Doing great work in Kildare.
Hopefully Henry will tell TJ to do the honourable thing and just retire… the man has been bad for a nice few years now, unlikely seen as their neighbours and good buddies.
He could give him the Aidan O’Shea role and just not bring him on
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He’s as good as any of the rest of them
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The problem is he is still one of the best 6 forwards in KK but until he moves on it cannot become Cody/Mullens forward line.
It’s a similar situation with Eoin Murphy in between the sticks. They’d be better off move on with another keeper albeit I don’t think it’s Tallis.
Kilkenny can take fierce inspiration from Galway 2025 and Tipp 2024. They’ll have Dublin, Offaly and Galway in Nowlan park next year so should be getting out of Leinster.
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Tipp and Galway had a number of quality young players who gave their existing panel a serious bounce. I don’t think the same raw materials are there to come in and make an instant impact
Your right.
The 2027 u20 team is the side that lost to 13 man Tipp. That has caused a lot of damage to the county as a whole.
Barcoe played this year and is a big man, not convinced by his hurling but that’s almost secondary now with the current rules.
They’ve blooded some others like Garrett but they need that star quality up top. Harry Shine has a bit of class.
I like Eoin Lyng and Jeff Neary too.
Hope not. TJ can play on for a few more years
“has been bad”… What games of hurling are you watching…? TJR would probably do better to retire – but would be perfectly entitled to remain on the basis of form and freetaking accuracy.
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Here is the nub – the double nub.
A championship panel comprises 26 players: two goalkeepers, ten defenders, four midfielders, ten attackers. TJR is still, as you say, one of Kilkenny’s best six forwards. He will still certainly be one of Kilkenny’s best ten forwards in 2027. But… The case is definitely there, for psychological reasons, to make a cut – and thereby move on into next era.
Eoin Murphy is remarkably good with young players and incomers to the Senior panel. I have seen him in social contexts and he is an excellent positive presence, a bonding agent. He would be worth keeping for another year or two for that reason alone. Nor does he sulk on the bench.
The current Kilkenny backs – especially because they are used to EM’s vocal nature – reckon Aidan Tallis is not a sufficiently dominant figure. There are no doubts about his reflexes and his shotstopping. But there are concerns about his overall nerve.
Were I Henry Shefflin, I would consider remaking Richie Reid as a goalkeeper. There was a point when RR, EM and Nickie Quaid were the three best goalkeepers in Ireland. Doing so with RR would also neutralize a sharp coming question about his outfield role. The same question hovers over Paddy Deegan.
Diarmuid Galway is a good goalkeeper. So is Dean Mason. No excellent goalkeeping tyro – the three candidates at U20 in 2026 were mediocre to awful – appears to be on the rise And so there is a lot of thinking wanted on this front.
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TJ will be fine if there’s sufficient pace and power around him. You could let Adrian Mullen out to midfield to orchestrate things and increase the quality of delivery going in.
Then you can have Eoin Cody and TJ as your scoring forwards. Cian Kenney has the physicality so there’s one of the other 4 forwards anyway.
KK are like every team right now, looking out for another young Peter Duggan or Gearoid Hegarty or young Rabitte to simplify the whole thing and just win the ball.
Eoghan Lyng has bundles of hurling. Great wrists. The only real question concerns whether he has the requisite wheels for contemporary hurling. And where is his best position?
Jeff Neary is notably small, has legs, plenty of hurling and ‘pup’ in him. He deserves patience.
Harry Shine has an excellent first touch, can step off either foot and strike comfortably off both sides. He lacks outright pace and there is as yet a bit of doubt about his temperament when matters are not going his way (see his Minor AIF appearances). But he has time to mature.
If Gearóid Hegarty – and Diarmaid Byrnes – could be polished, David Barcoe can be polished. His hurling is already better than David Blanchfield’s hurling.
Darragh Vereker is an excellent prospect for full back line. So was Jack Dollard for backs/midfield – but he seemed to regress in 2026.
A structural problem Kilkenny face is that they have six plus candidates for the half forward line. Tom Phelan, for instance, appears a left half forward or nothing. And Liam Moore thrives on the space out there. And what of John Donnelly’s future? Could he play as an out and out square’s edge full forward? Could he play centre back, with two flyers beside him to cover? Killian Doyle might well be another option at centre back.
You could see a Kilkenny side of this shape in 2027:
?
Rory Garrett
Darragh Corcoran
Ivan Bolger/Mikey Butler/Darragh Vereker
Killian Doyle
Eoghan Lyng
David Barcoe
Jordan Molloy
Adrian Mullen
Liam Moore
Eoin Cody
Tom Phelan
Cian Kenny
John Donnelly
Martin Keoghan
I believe Huw Lawlor wll be back in 2027. And so might Billy Ryan.
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Main issue with this Kilkenny team is strength in depth.
Mullen Donnelly Ryan
Cody TJ Keoghan
This was a very good forward line when they lined out in 2025.
The whole half forward line + a multiple All star full back missed most/all of the championship this year.
Kilkenny had no decent players to replace these losses.
Without these players, Kilkenny were going through the motions this year as they didn’t believe they were going to win the AI.
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Excellent points. And you are right about TJ. He can still operate well playing on the drift from corner forward – but not as one of an inside duo. He simply no longer has the legs for that role – not for several years.
People talk about Marty Murphy and Ed McDermott for the PD/GH/JR role you rightly mention. I am not at all sure. MM has nice enough hands but is a bit spraddled in his gait and lacks pace. EMcD has moments but is erratic. Ed Lauhoff might reward patience in some degree.
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A fully fit Adrian Mullen is a total game changer.
In the modern game could Lyng be a deep lying 10/12?
On Jack Dollard, he will have to work on his right. He turns the full way around to his backhand for the 20s and was turned over on numerous occasions, great athlete though.
Paddy Langton is a player off the 24 u20 squad I liked although might lack a bit of toe.
As the saying goes, there’s plenty of players there it’s probably about finding another couple of elite players, Huw would be one.
Patrick Lacey will also be mentioned as an inside forward. Has rakes of ability and pace. Needs time.
Jake Mullen has talent. I wonder, though, if he is more naturally a half back.
Niall Shortall got dropped off the panel this year, which was disappointing. He needs to be brought back. NS is a natural inside forward. Has skill, pace and guts. Is also a fine freetaker.
That Moylan lad from Dicksboro impressed at full back for the u20s a few years ago. I think he got injured this year.
EL typically plays in half forward line for The Rower-Inistioge. So could certainly be an option in role you mention – but Kilkenny are already well served, as mentioned, in this sector.
Correct on JD. Needs to get head right too.
PL is a fine stickman – highly similar to EL – but does lack toe. He is also the fella who jumped outside Shane Rigney in that U20 game and kind of lost Kilkenny an All Ireland over that mistake.
Broke his shoulder/collar bone. Decent hurler and a good fella – but lacks speed. On extended Kilkenny Senior panel with a couple of years.
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His free taking has been miles off even where it was year’s ago