Kilkenny looking to get back on glory trail with U20 title
Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng before the oneills.com Leinster GAA Hurling U20 Championship Final match between Wexford and Kilkenny in Carlow two week ago. Photo: Sportsfile
It took Kilkenny ten years to win an All-Ireland under 21 title and on a day when Waterford’s interest in the MacCarthy Cup hangs in the balance, by coincidence, there was more heartbreak for the Déise back then.
Three points in the final five minutes drew Kilkenny level with Waterford at Thurles before Billy Fitzpatrick scored the winner 15 seconds into injury-time in the 1974 final. Kilkenny trailed by six points with eight minutes to go but in no time Ger Fennelly was collecting the winning trophy.
From that slow beginning Kilkenny were a steady presence until relatively recently with regular wins before they lost their place at the top of the leaderboard two years ago.
Fourteen years without an All-Ireland is an exceedingly long time in the county and today they will aim to bridge that gap against Limerick in the remodelled under 20 competition. The waiting game for a minor All-Ireland now stands at eight years, one less year in purgatory at senior. An All-Ireland of any description would be warmly embraced.
Nickey Brennan played in their first All-Ireland under 21 win in ‘74. “What is very unusual about that,” he says, “is that I was playing, I was taken off and brought back on again. You haven’t seen that in too many All-Ireland finals.”
Ger Woodcock’s goal eight minutes from the end of normal time started a roll which carried them over the line, shooting 1-4 without reply.
Three years ago at minor level Kilkenny defeated Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final, on the same day in Croke Park that the senior team inflicted the last championship defeat suffered by John Kiely’s team.
Manager Derek Lyng, and selectors Peter Barry and Michael Rice, are having a third tilt at winning the competition, having just one match win, over Laois, in the last two years. They avenged successive exits to Galway with a thrilling extra-time win over the same county in the Leinster semi-final. Unlike Limerick, they haven’t lost anyone due to the rule prohibiting senior players from hurling at the grade with Cathal O’Neill ineligible for Limerick after starring in the opening round win over Clare.
Brennan has another close tie to the competition having managed Kilkenny to win in 1990, beating a fancied Tipperary in the final, players like Pat O’Neill, DJ Carey, Adrian Ronan and Charlie Carter going on to win senior All-Irelands. Kilkenny will hope a win today might have a similar impetus.
Kilkenny v Limerick
TG4, 2.05
