This weekend brings with it the quarter-finals of the St. Canice’s Credit Union Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship.
It gets underway at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in Thomastown when O’Loughlin Gaels face Mullinavat before Glenmore takes on Bennettsbridge at 3:45 p.m. in Clara.
There’s a doubleheader in UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday. James Stephens and Graigue Ballycallan go head-to-head before the tie of the round sees Dicksboro and county champions Ballyhale Shamrocks meet at 4:15 p.m.
See also: Get all the reaction from this weekends games
Speaking to KCLR following his side’s league final victory over Glenmore on Saturday, Dicksboro manager Michael Walsh gave an injury update ahead of the weekend.
“Hopefully, we’re okay injury-wise, as we had Harry Shine and Andy Gaffney didn’t play today (Glenmore)”
“They were carrying a knock and if they were fit to play, they would have played.”
“So I hope they’ll come around and I hope we didn’t get anything there too much today.”
See also: All Ireland finalists Kilkenny have eight players up for this year’s PWC GAA / GPA All-Star awards
Elsewhere, Three Shamrocks players are in contention at the All-Star awards, with the club side also in the running for a historic 6 in a row county titles.
Speaking to KCLR Dicksboro star Shane Stapleton said they can’t afford to take any breaks in the encounter
“You can’t afford to have any lull periods at all in knockout hurling and next week it certainly won’t be good enough.”
“So, the anti will be up next week and we’ll be ready for it. This is why you play hurling.”
“The lads have been back since February, March and these are the weeks now you love coming training. You’re sharpening up your skills and you’re getting ready for knockout hurling. It’s brilliant.”
Check out KCLR’s The Kilkenny Hurling Podcast.
Each week Robbie Dowling and former Blacks and Whites manager Eddie Scally cast their eye over all the action from the weekend’s senior, intermediate, and junior league and championship games as well as looking ahead to the next round of action.
In the eight-episode, we look back at a bumper weekend of championship action that included Tullaroan’s exit in the first round.
We also give our take on the upcoming senior quarter-finals including the mouth-watering clash of Ballyhale Shamrocks v Dicksboro and the scheduling of this weekend’s minor finals is debated.
