Kilkenny Legend Rubbishes 'Nonsense' Notion About Standard Of Hurling In County

When it comes to the most fiercely competitive county championships in the country, there is no doubt that the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship is among the first names mentioned.

A county with a thriving club scene in the small ball code, there are no shortage of top class players in the competition. There is also a good spread across different clubs, even if Ballyhale Shamrocks did have a stranglehold on the opposition around the turn of the decade.

While the championship is still a number of weeks away, the Kilkenny Senior Hurling League did get underway earlier this month.

READ ALSO: Pat Spillane Calls On GAA To Scrap Long Standing All-Ireland Final Tradition

READ ALSO: Galway Manager Calls Out 'F*****g Insulting' Media Comments About His Team

O'Loughlin Gaels were crowned Kilkenny Senior Hurling League champions in 2024, having won all five of their group games before producing a convincing win over Tullaroan in the final.

They have began their title defence in an impressive fashion this year, overcoming Glenmore in a close game to open their campaign before a convincing win over Lisdowney last weekend.

O'Loughlin Gaels were unable to turn their success in this competition into championship honours last year, coming up well short against Thomastown in the final. That led to suggestions that they had been somewhat undercooked going into championship due to a string of comfortable wins in the league.

Speaking to CRKC Sport, O'Loughlin Gaels boss Brian Hogan rubbished suggestions that there was a lack of quality competition in Kilkenny at the moment.

It was thrown at us last year when we won matches by larger margins that we weren't tested which is nonsense, you're always tested in Kilkenny.

It's not going to be fluid (after the first match), there's going to be loads of mistakes. It's a platform to build from. You kind of don't really know where you're at until you have that first competitive game...

This is the first time we've had the full together so and even now we've gotten a couple of injuries as well, so it does take a bit of time for the lads I suppose to reintegrate into the group.

Judging by the performances of their teams in provincial and All-Ireland competition, there is certainly no doubt about the standard of club hurling in Kilkenny at the moment. Kilkenny sides have won five of the last six editions of the Leinster club championship, as well as three of the last six All-Irelands.

O'Loughlin Gaels will be hoping for another strong Senior Hurling League campaign over the coming weeks, although their main goal will no doubt be to regain the county championship title that they last won in 2023.