Adrian Mullen hopped away on crutches after Kilkenny’s last championship fixture against Galway, but on Sunday he hopes to be bouncing out of Croke Park with the Bob O’Keeffe Cup safely secured for the sixth consecutive year.
It has been another frustrating season for Mullen in terms of injury, but the former All Star did manage to start Kilkenny’s last two round-robin matches in the provincial championship.
The 26-year-old missed all of the National League because of a groin injury but returned for the first round of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in April– a home tie against Galway at Nowlan Park.
Mullen even marked his first appearance of the campaign with a neatly taken goal in the opening exchanges. However, after just 17 minutes he was forced off the field with an ankle injury. He later left the ground in a moon boot and also with the aid of crutches.
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The Ballyhale clubman has been working his way back to match sharpness in recent weeks and played most of their final round-robin game against Wexford.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Leinster SHC final against Galway at Croke Park (4pm), he said: “The body’s holding up well for now.
“I suppose at this time of year, you’re never really 100 per cent, especially with how tough and heavy training is. But I’ve kept together in one piece for now and I’m looking forward to Sunday.
“I just picked up an injury during pre-season or early January and that kind of kept me out for most of the league. But I stayed training away, stayed doing a bit of rehab and stuff like that.
“It was just unfortunate at that time, but it’s all good now and I’m fit and ready to go.”
Mullen last played a full competitive match for Kilkenny in the league final loss to Clare in April 2024.
He has had various injury problems over the years including cruciate, hamstring and hand issues. So, turning on his ankle against Galway in his first start of the year was far from ideal.
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“To get back for the Galway game and then to go off injured after 10 minutes or so with a twisted ankle, yeah it was a setback,” he continues.
“But you just have to get on with it and see what you can do to get yourself right for the next game or the next few weeks to follow.”
When you’re playing at an elite level and you don’t come out victorious, there’s going to be that level of hurt and disappointment
— Adrian Mullen
The sight of Mullen wearing the number six jersey against Wexford last time out has generated plenty of intrigue as to Derek Lyng’s plans for a player more accustomed to an attacking role.
As Kilkenny had already qualified for the Leinster final before that Wexford match, perhaps it was nothing more than a one-off experiment.
“Given the circumstances of the round-robin we were already through, it was probably a game to give lads a bit of game time and get minutes into the legs,” adds Mullen.
“I suppose I’ll play anywhere I’m told to play. If you’re told to play centre back, you obviously just have to adapt to that. If you’re in closer to goal, you have to be a threat up there and stuff like that.
“The way the game has gone, you have to be able to play anywhere. If you’re named half-forward, you could end up midfield or even in the half-back line or in the full-forward line. You just have to be versatile.”
Kilkenny last won the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2015 and have been beaten in four finals over the last decade – 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023. They lost to eventual champions Clare at the semi-final stages last summer.
“Look, it was definitely disappointing,” recalls Mullen of that defeat to the Banner County. “But I suppose in games like that, if you don’t win, you have to reflect and you have to learn from it. They were the better team on the day. All we can do is learn from it.”
He acknowledges that the barren decade has been difficult for black and amber hurling folk.
“Definitely, there has to be that level of hurt,” adds Mullen. “When you’re playing at an elite level and you don’t come out victorious, there’s going to be that level of hurt and disappointment.
“As I said, you just have to look back on it, you have to reflect on it, you have to learn from it, see what went right, see what went wrong and try to improve.”
As for the All-Ireland race this year, he is not entertaining the argument that it is simply a two-horse gallop between Limerick and Cork.
“Oh, is it?” he says with a smile.
“Obviously, we have our own opinions and our own beliefs. I’d say any player at intercounty level knows that if you’re a percentage off on the day, you will be found out. You have to really be at the pitch every day you go out.
“We had a decent round-robin. Before that, the league was up and down. But we’ve done what we had to do in the round-robin – we won a few games, we’ve got to the Leinster final.
“You can’t ask for much more than that. We’re just looking forward to Sunday and trying to put our best foot forward and trying to bring our best game to Croke Park.”
