Is there a last hurrah in Kilkenny's All-Ireland vets?

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:With that experience in mind, the Kilkenny manager will be acutely aware that six of his panel are either of that age or older. To call it a ticking time bomb would be extreme when Lyng’s blend of youth and experience is a reasonably healthy one, but a changing of the guard seems imminent. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

After a career that brought him six All-Ireland senior medals, nine Leinsters and five National League titles, Derek Lyng called a halt to his inter-county career at the age of 32 in 2010.

With that experience in mind, the Kilkenny manager will be acutely aware that six of his panel are either of that age or older. To call it a ticking time bomb would be extreme when Lyng’s blend of youth and experience is a reasonably healthy one, but a changing of the guard seems imminent. The sextet are the vestiges of Kilkenny’s last All-Ireland winning team of 2015.