Kilkenny forward Billy Ryan says the Cats are relishing the challenge of the upcoming All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final, after securing a sixth consecutive Leinster title with a win over Galway last weekend.
The Graigue Ballycallan attacker spoke to KCLR ahead of Kilkenny’s open training session and meet-and-greet event at UPMC Nowlan Park, which takes place tonight from 6pm.
With a semi-final against Dublin, Kildare, or Limerick set for Sunday, July 6th, Ryan says the team is fully focused on the work that needs to be done over the next month.
“It’s really exciting. It is a challenge posed to us now – can we hurl for 70 minutes against a team of great calibre?” he said.
“We don’t know who is coming down the line, but you can guarantee it’s a top-quality team. We will need to hurl for 70 minutes in order to beat them. The goal is to win it and get to an All-Ireland Final.”
Kilkenny have once again proven their consistency by dominating the Leinster Championship, and Ryan believes the coming weeks will be vital in determining how far they can go.
“Short-term goal, we have four weeks to prepare. It’s going to come down to our training — if we up our training, we’ll be a better team come that semi-final stage, and hopefully we can win it.”
The Cats are no strangers to the business end of the championship, but with a month-long lead-in to their next outing, Ryan and his teammates are determined to fine-tune their performance and take the next step toward Croke Park glory.
