Brian Barry
GAA Editor @BrianGBarry
Cillian Buckley says Kilkenny aren't far off the top
Last Updated: 01/11/18 4:21pm
Kilkenny's Cillian Buckley says the side are taking heart from their narrow losses to eventual All-Ireland finalists Limerick and Galway.
While the Cats' 2018 season ultimately ended in disappointment with a quarter-final loss to Limerick, there were several positives to take from the year. The league triumph stemmed any talk of rapid regression, while a host of young players were given championship experience with seven players making their debuts in the opener against Dublin.
"We set out at the start of the year to win leagues, to win championships," reflected 2018 captain Buckley. "We won the league. It obviously gave us a big boost, big confidence during the year.
"Going into the championship we were so close. Getting to a Leinster final, we were so close, within minutes of beating Galway the first day which would have uplifted the whole year and opened out the whole thing.
"Coming into a tough draw against Limerick and we were just caught on the trot. From being so close I suppose three weeks prior, to being out of the championship in the middle of July was a fall from grace.
"But looking back on it, seeing Galway and Limerick contest the All-Ireland, they were the two teams having bet us, we were so close to them. We have to take some bit of confidence and solace from that."
The Dicksboro club-man admitted having to face Limerick in the All-Ireland quarter-final, which was the Cats' third consecutive weekend in action, was a big ask.
"Look, teams have managed it over the years. The back door, it's easy. For that reason, obviously you want to go straight through, you want to win the Leinster Championship first of all. It does make the route to the All-Ireland tougher, especially this year when we had week-on-week round-robin fixtures in the championship and then go into another three-week block of games, it was tough.
"It was far from the sole reason we lost the game, Limerick just blitzed us in the last ten minutes. But it was tough and it probably did take its toll on us on the day."
The Cats now prepare for 2019, with the Ballyhale Shamrocks flying the flag for the county in the club championship this winter. Buckley feels that if Ballyhale manage to secure a Leinster title or beyond, it would come as a huge boost to Kilkenny hurling as a whole.
"Everything feeds into lifting the intercounty set-up, and them (Ballyhale) having a bit of a success in Leinster and bringing it into the All-Ireland stages would be a good boost for us."
The 26-year-old isn't surprised how quickly Henry Shefflin has found success as a manager.
"I was lucky enough to play with Henry in the last few years of his county career and I suppose he had, me being one of the younger players, had that natural leadership.
"He was nearly a player-manager as such at times. He's obviously brought that and Ballyhale have benefited from it.
"I think it was the natural next step for him. I've no doubt he'll continue the early success that he's had.
"[He's] one of the greatest hurlers in Kilkenny of all time. That's important for any manager. He obviously has respect locally more than anywhere else, and that's important when you're a manager of a club team."
Buckley was speaking at an event to mark the departure of the Kilkenny and Galway teams, who fly to Australia to take part in a match for the Wild Geese Trophy as part of the Sydney Irish Fest on November 10/11, at the Australian Embassy in Dublin.
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