Kilkenny hurlers feeling the pain like Cork but how much change is needed?

The situation isn't as dire as Cork's, given they were All-Ireland champions in 2015, but Kilkenny have suffered a series of setbacks in recent years.

They've been beaten in four finals across the last decade, twice to Tipperary and successive deciders against Limerick, but just as frustratingly lost semi-finals they should have won to Clare and Tipp in recent years. 

The Cats have dominated Leinster but the problem is Munster currently casts a formidable shadow across the hurling landscape.

Speaking at Croke Park at the Defence Forces Jersey launch, Richie Reid, sub goalie when Kilkenny beat Galway in 2015 but centre-back now, explained how much their failure has hurt.

"As players, look, we're hugely disappointed that we're not getting there. The last two years we've failed at the semi-final stage. Previously, we got to the All-Ireland final and failed as well. As players, we're hugely disappointed, we want to be achieving, especially as Kilkenny hurlers. You want to win.

"As players, it's the truth, we didn't get there this year, so we failed. It's about knuckling down again.

"Obviously you're going to be disappointed but there's always a year after coming too so it's just about getting your head in the right place and trying to go again."

At club level with Ballyhale Shamrocks, Reid is being coached by Henry Shefflin this season but Derek Lyng remains at the helm of the county team. He's added legendary forward Eddie Brennan and highly-regarded coach Niall Corcoran to the setback for 2026.

Richie and his brother TJ, 38 in November but ripping it up for Ballyhale, will be most likely to back in black and amber next season but here on Leeside, we're waiting to see what role Patrick Horgan, Seamus Harnedy and the rest of the veterans will have under new manager Ben O'Connor.

RADICAL

There's an argument that radical change is needed after the second-half collapse against Tipp in July but Cork can't be too far away either, given they're league and Munster champions.

Horgan is seven months younger than TJ Reid and was at his lethal best in Glen Rovers' loss to Sars in their final group game, blasting 2-10, 1-5 from play. He followed up with 2-9, 1-3 from play, in the quarter-final with Midleton.

There's a huge gap between club form and delivering at Croker but another impressive showing in the quarter-final with Midleton on Friday night would underline that Horgan could still have a role to play in the O'Connor era, even if it's a reduced one.

On Noreside they won't be casting the Reids aside but they haven't had the same underage success as Cork in the modern era. 

They haven't lifted the minor All-Ireland since 2014, though they have reached four finals since. After collecting four U21 All-Irelands in the noughties, their only recent triumph was in 2022.

That's not to say they don't have promising young guns waiting to fire. There are always good hurlers in Kilkenny and they'll feel a few tweaks could get them over the line.

Is it the same here in Cork?