Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan feels that Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1 final is an important game for both the Cats and Limerick, but it would be no disaster for Derek Lyng’s team if they were to suffer a battling defeat.
“In the broader scheme of things, would it (a loss on Sunday) have an impact on this Limerick team going into the Munster Championship? I’m not sure it would have a devastating effect on them,” he said to Our Game.
“It would probably steel their heads a tiny bit more. They’re not doing anything other than trying to win this match. I do think if they get going, and the Kilkenny team minus TJ [Reid] and Adrian Mullen, I’m conscious of saying this…If we can keep this to six points or thereabouts, there’d be nothing wrong with that, that would be a really respectable performance.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to win. But if we can go toe-to-toe with Limerick and have a right good battle with them, I think there’s no shame in that.”
Nonetheless, he feels that victory for the Nore-siders would give them a huge boost.
“Kilkenny have a lot to gain,” he said. “I’d love this Kilkenny team to go down there to Páirc Uí Chaoimh and win a National League against the All-Ireland champions.
“It would be brilliant for them because from my experience, it makes you grow. It brings you bouncing into trainnig a bit more. It gives you a bit of belief. That’s the one thing that John Kiely will be, in the back of his mind, mindful that in 2018, Kilkenny were very close to them. It could have gone either way and they kicked on.
“They hurt them in 2019. Last year, despite how good a return Limerick go with their puck-outs, Kilkenny were still within two points. So I think the one thing he won’t want to do is give them any sort of a sniff psychologically.”
