but other games this year too I have come to the conclusion that either the players are confused by the tactics or I am more inclined to think that Lyng is picking the players first and trying to get them to play the short game through the lines like Limerick but this is alien to the players. When the pressure comes on then its just get rid of the ball as quick as you can. So we end up hitting aimless ball into the forwards or take pot shots from miles out. T

As a county we really need to get back to basics at hurling. We need to hurl the way it suits our players. We have decent players to be very competitive but its like we are looking at what everyone else is doing and trying to copy them. Every other county used to look at what KK are doing. Now nobody does.

I was between minds about posting this today because there are posters on here who have a history of taking pot shots at players and management to a level where it feels personal and way over the top. We all know who they are.

I also understand the posters who say wanting your team to lose is unforgivable and that it should never happen and I agree with that. But I also think there’s a bigger picture here that does need to be addressed.

Nobody I know wanted Kilkenny to lose to Dublin yesterday . Every genuine Kilkenny supporter was shouting for Kilkenny in Parnell Park yesterday and it was great to see a good Kilkenny turnout. ( Ihad a discussion with a couple of Kilkenny supporters before the game about the issues we have at the moment and we can’t all be wrong)

But supporters are also entitled to look beyond results and ask serious questions about where Kilkenny hurling is heading. I think there’s a difference between hoping your team will be beaten and hoping that continued underperformance might finally force people to acknowledge the problems we have at county board level.

At the end of the day we all want the same thing lads, a strong Kilkenny setup that gives our players the best possible chance to succeed . Right now many supporters feel the current structure is simply not fit for purpose. The results on the field at all levels combined with the absolutely disgraceful state of facilities available to our players compared to other counties reflects that feeling.

People are hugely frustrated because standards that Kilkenny once proudly set for the rest of the country have slipped very very badly. I think to be fair that pointing that out doesn’t make someone a bad supporter and in many cases ( not all) it’s the exact opposite… hurling people in Kilkenny care deeply about Kilkenny hurling and we are very worried about the long term future.

Now that doesn’t mean there should be any of the disgusting personal attacks of players or officials that we read on here from the same people constantly, because everyone involved gives time and effort and deserve our respect…. especially the players lads ffs.

But criticism of leadership planning and decision making is absolutely fair game in any sporting organisation, especially when we supporters can clearly see that important issues are just not being addressed. It’s absolutely soul destroying.

Wanting accountability and change at that level is not betrayal in my opinion. It’s just wanting the game we love in Kilkenny and Kilkenny hurling to get back to where it belongs.

lm disappointed we were beaten, like most KK people are today. However , there is no doubt that standards have slipped and it’s hard to stomach when your county was the TOP county for so long, other counties seem to have sped past us in the last few years. But these things are cyclical and just because we are KK we’ve no god given right to win All Irelands. We’ve went through barren spells before, in one way the great Cody days have totally spoiled us. I don’t want us to go down the tippy tappy short passing route, that’s flavour of the month for now, and won’t last, but we need to unearth done new talent and some speed. I’d love to see Eddie brennan takeover. Im sorry for Derek he’s done well all things considered up to this season (lawlor is a monumental loss) and thank him for stepping up

Looking back at the match yesterday a major issue for us is legs. Brian Hayes was as good as 2 men out there yesterday, incredible performance. Cian Kenny is a great player on the ball but he was blown out of the physical stakes yesterday, we need an enforcer beside him or drop him deep as a loose player to get on the ball, only 2 players good enough on the Kilkenny team for that role, Kenny and Richie Reid but both need to be as free as possible because they are blown out of it in these physical games.

It is one thing playing the short game but you need the hurlers for it, we do not have them, Butler, Carey are good pacey aggressive defenders but limited skill wise, recipe for disaster the way Kilkenny play. Don't get me started on Deegan, Corcoran needs legs around him if he is to be 6. I'm a Blanchfield fan but he has been poor again this year.

Problems only continue when we go to the forwards, has there ever been a slower full forward line in Kilkenny senior history ? They were cleaned out of it, Mossy has had a poor year and looked very limited yesterday and blown out of it physically too. TJ the great still caused problem but mobility really effected him, looks all his near 39 years. Eoin Cody, Tom Phelan can come out of it with there heads held high.

A lot of work required and we need 5/6 new players as results show

Still reeling after yesterday's loss. An absolute disaster of a year and one that needs urgent examination.

As many did at the start of the year, I didn't expect much from the team with the loss of the two lads, and the injury to Mullen and Tommy Walsh. I mentioned that maybe there's a silver lining and we'd be forced into throwing lads in the deep end and I hoped we could still get on a bit of a run. What has happened instead is an unmitigated disaster.

There are lads here saying that this could be the best thing for Kilkenny and I agree in a way. That doesn't mean any of us went up there yesterday actually hoping for a loss, we cheered the team on and tried to get behind the team in the hope that they'd show us that they wanted it. We lost though, and not only did we lose, we've went out of this championship without a whimper. In this Leinster championship I've only twice felt that we were the better team, against Wexford and in the second half against Kildare and so it's transpired that we only finished ahead of those teams.

There's been plenty of talk here about players not buying into Lyng and his style and issues behind the scene. If any of that is true it's a disgrace because that means players are putting themselves ahead of the collective so I hope it's not the case, but maybe it also points to a lack of leaders in there. If the players are against a style of play then they should be working with the management team to figure out what works for them. There's definitely questions around Brennan and Corcoran's input into the team. They did great stuff with a Laois team that hasn't set the world alight since, but their tactics seem more in line with a team trying to not lose a game rather than a team that wants to win a game. It felt like some of the players' natural instincts were dulled in favour of getting numbers behind the ball.

Lyng, unfortunately for a great hurling man, has to go (preferably his own decision). His position is untenable at this stage. The two biggest issues seen have been the lack of a distinct style and also the lack of bringing in new players.

On the first issue, what we saw yesterday was what we've seen all year, short passing for the sake of short passing. The idea is that you make one or two passes to create space and then give a ball in, instead it was one or two passes and then another two passes, we were screaming at the players to just hit it in quick. If I'm a corner forward, I don't know when to make my run and I'd probably have made a run expecting it in earlier and then watch them pass it around the back again. It would be so frustrating. And then you have the aimless balls in and shots going wide. Blanchfield and Deegan were both guilty of this. Mossy and Cody went mad at Deegan yesterday when he drove a ball wide. We just didn't have that middle ground of quick sensible ball in. Is that down to coaching or is it down to the lack of intelligence we spoke about earlier?

On the second issue, it's been discussed to death and it has been a bit like an echo chamber in here, but our squad depth has been exposed. Four years ago Brian Cody brought his last team to an all Ireland final. The team was by no means a vintage team but he got everything he could have out of it. The similarities to Man United are stark, in Alex Ferguson's last year he won a league with a team that fought for the man and the following year they flopped. The players were the same but the man on the sideline couldn't get the same from the players. Man United haven't been the same since and it's now been 14 years and will continue for a few more years at least. We are facing into the same issue and we need to figure out what is wrong as soon as possible.

On the team, I expect that we'll see some retirements. TJ, who I believe should go down as one of the greatest hurlers of all time, should retire. Unfortunately he's being used as a crutch for the team, and it's as if players don't stand up because they know TJ is there. That's been fine for a few years when he was still mobile but it's time for the younger players to step up. Richie Reid will also likely go, unless it's Shefflin who takes over.

I'm not one of the people here that has a vendetta against Deegan, but as honest as he is, he shouldn't be considered a starter. His honesty and ability should never be questioned, but at this stage he doesn't seem to be able for a more modern game. The same could be said for a few others but Deegan is one of the longest serving players and doesn't seem to be for changing.

Regarding the county board, I don't know PJ Kenny, but something is rotten within the organisation and it starts at the top. An overhaul is needed.

Team yesterday and throughout the year:

Goalkeepers - Murphy and Tallis. Wasn't a whole lot between them and Tallis is a fine shotstopper. Murphy made an unbelievable save yesterday and as well as that I felt the team were more calm with him there. Looking forward to the two of them competing for this position in future.

Backs - Carey was ok, Hetherton is a challenge for any full back line and thought Carey did ok considering he's not a natural full back. Butler was dragged all over the place but not really his fault. Corner back is the worst position to be on the field when a team is able to hit in ball without any pressure. Overall thought Butler had a better year than last year but still not back to the heights of a few years ago. Bolger, there's something there in himself and Garrett. They're both young and raw and I see Garrett as a long term option in the full back position if we can develop him.

Blanchfield is a mystery to me at the moment. Has all the attributes, but how many balls did he drop yesterday. His confidence seems shot but at the same time he is not afraid to take on long potshots. We need to work on getting him back in form as he's a talented player. Corcoran is a stopgap and I thought he was the best of the half back line yesterday. I don't think he's the long term answer there but he definitely has the size for it. Deegan, I've already said enough about him and don't think it would be fair to go in on him again. Richie Reid will likely retire, they've just had a child and he's not starting at the moment so he's probably wondering why he'd stick around. Still a bit soft when ran at but if there's one thing he has it's a bit of a hurling brain and normally gives a decent quick ball into the forwards.

Midfield - Doyle, despite not having his best game yesterday is a great option for the future. He's young but I like that he mixes his game up with short passing and quick ball into the forwards. Nothing worked for him yesterday. Molloy, essential that we get him back, really think we could have done with his workrate and athleticism yesterday. Kenny, scored 4 points from play yesterday and has stood up well this year. He goes missing in games but he's become our most important player.

Forwards - nothing went for Liam Moore yesterday. Hooking him so early, even though it seemed harsh, was probably the right decision. He had a promising year and his size and speed are definitely something that we can use in the future, sometimes you just have those days. Shine never had a chance, the balls that were being lumped down on him and they seemed to have an extra defender. I liked what I saw of him in the Kildare game but can't really make a judgement on yesterday. Cody had a decent game, scoring a few points, but he still holds onto it a bit too long and he seems to love contact when maybe getting rid of it quickly makes more sense. Overall he didn't have the best year but signs of improvement in the last two games. Mossy showed for the ball a lot and won some great ball when it was delivered into him properly and he handed the ball off a few times for scores. Had a poor year after such a great one last year but the ball into him was so bad for the year it's hard to put all blame on him. Similarly to Deegan, I've said enough about TJ, tried his best but the legs are just about gone. Tom phelan got a few great scores yesterday and his direct running is definitely a threat. Hopefully he can stay fit and we get to see more from him next year. Mullen got on a few balls yesterday. His year, not for the first time, was really blighted by injury and we need to get him fit and ready for battle next year. Timmy Clifford, we didn't see a whole lot of him but we need to find a way to incorporate his speed because we are really lacking any kind of pace in the forwards. John Donnelly had his worst year for us, the red card against Galway and subsequent injury meant he couldn't regain form. His movement seemed laboured and he couldn't seem to get on the ball at all. We badly need to get him back in form but with his lack of pace we might need to find a different role. Stephen Donnelly didn't have a lot of chances this year but was arguably better than his cousin, I think he's a good squad player for now.

Sorry for the long post, I thought that by waiting until this morning that I'd have calmed down a bit!

Hayes was outstanding yesterday, he was the engine in the team and was absolutely everywhere. I think our lack of football definitely lends itself to us not developing that type of player.

The lack of pace is something I've been confused about for the past few years. We used to have fast Eddie, Richie power, Colin Fennelly who were all rapid. When did we stop developing players with pace? Or have we had players with pace and through bulking up they've lost it. Billy Ryan, Timmy Clifford these are the only two that have offered that pace in the last few years. It's just very weird that we haven't developed anyone else and something we need to look at. Of the u20s and minors are there lads coming through with pace?

I couldn't understand giving up the puck out until Michael Walsh commented on it and the only reason he could think was to protect the goal. I think asking this group of players to play like Limerick was an impossible task. Limerick have perfected it over years at underage and now senior. I do think Lyng will resign. I have nothing but respect for the man. It was massive job to follow Cody. I also think whoever comes in needs probably not to be over influenced by Cody. Cody was a one off like Ferguson at Utd that a previous poster said.

While yesterday’s result is disappointing and to be out of the championship this early in the year will definitely sting and grate with Kilkenny fans for a while, it is by no means unexpected and most definitely isn’t undeserving. To call a spade a spade we have been very very poor this year and haven’t shown any sign of form or played anywhere near to the levels this team can play too and it will no doubt lead to a long winter, and summer, of reflection.

Yesterday’s game probably just summed up our season as a whole, we never really got going and never seemed to have another gear we were able to shift into when we needed too. Dublin had their homework done and knew that our very basic puckout strategy meant that we were either going long or passing to a corner back. They let us slowly move the ball out of defence and got their defensive structure in place knowing exactly the ball that would be coming in, as a result we never got any foothold in the forwards and lived off any scraps we could. The younger players probably had an off day, it was probably the first big high pressure game most of these lads had played for Kilkenny and that can happen with younger players. The more worrying thing was that we got very little from the experienced players and when leadership was needed a lot of them didn’t stand up. But our problems and the reason we are out of the championship isn’t because we lost a one off match against a decent Dublin team, it’s been symptomatic of the struggles this team has faced all year. At no point could you look at us this year and think at any point we were moving or going well, the only kick we got is when we had to bounce back after a bad performance, and there were plenty of those to pick from. We haven’t looked right at any point, the change of coaches and removing Declan Wall and Noel Doherty in favour of Niall Corcoran and Eddie Brennan has, in hindsight, turned out to be disastrous. The style of play has been stale and there has been a disconnect between what the management have tried to implement and the ability of the players to deliver. That being said it’s not been very clear the management have been trying to implement and there has been a lack of conviction in the whole set up all year. In 2025 the training camp to Portugal was a resounding success and players came back fresh and ready for championship, this year however that wasn’t the case, players felt there were being over trained and were being stifled. I know of one senior player who approached management and informed them that he felt he was on the brink of burnout and asked to sit out a few sessions as he needed a break. This request was turned down and the player in question’s performance has been that of a man with no gas in his legs. Management have been unable to effectively communicate what they want players to do and there has been no clear style or patterns of play in our hurling this year. Unfortunately Derek has to take responsibility for this, as manager the buck stops with him and what we have seen this year has not been good enough! His selections and use of subs have been conservative and he hasn’t got the best out of the group of players at his disposal. There is no doubt that we have gone backwards since Cody left us in 2022.

Derek is taking a good bit of flak from Kilkenny fans this morning but it’s not all his fault and the players have to take their share of blame also. They haven’t been good enough this year and whenever the pressure was ratcheted up on them they have crumbled. We don’t have any divine right to win game and be successful and we can’t always win but one thing that should always be a given and should be non-negotiable is attitude and work rate and commitment and at times this year we have given up when teams get ahead of and we’ve shown very little fight at times. Maybe this comes from a lack of belief in both our ability to win games and belief in management and the players around them but at times it has been noticeable. I’d never say that these players weren’t trying and lacked effort but there has been a marked lack of conviction when things gone bad this year. Up front is where we have struggled the most and our scoring returns have been no where near good enough and we seem to just play into opposition defenders hands by the lack of movement and the lack of any real game plan that will create space and give our forwards a chance to get scores, I would say of all the top level teams, other than Kildare we are probably the easiest team to defend against.

The inevitable calls will be made to replace Derek as manager and while it hasn’t gone as well as anyone would have wanted, Derek deserves respect for taking the job on and everything h has given the county as a player, selector and manager over the past 25 years. Personally I think the lack of coaching experience at club level hasn’t helped his cause. With the inevitable calls for his replacement, it’s worth noting that Derek was given a new 2 year term last autumn so unless he decides himself to step away there is every chance we will be there again next year.

And that probably leads to the bigger problem and that is the current make up of our county board. First off I’ll say that the current board officers aren’t bad people, they aren’t doing anything to purposely hinder the effective running of GAA in Kilkenny but what is of no doubt is that they are not the most qualified people to be doing the job. They have fallen into their positions as they have been willing to put the time in lesser committees and roles and have got the job as people have felt they’ve put their time in they have to get the main jobs. This is what has led us to a situation where we have fallen behind all our rivals both on and off the pitch, it’s led to a constant lack of success at underage levels and it’s led to a chronic lack of, or poor facilities around the county. There has been constant talk of various things they are planning to do but there seems to be very little follow through on any of these. The complete lack of foresight and ambition from our county board has been frightening. As I said we have no divine right to win anything and unfortunately at times there are better teams than us and there is nothing we can do about that, but one thing that we have control over is and is up to ourselves is the facilities, plans, procedures and systems we put in place that allows us to give our teams the best opportunities and the best chances of being successful. In any organisation the standards are set from the top down and if the best most qualified people aren’t in place standards across the organisation inevitably drop and you get to the situation we are in now. When Ned Quinn was in charge he had the foresight and vision that allowed us to make the most of talent coming through and led through our most successful era. Over the last 10 years we have had leadership with no vision or forward thinking and has relegated us to constantly being playing catch up and trying to copy what has been successful for other counties. A change of management for the senior team isn’t going to solve any of our issues, it’s not evolution we need within the county board but revolution but the apathy within clubs to these problems wouldn’t fill me with confidence that this will happen. It’s been a really disappointing week for Kilkenny hurling but maybe it’s what is needed to start focusing minds to the problems we have.

I've no axe to grind with anyone, everyone invloved, players, management, officials are doing their best but it's clearly got to the stage where their best isn't what is needed and I think it's time for a change. Funny thing about it, last September 12 months ago I contacted 3 people who I knew to be very critical of how things were being done in the county and who would have been, I felt, good men to help bring things along in the county but unfortunately none were willing to stand in a contest for the chairmans position at the convention. We need someone to step forward and lead the change because I've seen who are considering running once Kenny's term is over and it will not be an improvement on how things are currently.

One other point on the withdrawing on the puck out - we should be anticipating that the pass back to the goalkeeper will be prevented when the rules are reviewed. Therefore we’re on a hiding to nothing trying to perfect that system

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2026/05/24/kilkenny-find-themselves-fighting-for-their-lives-and-their-identity/

This was written before the match yesterday.