James Maher invited back onto Kilkenny hurling panel

It's hoped the likes of Eoin Guilfoyle, Maher, and a fit-again and recently-appointed captain Adrian Mullen will provide options as Brian Cody looks to freshen up the Kilkenny attack

Kilkenny’s James Maher. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

James Maher is set to return to the Kilkenny senior hurling panel when collective inter-county training resumes.

The 25-year-old midfielder-cum-half-forward was part of the Cats panel for last year’s Allianz League campaign but was not involved for the winter championship. However, Brian Cody has invited him into the set-up for the start of the 2021 season.

Injuries have had a major impact on the St Lachtain’s man who injured his ankle in early 2019 while playing for his club, which ruled him out of the early part of the Championship, while two years previously he broke his kneecap in a farming accident.

Maher made his debut for the seniors in the 2016 Allianz League before claiming a Leinster medal as a panel member later that year. As a midfield starter, he claimed a Division 1 title in 2018 and was on the bench for the 2019 All-Ireland final.

With the news that Colin Fennelly has stepped away for the upcoming season and Ger Aylward having retired, Cody is looking to freshen up his attack. Forwards such as Luke Scanlon and Bill Sheehan are no longer part of the panel but it is hoped the likes of Eoin Guilfoyle, Maher, and a fit-again and recently-appointed captain Adrian Mullen will provide options.