Pictured is Kilkenny senior hurler, Adrian Mullen, who has teamed up with Allianz today to look ahead to the upcoming Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Final this weekend.
By John Harrington
It will be interesting to see what sort of impact beating Limerick in the Allianz Hurling League Final in such devastating fashion will have on this Kilkenny hurling team.
Time will tell, but you wouldn’t be surprised if it was a transformative result given how much the Cats have suffered at the hands of Limerick in recent times.
Three National Final defeats (two championships, one league) in just two years stung, but Kilkenny clearly learned from them.
They picked Limerick apart with such method two weeks ago that a good deal of thought must have gone into the game-plan, and they’ll surely source huge confidence from how well they executed it.
“Beating Limerick in an Allianz League semi-final was obviously a huge lift to the team,” admits Kilkenny star Adrien Mullen.
“It just brings a huge lift to the county, I suppose, because obviously Limerick have been so good the last few years. So anytime you get a win over them it has to be a huge bonus and a huge plus.
“Any team you play a number of times you're going to learn how to play against them, how to set up against them, try different things and see what works best for you.
“We definitely tried a few things. A few of the things we tried probably worked and a few of them probably didn't work. Who's to say they're going to work the next day again.
“Every game probably takes on a life of its own and it's just probably about adapting and dealing with it as best as you can.”
Adrian Mullen of Kilkenny during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 semi-final match between Limerick and Kilkenny at SuperValu Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
Mullen was a key performer in that semi-final win over Limerick, scoring three points from play, and has arguably been their player of the League so far.
He’s hit 16 points from play from the middle third of the field and his work-rate without the ball has been hugely impressive too.
Now in his prime as an inter-county hurler, the Ballyhale Shamrocks man has developed into one of foremost leaders in this Kilkenny team.
“I'm 24 at the moment, I've been on the panel since I was 19, and I've probably learned a lot in those few years,” he says.
“I'm happy to bring that experience that I have gained to the pitch and just try to get the best out of myself. This year is no different than any other year, you're trying to go out and do your best the whole time.
“I'm lining out in the forwards the last few games and my job is to score. But along with scoring you have a lot of other things to worry about with tackling and work-rate and stuff like that. The scores are a plus but you have to concentrate on other things as well.”
Because Ballyhale Shamrocks were beaten in the Kilkenny SHC Final last year, this is the first time in his five seasons as a senior inter-county hurler that Mullen has gotten to do some pre-season training with the rest of the panel and he believes he’s feeling the benefit of it.
“It's probably been a small bit different,” he says. “There was a couple of months there where you weren't bringing the hurls to training, you were just running and doing your gym stuff as well.
“It's been great so far. It probably gives us a chance to get a block of work done that we haven't been able to the last five years or so. You definitely see yourself getting fitter and stronger and getting the body into good condition for the coming championship.”
Adrian Mullen of Kilkenny is tackled by Declan Hannon of Limerick during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 semi-final match between Limerick and Kilkenny at SuperValu Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
It’s nine years since Kilkenny won the Liam MacCarthy Cup and six years since they won the Allianz Hurling League outright (they were declared joint-winners with Galway in 2021).
Winning the last four Leinster titles and reaching the last two All-Ireland Finals as well as last year’s League Final is arguably a decent return for a team that’s gone through a considerable period of transition.
But such are the standards in Kilkenny that nothing less that national titles count for much, and the current generation knows that’s how they’ll be ultimately judged.
“Obviously we're a proud hurling county and when I was growing up we had that great team that won the four-in-a-row and a few other All-Irelands,” says Mullen.
“We were probably used to winning All-Irelands and we haven't won one since 2015.
“Every year our goal is to go on and try to win an All-Ireland. This year is no different. Like any other team that's competing in the Liam MacCarthy, they do want to go on and try to win an All-Ireland. I wouldn't say there's any added pressure, but it's obviously a goal of ours.
“But all we can do is concentrate on Clare this weekend and prepare for the Championship then in the next few weeks.
“It would be a huge achievement for this team, I think, to win the Allianz Hurling League. It's a national hurling title. All the games are really tough and competitive and to come out the right side of them is obviously a plus and it instils that winning mentality.
“Winning is obviously a habit and it brings that bit of confidence to the team. If we're lucky enough to get over the line this Saturday I'm sure it would only be a bonus to us in the next few weeks.”
This year, during their 32nd year sponsoring the competition, Allianz has been campaigning for children and young people to #StopTheDrop and remain involved in sport when transitioning from primary to secondary school. For more information visit https://www.allianz.ie/stopthedrop