Kilkenny not too far off the pace, says Holden

Three years now since Liam MacCarthy last wintered in Noreside but Joey Holden insists Kilkenny remain within touching distance of those seeking to provide a home for hurling’s Holy Grail.

Brian Cody has never had to wait this long to claim the ultimate honour in a management stint stretching back to 1998 but Holden wasn’t aware of that little nugget when asked to put his finger on where exactly it is that they sit in the grand scheme of things.

“We lost to Limerick by two or three points last year (0-27 to 1-22) and it was helter-skelter there for the last … we went ahead with maybe five minutes to go and they got a couple of great scores and won it.

“But look at the amount of Limerick games that were draws, there were replays, they were barely getting over the line.

“I’ve never probably seen a hurling championship as close and so many teams that could win it, and so many teams that can provide shocks.

“If you can get on a roll of confidence and get winning games, that’s what’s key. Limerick built that confidence, with young lads starting to drive it on, thriving, and they just kept winning.

And winning becomes a habit. If you can get that habit, it’s going to be priceless.

Kilkenny have struggled to entrench that habit of old in more recent times.

Though reigning league champions, they sit mid-table in 1A right now on the back of two wins and as many defeats as a younger generation of players continues to familiarise its hands with the controls.

Holden’s input in terms of county affairs has been parked in neutral for now, what with Ballyhale Shamrocks’ date with St Thomas’ of Galway in the All-Ireland club final on St Patrick’s Day, but Kilkenny remain in his thoughts all the same.

Na Piarsaigh’s Limerick contingent struggled to find room for themselves in John Kiely’s set-up when they returned after last year’s lengthy club campaign but that isn’t a hard and fast rule.

Holden demonstrates as much: He was Kilkenny’s go-to full-back and won an All Star in 2015 on the back of another long Ballyhale run.

No wonder then that he seems to be okay with the current situation.

“It’s hard to say it’s difficult because if you’re getting this far it means you’re winning with the club, it means you’re on a good run and you’re really enjoying it.

“It is difficult looking at Kilkenny, seeing the games you would probably be involved in and that you’re not involved in. But it gives you a chance to look back and see how things are going.

“It gives them a chance to try out a lot of different lads in a lot of different positions and really involve a lot of youth with the new system with the hurling.

“The league games now are being used more as a time to experiment and that sort of thing so it’s interesting to watch that from afar while getting the benefit of still being successful at the moment with your club. So it’s a nice balance, I suppose.”