Adrian Mullen taking steep learning curve in his stride
Just nine days after Ballyhale Shamrocks’ All-Ireland club final win last March, Adrian Mullen was handed his Kilkenny senior debut in a challenge against Cork.
It was the benefit game for Kieran O’Connor, and the word afterwards was that the bright young hope of Kilkenny hurling hadn’t fared so well.
As Henry Sheflfin, his club manager, put it, Mullen “struggled by all accounts, so I think he’s going to need time”.
Brian Cody clearly didn’t agree, because in his debut season, the DCU student has started all seven of Kilkenny’s championship games, scoring 1-13 and establishing himself as a key player in a team preparing for an All-Ireland final.
“It was difficult, it was only a few days after the club All-Ireland,” said Mullen of his first outing as a Kilkenny senior. “It was difficult and I did learn a lot from it, about the pace of the game.”
The learning didn’t stop there, because after starting and completing Kilkenny’s first two Leinster championship games Mullen was the first to be taken off against Galway, held scoreless.
“It was just a management decision, things weren’t going that well for me that day, so Brian did what he had to do, did what was best for the team,” said Mullen. “I learnt again from that game.”
A first cousin of Michael and Colin Fennelly, Mullen obviously learns quickly, because he scored 1-3 in his fourth game, against Wexford, and was terrific last weekend in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Limerick.
At this stage, the bookies have almost stopped taking bets on him being named Young Hurler of the Year.
“I haven’t thought too much about it,” said Mullen of his meteoric rise. “I enjoyed the celebrations with the club at the time, but pretty quickly then we were fully focused on what lies ahead with the county, so I haven’t thought too much about it. It has been a good year, but there’s still two games left, hopefully three, so it’s not over yet.”
Mullen will be the star attraction this Saturday in Portlaoise when Kilkenny play Cork in the Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U20 semi-finals.
“It took a day or two to let the body recover after last weekend, but all the focus is on Cork now,” Mullen said.
With Shefflin an obvious admirer, and Cody putting such faith in him at county level, it’s no surprise that DJ Carey, the Kilkenny U20 manager, has looked to him for inspiration too. That’s three of the most important figures ever in Kilkenny hurling to have placed their faith in him. Quite the endorsement.
“They’re obviously great people to learn from, what better people to learn from, really?” said Mullen. “Every one of them would be different in their own way, but it’s still the same basic principles: work hard every day, bring a good attitude to the game.
“They’re different people, but not so different either, if you get me.”
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