Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan believes it’s much too early in the season to be writing off Brian Cody’s side, despite their lamentable performance against Clare on Sunday.
The Banner County inflicted a 2-19 to 0-12 defeat on Kilkenny at Cusack Park, with the losing side’s younger stars coming in for particularly scathing criticism from a number of pundits.
Brennan conceded much improvement was required from those less experienced players as they make the step up to the rigours of senior inter-county hurling.
“There’s a big lesson to be learnt for the younger guys,” the eight-time All-Ireland winner told Game On listeners on 2fm.
“They realise now that you can’t be just banking on more experienced guys to help you along in a match like that.
“You really have to get stuck in.”
Brennan regards some of the reaction to the defeat as bordering on schadenfreude and has warned of the peril of writing off the Cats.
“I think they’re writing off Kilkenny quite early"
“A lot of these guys are quite young, the won a minor two or three years ago.
“They’re just realising that there’s a huge, huge step up from minor to senior.
“They just went down and met a very driven Clare team.
“It’s concerning, but I’m a little bit amused by the enthusiasm that some of it is being reported with in the papers.
“I think they’re writing off Kilkenny quite early. I suppose maybe it’s indicative of them being there so long and they’re looking to show them the door quite early.
“I wouldn’t be reading too much into it, but at the same time there’s work to be done there, there’s no doubt about that.”
Brennan believes that patience is a virtue Kilkenny fans must demonstrate as their side go through a period of transition.
“From a Kilkenny perspective we probably have to look at it and say ‘look we might not have the strength in depth, but we certainly have some good you players coming along’.
“That doesn’t just happen overnight. The supporters are going to have to be a little bit patient
I felt this year that Brain Cody was going to have to play some of the younger guys to get them some experience at this level, to get them a couple of league matches under their belts to adjust into the role. That just doesn’t happen overnight.
“There maybe short-term pain but there’s certainly quality in there, there’s no doubt about that."
The spectre of relegation may be already looming, but Brennan believes Cody won’t be pressing any panic buttons are deserting his ethos of how the game should be played.
“They flirted with it two years ago against Clare, and had two good battles with them,” he added.
“It teed them up for the rest of the year.
“Brian will do what he does and wont deviate from his core philosophies and what his beliefs are on what a hurling team should be.
“Ger Cunningham (Dublin manager) threw his players under the bus last week and got a big reaction.
“Brain Cody won’t do that, but I think the players have to react now.
“It’s really a test of the players in the dressing room. The senior guys will step up, no doubt about that.
“But it's really some of the younger guys, one or two of them have to look at this as a glorious opportunity to put a jersey on their back and maybe hold on to it into the championship.”
“He’s a bit like the pantomime villain at times"
While his native county may be struggling, Wexford are flying high in Division 1B under new manager Davy Fitzgerald, with wins against Galway and Limerick under their belts.
Brennan admitted to being surprised by just how significant the Fitzgerald factor has been thus far.
“He’s a bit like the pantomime villain at times, but to be fair to Davy Fitz, he has a huge passion for hurling.
“I was sceptical of his appointment in Wexford, personally. I didn’t know if that was the right job.
“But he’s got a serious reaction out of the players and he’s obviously bought them in to his philosophy.
“Davy Fitz would love success in the league and to get promoted - a lot of people would never have foreseen that, given that Galway and Limerick were in there.
“Now they’re in a position where they’re in control of their own destiny.
“But probably the biggest thing Davy Fitz has in the back of his mind is the first or second week in June, Saturday evening in Wexford Park they have Kilkenny coming down.
“That’s’ just a box-office tie.”
