Kavanagh: whoever loses will struggle

WHEN Galway/Kilkenny, the lone NHL Division One game of the weekend, was originally due to be played back on February 8, both teams still had a clean slate, a license to thrill.

It was the glamour tie of the round, seen by many as a pointer to bigger days, a precursor to the probable Leinster final later this year (though any of Offaly, Dublin, Wexford, will have something to say about that!).

A blizzard in the midlands forcing an aborted bus journey for the Kilkenny team, meant a postponement of the fixture. Given they have since played two rounds each, it also means changed circumstances, and a different perspective.