It will be a long winter of introspection for Kilkenny hurling, mulling over the county’s longest wait.
Kilkenny are now officially going through their most protracted Liam MacCarthy Cup drought since they first won an All-Ireland senior hurling title in 1904. They had decade-long gaps without major silverware between 1922-32 and 1947-57, but Sunday’s defeat to Tipperary ensures Kilkenny’s current barren period will continue until at least 2026.
They were last crowned All-Ireland champions in 2015. In the 10 years before that the Cats owned hurling, winning eight All-Ireland titles between 2006 and 2015.
A shot of Brian Cody briefly flashed up on the screen during Sunday’s semi-final. Cody, the most successful manager in the history of the game, stepped down as Kilkenny boss three years ago.
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Several of his former players were dotted around Croke Park on Sunday – Henry Shefflin was in the press box on duty for RTÉ, Aidan ‘Taggy’ Fogarty was working for KCLR, David Herity was on the sideline as part of Liam Cahill’s management team.
Derek Lyng, who had been one of Cody’s most trusted lieutenants both as a player and later as a selector, was also on the sideline, trying to manage the Cats to a second All-Ireland final appearance on his watch.
At one stage that looked on the cards, until Tipp decided otherwise.
When Tipperary were reduced to 14 men and Kilkenny flicked over a couple of points to lead by two with seven minutes remaining, you would have forgiven the PA spin-master if they decided to prepare The Rose of Mooncoin for an airing.
Kilkenny, you see, don’t lose from there. Or didn’t used to. But they do now.
Some of Kilkenny’s defending on Sunday was careless, bordering on sloppy. They conceded 3-11 in the first half, all from play, and coughed up possession needlessly at times, including a turnover which led to Oisín O’Donoghue’s goal.
How O’Donoghue was able to get his shot away from within a tangle of Kilkenny defenders is a mystery.
Lyng had tried to plug the defensive holes by moving Paddy Deegan into the full-back line during the first half, and at the interval he hauled ashore Shane Murphy to introduce David Blanchfield.
But Blanchfield would be one of just three subs used by Kilkenny. The other two – Stephen Donnelly (66 minutes) and Killian Doyle (70) were brought on in the closing stages. With everything on the line, it suggests Lyng didn’t quite trust the depth of his squad much beyond those already on the field.
Still, for Kilkenny to only manage four points from the moment of Darragh McCarthy’s sending off until the final whistle is a stat that will haunt the Cats over the winter.
There is no dressing it up – this was a bad defeat for Kilkenny. While there’s a sense that Tipperary are coming, nobody seems quite sure where Kilkenny are going.
That might sound odd given Kilkenny are six in-a-row Leinster champions. They also won the provincial title at minor and under-20 level this year. So they’re still very much the princes of Leinster, but beyond that these are lean times for a county celebrated until recently as the kings of hurling.
Their last All-Ireland senior triumph was in 2015. Their last All-Ireland minor triumph was in 2014. Their last All-Ireland under-20/21 triumph was in 2022, before that it was 2008.
Of the 18 players who featured in the under-20 decider against Limerick three years ago, none started for the seniors against Tipperary on Sunday. Just one (Doyle) came off the bench. As of now, they haven’t kicked on.
In this year’s final Kilkenny’s under-20s were beaten 3-19 to 1-16 by Tipperary at Nowlan Park and the manner of that loss generated plenty of criticism around the county.
There does not appear to be a conveyor belt of talent about to whizz off the production line in Kilkenny to bolster the senior team.
So, what happens when they lose the leadership and brilliance of players like TJ Reid and Eoin Murphy?
Cork, bolstered by three All-Ireland under-20/21 titles over the last five years, have been threatening a senior breakthrough for several seasons. The Rebels might well realise that ambition in a fortnight. Chances are they’ll be around for a while.
Limerick have way too much talent to disappear, while Tipp now seem to have rediscovered their mojo. In Leinster, there are promising signs of progress emerging in Dublin and Offaly, and Kilkenny’s status as best in the province is likely to be properly stress-tested over the coming seasons.
The recriminations for Sunday’s championship exit will continue for many weeks in Kilkenny, albeit among most hurling folk in the county there is a belief Lyng has done a decent job with the squad at his disposal.
Of Kilkenny’s 2015 Liam MacCarthy winning team, Reid and Murphy are the only survivors who played in the All-Ireland final against Galway a decade ago. Richie Reid was an unused sub goalkeeper.
It seems probable now that in the near future a Kilkenny team will take to the field without a single remaining All-Ireland senior hurling winner.
