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The hurling championship continues with the quarter finals played last weekend, however it continues without the black and amber stripes – our colours having been lowered in May.
It was a tough watch sitting through the destruction of Dublin and the annihilation of Offaly by two Munster teams, given our own lads were unable to beat either Dublin or Offaly, throw in the ease with which Galway kept Dublin at arm’s length in the Leinster Final and your left wondering well where do Kilkenny rank now in the top tier of hurling?
Maybe this is going to be a bigger challenge than we thought for our new manager?
To keep from sinking further into the doldrums and wallowing in negativity, I have decided to eke out the positives from the season that was…
TJ Reid becomes Championships All Time Leading Scorer
With Patrick Horgan retiring after failing to claim his All-Ireland winners medal last year it left a very reachable target for TJ to aim at coming into the season.
He duly surpassed it, getting to 43 goals and 672 points (totalling 801 points) in 99 championship games and of course he may not be finished yet.
It’s a truly deserved milestone for this legend of the game to achieve, a man who is without doubt amongst the conversation to be regarded as the GOAT of this great game.
I think he still has plenty to offer in a black and amber jersey so expect him to get those championship appearances into the 100’s and move that total beyond 850 points.
However, I also expect someone to surpass him in the next 10 – 20 years, as the modern game keeps changing, the number of games played per year increasing and teams amassing 30+ points per game there will be a sharpshooter to come that will take advantage of these numbers to climb to the top of the scoring charts, but TJ has set a mighty high standard.
For 2026, this is the shining light for Kilkenny hurling in the dark absence of any silverware, TJ has shot the lights out!
Cian Kenny Continues to Develop into a Leader
The James Stephens clubman must have been Kilkenny’s hurler of the year, whether midfield or centre forward he brings leadership to his role, he brings fight, tenacity, skill, guile and modern-game nous.
He saved us from an ignominious defeat in Tullamore with his leadership pushing Kilkenny through a very tight situation, he also kept battling to the death in a hopeless position in Salthill.
He has a great first touch and great temperament and passion for the game, he is one we could be rebuilding our team around in the coming year. It’s great to see him develop as a player and a leader over the past few years and also great to see that despite the team’s downturn this year, he continues on an upward trajectory.
Darragh Corcoran
The big Shamrocks man hasn’t been able to nail down a starting spot until this year and I was impressed with his approach to the game in his championship starts.
His instinct is to drive forward or get the head up and pick out a forward pass, he can also pick off a score from distance.
This was an encouraging season for Corcoran, he still has plenty to work on, but the experience under his belt should prove to be a strong platform for further development next year.
Ivan Bolger & Rory Garrett
These two tenacious and tigerish lads have been introduced this year and can hold their heads high as they performed with great credit each time they pulled on the stripey jersey.
Pacey and aggressive, both can attack balls played into space whilst also capable in the air. We need to be blooding more players, the fact these two have been given a taste this year will set them up for the seasons to come hopefully.
Jordan Molloy
Jordan continues to develop and it was such a shame for him to pick up such a serious injury in Tullamore and his energy was sorely missed in Parnell Park.
Hopefully he makes a full recovery in time to be ready for next year’s championship as he has become one of the first names on the teamsheet.
He can defend and get forward, break lines and break up play, he is another one with Corcoran and Kenny that could make a strong spine for the team going forward.
Liam Moore
Again, we need to be unearthing new talent and along with Bolger and Garrett, Liam Moore has been among the finds of 2026. He had some strong performances in the league and although he didn’t light up the championship it was a tough campaign generally for the team and the experience will stand him in good stead going forward.
He has a lot of attributes we need to bring to our game so hopefully he can build on this season and continue to develop next year.
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