Erin's Own clubman Conor Fogarty will replace the injured Jackie Tyrrell in the Kilkenny defence when they meet Dublin in Sunday's Leinster SHC semi-final at O'Moore Park (throw-in 3.50pm).

2008 All-Ireland minor winning captain Tom Breen will start for Kilkenny when they launch their Allianz Hurling League title defence away to Galway tomorrow.

Kilkenny boss Brian Cody is facing an injury crisis as the National Hurling League approaches, he revealed yesterday.

Kilkenny selector Martin Fogarty says Henry Shefflin doesn’t as yet know if his ankle operation has been a success.

Clare 2-17 Kilkenny 2-11

A word of advice to the youngsters who brought Clare its second U21 All-Ireland title in four years — this is only a step along the road.

There are those who look at the Clare team for this game in Thurles this evening, the all-senior half-back line (Seadna Morey, Conor Ryan, Patrick O’Connor), the established senior stars in midfield (Colm Galvin) and up front (Aaron Cunningham, Tony Kelly, Conor McGrath), then look at Kilkenny against Galway last week in the All-Ireland senior final, not a single U21 player with even a minute of game-time, and think — Clare’s final to lose, surely.

The management teams from Clare and Kilkenny have opted for unchanged starting line-ups for tomorrow's Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U-21 Hurling Championship final in Thurles (throw-in 7pm).

Kilkenny have announced the team to play Galway in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Final.

There will be those who think last Saturday’s All-Ireland U21 hurling semi-final win by Kilkenny over Galway in Thurles is a guide towards what’s likely to happen in the senior final.

Kilkenny 4-16 Galway 2-15

2012 has already been a marquee year for Kilkenny’s Cillian Buckley, the year he made the breakthrough to senior.

Paddy Kelly has earned a recall to the Cork starting line-up for next Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Donegal at Croke Park.

Kilkenny Under 21 manager Richie Mulrooney has included Cillian Buckley in his starting 15 for Saturday's Bord Gáis All-Ireland semi-final against Galway at Semple Stadium.

Kilkenny v Galway in Thurles this Sunday in the second of the two All-Ireland U21 hurling semi-finals (Clare v Antrim 4pm, Kilkenny vGalway 6pm) — a prelude to what might happen on September 9 in Croke Park, the big one?

As anticipated, Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has made two changes to his team for Sunday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Tipperary at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

I can’t understand where this idea is coming from that Kilkenny are almost a spent force.

At half-time in yesterday’s All-Ireland hurling quarter-final in showery Semple Stadium, a shock looked like a very real possibility, Limerick belying their massive underdog tag with a first-half display of poise and class, trailing at the break by just a single point (2-7 to 1-9).

Looking at the first half of this game, what Kilkenny reminded me of more than anything else was a man after a very late night, a big feed of drink, and suffering the mother of all hangovers.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has been given a timely boost by being able to name JJ Delaney, Michael Fennelly, Michael Rice and Aidan Fogarty in his team for tomorrow's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Limerick.

The shock waves that followed Galway’s barely believable schooling of Kilkenny in last Sunday’s Leinster final will have an effect in many different ways over the coming months, and not just in the belief that suddenly more teams have a chance of winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Laois may have accounted for initial favourites Dublin in the first round, but very few outside their own camp are giving them any chance of overcoming Kilkenny.

There is one enforced change to the Kilkenny team to face Galway in tomorrow's Leinster SHC final, with Noel Hickey replacing the injured JJ Delaney in defence.

After Kilkenny’s destruction of Dublin in the Leinster senior hurling semi-final, a very pertinent question — have they discovered the secret of cloning hurlers in Kilkenny?

For Saturday's Leinster SHC semi-final against Dublin, Kilkenny have made four personnel changes to the team that won the All-Ireland SHC title last September.

What a weekend of hurling awaits.

Kilkenny slowly but surely ran through the gears, and when they did they simply motored to victory over Wexford on their way to a provincial final showdown against Laois.

A great opportunity beckons for Laois and Carlow as they clash in the Bord Gáis Energy Leinster U21 hurling semi-final at Dr Cullen Park tonight (7.30pm).

Jackie Tyrrell insists Kilkenny aren’t paying any attention to pundits criticising their style of play.

Mickey Harte found it out in 2006. Jack O’Connor discovered it in 2010.

Kilkenny captain Eoin Larkin isn’t keen on the ‘hot favourites for the All-Ireland’ tag, despite his side’s destruction of Cork in the league final last Sunday.

In this year’s league Kilkenny used their A game against Tipperary in round one, against Galway in round 5 but crucially they didn’t use it in Cork for their round 4 encounter.

Former All-Ireland winning captain Michael Fennelly is the latest Kilkenny player who is in a battle for fitness ahead of their Leinster SHC semi-final against Laois, Carlow or Dublin on June 23.

There’s a film, Gone In 60 Seconds, about a master car-thief whose forte is to ‘lift’ any car in a minute or less.

Iarnrod Eireann announced last week there were special services running to and from Thurles for the eagerly awaited Allianz League decider.

I have to admire Brian Cody again this week with his perfectly times comments on the threat to hurling’s physicality dominating the midweek press conference ahead of Kilkenny’s Allianz League decider with Cork.

Brothers Richie and Paddy Hogan have been drafted into the Kilkenny team for Sunday's Allianz Hurling League final against Cork at Semple Stadium (throw-in 4pm).

Jackie Tyrrell has recovered from injury to earn a place in Brian Cody's Kilkenny team to face Clare in the Allianz Hurling League semi-final in Semple Stadium, Thurles, tomorrow.

Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan fears that James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick may be the one player the All-Ireland champions simply cannot do without.

They have lived in the shadow of their city rivals St Kieran’s for long enough.

Kilkenny have made four changes in personnel from the team which beat Tipperary in the league first round with keeper Eoin Murphy making his league debut in place of David Herity, while Conor Fogarty, Richie Doyle and Richie Hogan all come into the side.

The cream eluded Kilkenny's Cats 12 months ago and it is that hunger which their 2009 All-Ireland winning captain Michael Fennelly hopes will drive them to glory tomorrow afternoon.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has made one change in personnel to his starting line-up for Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final against Tipperary at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

IT’S the third year in-a-row we’ve had Tipperary-Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling final – is it all getting a bit stale?