Injuries take gloss off Kilkenny’s Saffron cruise as Derek Lyng looks for more ‘intensity’ against Galway

Kilkenny eased past Antrim’s feeble challenge at UPMC Nowlan Park, inflicting a 32-point defeat on Darren Gleeson’s men. But there were concerns when Adrian Mullen, Eoin Cody and goalkeeper Eoin Murphy pulled up early.

“Ah look, it’s just after the game so we won’t know [much about the injuries]. We’ll find out a little more in the next couple of days but hopefully nothing too bad,” said Lyng.

Debutant Owen Wall replaced Cody after 39 minutes and proceeded to score 2-2, his two goals brilliant individual efforts. Kilkenny won at their ease, leading 1-15 to 0-7 at half-time, TJ Reid scoring the first goal in the 18th minute after missing the league final loss to Clare two weeks earlier through injury.

Antrim manager Gleeson, whose side lost by 17 points to Kilkenny last year, was stunned by his team’s capitulation. Injuries have hit the squad hard but some of those players were being reintroduced and he expected better resistance.

“We gave up very early in the game, the work-rate wasn’t there. I suppose there wasn’t much expected of us coming here today but you’d expect a bit of fight and determination. That was the most disappointing aspect.”

Reid’s goal, quickly followed by a sublime Reid point, moved the home team into a 1-8 to 0-4 lead and Antrim never recovered.

“We have to rebuild during the week quickly, get some honest conversations in there, [as to] why we were very individual, why we were, you know, [playing] very standalone hurling. Like, Kilkenny hurled as a collective. We were very individual,” said Gleeson. “But we’ll stick together and have a cut at it next week.”

Antrim have a home match in Corrigan Park on Saturday against Wexford and the heavy defeat in Kilkenny follows five straight defeats in the recent league. Despite the margin of victory, Kilkenny still managed to hit 20 wides and were sloppy at times.

“We had good opportunities and we didn’t take them,” said Lyng. “The reality of it is that next weekend if we’re not taking those chances we’ll be under pressure. Look, we’ll take something from that, it was a good overall performance but it wasn’t perfect.”

Reid had a black-card penalty saved in the 21st minute, which led to Antrim goalkeeper Ryan Elliott being sent off for 10 minutes, reducing the visitors to 14. Sub goalkeeper Tiernan Smyth was introduced and saved Reid’s penalty, and kept his place thereafter.

Just before the end of the match Antrim conceded another black-card penalty, Mossy Keoghan again the player fouled, with Galway referee Shane Hynes sending off Conor Boyd.

Billy Drennan, who replaced Reid after 45 minutes, scored their fifth goal from the penalty, finishing top scorer with 1-6. The other goal came from another substitute, Gearóid Dunne.

Gleeson was asked if his side could find a response good enough to beat Wexford.

“Your home games are going to be massively important in terms of where you end up in the championship,” he replied. “But going by that level of performance, if we bring that next weekend you won’t get within literally an ass’s roar of it.”

Kilkenny made five changes from the side that lost the league final, recalling Tom Phelan for his first appearance since the Walsh Cup. There were also recalls from injury for Mikey Butler and Mike Carey, while Aidan Tallis had a run in goal for the second half when Murphy went off.

Lyng was already looking ahead to Pearse Stadium. “Ah look, it’ll be nothing compared to [this]. It’ll be a lot hotter, the intensity will be up a lot more. We have to expect that and it’s something we’re going to have to bring as well. While today was good, at the same time next weekend will be totally different.”

SCORERS – Kilkenny: B Drennan 1-6 (1 65, 2fs, 1-0 pen); TJ Reid 1-5 (3f); O Wall 2-2; G Dunne 1-1; C Kenny 0-4; J Donnelly, M Keoghan 0-3 each; P Deegan 0-2; R Reid, M Carey, S Murphy, A Mullen 0-1 each. Antrim: C Cunning 0-7 (7fs); J McNaughton 0-2; N Elliott, E Campbell, C McCann, C Bohill 0-1 each.

KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; D Blanchfield, P Deegan, M Carey; C Kenny, R Reid; A Mullen, J Donnelly, T Phelan; M Keoghan, TJ Reid, E Cody. Subs: G Dunne for Mullen (inj, 15); A Tallis for E Murphy (inj, h-t); O Wall for Cody (inj, 39); B Drennan for TJ Reid (45); B Ryan for Phelan (54); T Walsh for Butler (62).

ANTRIM: R Elliott; P Duffin, R McGarry, P Burke; S Walsh, E Campbell, C Bohill; J McNaughton, N O’Connor; M Bradley, N Elliott, N McKenna; C Cunning, C McCann, S Elliott. Subs: T Smyth for McKenna (21); N McKenna for R Elliott (32); J McLaughlin for Bradley (h-t); R McCloskey for Walsh (57); C Boyd for McKenna (59).

REF: S Hynes (Galway).