There are sure to quite a few questions asked of Kilkenny on the back of their hammering against Galway at the weekend, with the Cats looking like a team who well off championship pace as things stand.

Derek Lyng’s side were thoroughly outplayed in Pearse Stadium, with their 0-37 to 0-15 defeat the heaviest the county has suffered since 1957. It also leaves them in potential relegation trouble.

As for the reason for their underwhelming campaign, some feel that some personnel decisions may have had an influence.

READ ALSO: Anthony Daly Concerned By Actions Of Kilkenny Players During Galway Loss

READ ALSO: How The National Hurling League Tables Stand With One Big Weekend To Go

Joe Canning questions Kilkenny decisions

Recommended

Derek Lyng has looked to evolve the Kilkenny team this season, making a few changes to the starting XV. Aidan Tallis has replaced Eoin Murphy in goal, with Darragh Corcoran usurping the experienced Richie Reid at centre back.

Couple that with fullback Huw Lawlor’s move to Australia and suddenly the team has a very different spine to the one which had featured in recent seasons.

Speaking on League Sunday, Joe Canning said that Derek Lyng may well reconsider some of the recent decisions he and coaches Niall Corcoran and Eddie Brennan have made on the back of another poor Kilkenny performance.

‘Is it in their DNA to play this short-passing game?’ – @JoeyCan88 on what may be curtailing Kilkenny’s threat #rtegaa #allianzhurlingleague
📺 Watch: @RTE2 | https://t.co/ZfZ9mA9XTY pic.twitter.com/yMIa9RNiqM

— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) March 8, 2026

There were some changes this year, the spine of their backs, Tallis in goals.

They’re not doing anything wrong, but going from a puck of a ball from an All-Ireland final last year to changing your goalie, to changing your centre back, to then an enforced change at fullback with Mikey Carey, who looks like he picked up maybe a hamstring injury and could be out now. Who are they going to put fullback now?

There’s probably a lot of head-scratching for Derek Lyng going home on the bus last night to wonder ‘is this the way we want to go?’

They’re saying in Kilkenny that maybe Tallis is in goals for short puck-outs and that possession based game. Is that what Niall Corcoran and Eddie Brennan are after bringing in? I’m not too sure just from the outside.

Do they go back a bit to a more direct route? Richie Reid seems to have fallen out of favour a little bit, he’s very direct in his game as well. I know Henry [Shefflin] was questioning that a couple of weeks ago on the show.

There are some questions. It’s not that they’re doing anything wrong, but is it in their DNA to play this short passing game? I’m not too sure.

Henry Shefflin did indeed flag this issue as far back as January, saying the call to take Richie Reid out of the team may have been a premature one.

Derek Lyng will no doubt look to address the issues in the Kilkenny team ahead of the start of this year’s championship, with a positive result against Tipperary also needed in the final league game in order to avoid relegation to the second tier for 2027.

That could yet mean a return to move experienced players over the coming weeks.

SEE ALSO: Brentford’s Brazilian Star Was Baffled After Caoimhín Kelleher Introduced Him To Cork Hurling