Cats have more room for improvement
“In fairness, that was probably down to Galway. Their backline has been excellent this year; they’re very fast and very young but you’d feel Kilkenny should be getting more out of their attack. Michael Rice is a huge loss to Kilkenny and it was really felt the last day, the absence of his hurling brain and skill. They haven’t got anyone close to his standard to come in, but allowing for that, Michael Fennelly was over-run the last day and you wouldn’t expect that again.
“I think the extra three weeks’ training often affects a younger panel more. A more experienced panel can cope better. Kilkenny might handle the extra pressure that comes with that. There are so many sacrifices to be made and from my own experience, that can be harder on the younger lads.
