Kilkenny’s Walsh Shield Final has been confirmed for Callan this Sunday, with throw-in at 2pm as the Cats face Brian Dowling’s Kildare. The game will be broadcast live on KCLR.
Derek Lyng’s side booked their place in the final last weekend with a convincing 2-17 to 10-point victory over Laois in Rathdowney. While the result was impressive, the performance of several fringe players also caught the eye.
Speaking on the KCLR Hurling Podcast, selector Mickey Walsh stressed the importance of opportunities like this for players on the edge of the panel.
“It’s alright for us to stand back and watch and say, this is this or this is that,” Walsh said. “For all those players that play, it’s a big day. Ten or eleven of them, whatever, haven’t been involved maybe before, or have been on before and dropped back in again.
“So for all those players yesterday, it’s not just a meaningless wet day up above in Rathdowney. It’s a big, big day for them and we have to be respectful and recognise that fact because it’s never easy at any level.”
“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, inter-county hurling is really tough. You know when you get that jersey — we’ve spoken about the numbers that are in the set-up — so when you get that jersey, you have to perform and that’s the bottom line.”
You can hear more from Mickey Walsh on the KCLR Hurling Podcast, available now wherever you get your podcasts.
