Kilkenny narrowly missed out on victory, losing 0-13 to 0-11 against Galway in the opening round of the Very Camogie League at UPMC Nowlan Park.
Article by Hannah Sharpe
Speaking to KCLR after the match, newly appointed Kilkenny manager Tommy Shefflin stated that despite his team’s strong start, Galway’s second-half performance ultimately gave them the edge.
“They started well in fairness but the difference in the end was that Galway brought in the likes of Ailish O’Reilly, a bit of quality and she got two class points”
Despite Kilkenny’s loss, Tommy Shefflin praised his team’s work rate and expressed confidence that they will improve over time.
“We’re going to make mistakes everyone makes mistakes, but at least they’re trying to do the right thing and the more you do that the more confident you get as well. Those things will come so we’ll always encourage the girls to have a go and attack the ball rather than play with fear”.
Kilkenny faces the league without key players such as Kelly Ann Doyle, Aoife Doyle, and Katie Power due to injuries, however, the manager remains confident in the depth of the squad.
“We have to trust the girls that are training and we have to respect the effort they’re putting in as well, we can only start 15 girls and there’s 36 of them togged out today. You have to give them a chance to go prove themselves”.
Kilkenny will face Tipperary in the second round of the Division 1A Very Camogie League on March 1st.
