Kilkenny defensive pair sidelined

Defending champions Kilkenny closed out their first win of this year's Allianz Hurling League yesterday in efficient fashion against Waterford, but hamstring injuries to corner backs Jackie Tyrrell and Paul Murphy tempered the celebrations.

Murphy, who was replaced by Willie Phelan in the 45th minute, is the worst of the two with manager Brian Cody admitting that the Danesfort clubman's injury 'doesn't look great'. He could be out for up to five weeks.

Tyrrell, who went off in the 23rd minute, and Murphy are both set to miss the Cats' remaining two matches of the league phase against Clare, the current Division 1A leaders, and Cork.

Cody's men remain bottom of the table despite the 2-15 to 0-16 victory over Waterford, but they are now only a point behind third-placed Cork as they look to finish in the top three and gain a place in next month's semi-finals.

Speaking after the defeat of the Déise at Nowlan Park, the Kilkenny boss said: "If we were going to retain any interest in the league we had to win.

“For a long time it looked like we were going to find it difficult. Waterford were playing very well, there wasn’t much in it. We kept in touch and, I suppose, goals matter so much. We didn’t concede and we got a couple.

“Jackie Tyrrell is hopefully not too bad. But Paul Murphy doesn’t look great, and it could be a thing that will keep him quiet for four or five weeks. Hopefully that's not the case, but that’s how it’s looking. We’re not on a great run of injuries."

Cody added: "The big thing was to get two points on the table and stay in touch with the rest. If we’d conceded a goal, Waterford were going to be difficult to shake off. But we got there.

“Teams are beating each other. It’s very tight. To get the third place is going to be a bit of a dogfight. The next two matches are crucial, and Clare are flying, so it’s going to be interesting."