Ruarc Sweeney in action for O'Loughlin Gaels against Dicksboro. Pic: Clubber TV<\/p>\n
There was excitement on Community Radio Kilkenny last Monday evening.<\/p>\n
The World of Gaelic Games analysts were digesting an extraordinary weekend of club hurling where 27 goals were scored across the six senior hurling league games, the competition which determines the starting point for the 12 clubs in the championship.<\/p>\n
A total of 23 had been posted in the opening round over the bank holiday weekend. Combined, the 50 goals far exceeded the 37 that was posted over the first two rounds last year.<\/p>\n
Of the 50, O\u2019Loughlin Gaels have scored 10 of them and their starlet Ruarc Sweeney seven. Following a hat-trick on his senior championship debut against Dicksboro last Thursday week, he struck four against Ballyhale Shamrocks last Sunday when Niall Shortall, a Kilkenny U20 two years ago, went one better than him with five.<\/p>\n
Sweeney was part of Henry Shefflin\u2019s U20 squad this past season. He was taken off early in the group game against Galway before posting 1-4, 1-1 from play, against Offaly in the quarter-final. He found the net again in the Leinster final defeat to Galway, coming off the bench as he did in the semi-final win over Dublin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung Ruarc Sweeney didn\u2019t really nail down a place in the U20s\u2019 team this year but he\u2019s come and got seven goals in two matches,\u201d said former GAA president Nickey Brennan on CRK.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNiall Shortall got five goals. It\u2019s good to see this happening. Maybe there is something going to come out of all this.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are guys who weren\u2019t regulars on any Kilkenny squad last year, so who knows what it\u2019s going to throw up. I accept Ruarc Sweeney is still young but it\u2019s good to see. It\u2019s asking questions. It\u2019s great for the players and if they build on that, apart from the clubs being the winner hopefully Kilkenny can be in the longer term.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just the feats of Sweeney and Shortall that generated encouragement. Dylan Simpson, son of Liam, has scored 4-8 for Tullaroan in their wins over Danesfort and Dicksboro. Danesfort\u2019s Ben Whitty is another of the hat-trick club, his three coming against Erin\u2019s Own.<\/p>\n
Sure, it\u2019s forwards\u2019 weather and the ball is hopping like never before but after arguably the county\u2019s most sobering season in 30 years, scoring power is something Kilkenny yearns.<\/p>\n
Last February, Liam Sheedy wasn\u2019t predicting The Cats would fail to get out of the Leinster SHC round-robin for the first time but he did call out their dearth of high-quality forwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are as honest as ever, Kilkenny bring a great attitude to the pitch every time,\u201d he said on RT\u00c9\u2019s League Sunday. \u201cBut to me they are lacking up front.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they are going to have to go back and ask a 38-year-old (TJ Reid) to come back in. He will nail 90% of those frees and loves to get his hands on the ball from time to time. They really could do with one or two forwards coming through but I just don't see them in the pipeline, so far in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see the real quality of forwards. I don\u2019t see Kilkenny having enough. Adrian Mullen is a big loss, but I couldn\u2019t see them having enough to make a consistent push.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n