AWAY FROM THE bright lights of Division 1 in the Allianz Hurling League, the Division 2A promotion race promises to be a fascinating one.
As expected, Kerry and Offaly made winning starts as they eye a return to the top tier. But Kildare flying out of the traps was not necessarily part of the initial script.
A 14-point drubbing of Carlow last Sunday got former Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity’s team off to the perfect start. And there are signs that there is more to come.
Of course, inter-county hurling rarely allows for overnight successes. There have been signs of steady small ball improvement within the county over several years.
Naas sealed the All-Ireland intermediate club title in February 2022, and gained further credibility upon their step-up to the senior ranks in recent months with a 15-point win over Offaly champions Shinrone before a battling display in defeat to Ballyhale Shamrocks.
On the inter-county front, the Lilywhites continue to make strides underage. Victory over Wexford in the 2021 U20 Leinster Championship was further proof of the rising tide.
The next step is translating that progress to senior level. Having claimed the Christy Ring Cup title in 2020 and 2022, they are preparing for their latest crack at the Joe McDonagh tier, after failing to remain at the level in 2021.
The early signs are positive this season. They claimed pre-season honours with a dominant run through the Kehoe Cup, with wins over Carlow, Meath, Down and Wicklow by a combined 41 points.
“It was a very productive four matches for us in January,” David Herity said in an interview with Kildare’s GAA social channels after winning the January title.
“Obviously getting the win at the end was brilliant. It keeps the momentum going for the group. Especially after last year’s Christy Ring. It gave us an opportunity to see all of the new lads. Trying to blood in some of the younger lads as well. We had 10 U20s there, playing over the few weeks, we’d 31 players who came out.”
Testing the depth of the panel has seemingly paid dividends. As they kicked off their league campaign with a dominant 0-25 to 0-11 away win over Carlow. Cian Boran, 18, starred on his league debut, less than 24 hours after helping Naas CBS reach the Bosco Cup final.
The searing start to 2023 has been crucial, according to Herity.
“We knew coming into this year that we had to hit the ground running and that’s why we have put in such a massive effort in the initial few months to get on the front foot,” he said after the League opener, as quoted by the Kildare Nationalist.
“Last year we had two losses straight away which put us on the back foot and we barely survived whereas this year we are making sure that it doesn’t happen.”
Not only have they hit the ground running, but they are delivering results which are attracting attention.
James Burke continues the lead the line, with the Naas man bagging 0-11 against the Barrow-siders. What will be even more pleasing to Herity and Co is that 10 players scored from play in that contest.
That opening victory, one week after the 2-24 to 0-18 Kehoe Cup win over Meath, suggests that Kildare are the form team in Division 2A right now.
But dreams of reaching the top tier of the hurling league for the first time ever may be premature, for the moment. Kerry and Offaly in particular may have something to say about that over the coming weeks.
The Faithful County are bidding to bounce back from relegation in 2022, while the Kingdom sharpened their teeth for the year with January meetings with Limerick and Cork. Both came through their opening assignments last weekend with varying degrees of difficulty.
Nonetheless, the Lilywhites are undoubtedly trending upwards. And a solid springtime will lay strong foundations as they bid to retain Joe McDonagh Cup status for the first time.
Having been somewhat of a yo-yo team in recent years in pursuit of establishing themselves at a higher level, it now appears the Kildare hurlers are capable of taking the next step.
They host Down on Sunday afternoon – a team with which they have grown familiar in recent seasons.
A win over the Mourne County should put any lingering fears of relegation to bed, and opportunity will knock for the remainder of their National League campaign.
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