Kilkenny beat Dublin 3-20 to 2-16 in a tightly contested O’Neill’s.com Leinster U-20 Hurling Championship match on Saturday evening at UPMC Nowlan Park.
Speaking to KCLR Sport after the match, Kilkenny manager Mark Dowling shared his thoughts on the hard-fought victory highlighting the challenges his team faced.
“Delighted to get a win. Dublin were always going to be difficult. It was a sunny day, but there was a difficult enough breeze. We had it in the first half, but it was kind of hard to play with it, really, as well.”
The Kilkenny manager reflected on his team’s improved performance in the second half, noting their shooting and use of the ball were much better, with players finding each other a lot more effectively.
“I suppose we just had a bit more composure and a bit more purpose about what we were doing. I felt we were lacking a bit of energy in the first half, maybe a bit in third or fourth gear, and we probably went up a little bit in that regard for the second half, and that was necessary.”
With Kilkenny in top form, topping their group table, the team now faces a five-week break until their next game, a challenge that manager Mark Dowling says they’ll need to manage carefully in order to maintain their momentum.
“We’ve been in this position for the last two years, we’ve topped the group. Ultimately, look, we’ve been unfortunate in some circumstances not to get past the semi-final, but that’s just what has happened. It’s a break that we’ll have to manage. It’s a nice problem to have, and I’d prefer to have it than not have it.”
For more analysis, you can listen to Mark Dowling on the KCLR Hurling Podcast, available now wherever you get your podcasts.
Article by Hannah Sharpe
