Kildare manager David Herity admitted that it was “bitterly disappointing” to lose to Carlow on Saturday in the opening round of the Joe McDonagh Cup.
Former Kilkenny hurler Herity feels that his players must leave the loss behind them and look forward to their final group game with Westmeath in two weeks’ time.
He said: “We haven’t lost in a long time, so this is tough to take. It’s about the lads being mentally strong enough to deal with it and put it to one side.
“Hopefully, Westmeath will do a job for us next weekend and we can get that win back against Westmeath in two weeks.”
Herity lamented the lack of experience that his Christy Ring Cup champions had at this level but celebrated the effort his players put in throughout the game.
“We have a great bunch of players and for the first time in a long time we can say that we have the best players in the county that are playing for Kildare which is crucial.
“We have a really strong panel, but Carlow had the experience today that we just didn’t have.”
The Dunnamaggin clubman praised the character of his team despite the close nature of their defeat.
“The most pleasing thing for me is that the mental toughness has changed.
“We didn’t let the game go when we were six or seven points behind, we stuck in the game and only lost by three which leaves us with a decent chance now. That’s really important,” said Herity.
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