'I'm fit and ready to go' - Kilkenny's Adrian Mullen over injury issues ahead of Leinster final

He reports himself as fit and able for Sunday’s Leinster SHC final, but from the school of hard knocks, he has long since graduated.

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025 - 07:30

John Fogarty

Adrian Mullen only turned 25 in March but his litany of injuries is eye-watering: 2020-21 cruciate; ’23 hamstring, thumb; ’24 thigh and now in 2025 groin and ankle.

He reports himself as fit and able for Sunday’s Leinster SHC final against Galway, but from the school of hard knocks, he has long since graduated.

The 2019 young hurler of the year and 2022 All-Star is due a break in the metaphorical sense.

“I just picked up an injury there during pre-season or early January and that kind of kept me out of most of the league,” he says.

“It kept me out for a good few weeks or maybe a couple of months. But look, I stayed training away, stayed doing a bit of rehab and stuff like that.

“It’s probably just a variety of different things. I suppose with the workload of pre-season at the time, you’d be doing well to come out of it injury-free. I was just unfortunate at that time to pick up kind of a groin injury. But it's all good now and I’m fit and ready to go.”

Prolonged seasons have surely contributed to Mullen’s setbacks. Now in his seventh senior season, it is difficult to believe he counts last year as his first pre-season with Kilkenny but then Ballyhale Shamrocks have often occupied his end and start to the calendar year.

He made his first appearance of the year in the opening round win over Galway only to twist his ankle in the early stages.

“Yeah, it was a setback all right. But sure you just have to get on with it and see what you can do to get yourself right for the next game or the next few weeks to follow.”

Adrian Mullen in action against Kevin Foley of Wexford during the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile

Mullen lined out at centre-back against Wexford last Sunday week but that was likely a flirtation seeing as Kilkenny had already qualified for the Leinster final.

“I did a stint at centre-back underage is all. To be honest, it was just a game where, given the circumstances of the round-robin, we were already through, it’s probably a game to give lads a bit of game time and get minutes into the legs and stuff like that. I suppose that's just what you saw there.”

After switching accountancy for an electrician apprenticeship, Mullen is one of the few inter-county players involved in a physically-demanding job.

“I love the work. I'm working with a good hurling man, Niall Lacey in Lacey Electrical, who was over us with Ballyhale a couple of years ago.

“It definitely is labour-intensive, I suppose. Everyone is different and I think that suits me, working in that environment and working hands on. It's definitely satisfying and rewarding as well.”

In his Shamrocks’s club-mate TJ Reid, Mullen has a local hero in terms of endurance and perseverance, although he had to learn himself what was required at the top level of hurling.

“You probably learn the hard way when you're that bit younger, when you're 18, 19, 20. You nearly learn at that stage the requirements to play at the elite level and what you have to put in to play at the highest level.

“You just realise that you know you might turn up to training or matches and you know yourself you haven't put in the work leading into the games. You get a harsh belt of reality then and you realise that you have to really look after everything that you do, all aspects of your life to really perform at the highest level.”

He continues: “It's of no surprise that TJ is still going when you look at the work he puts in and how he looks after himself and how enthusiastic he is about the game. It's definitely no surprise to the lads that watch on and are close to him and you realise the effort and the time he puts into it.

“When I was a young lad, TJ was probably still playing with Kilkenny's senior team.

"You definitely would have seen himself and Henry [Shefflin] staying back along with Mick, Colin [Fennelly] and all these lads staying back and putting in those extra few hours after training.

"I think that's just what you have to do to really play and compete at the highest level.”