ADRIAN MULLEN HAS been officially nominated as the new Kilkenny senior hurling captain for the 2021 season.
His club Ballyhale Shamrocks confirmed the decision this afternoon with Richie Reid their choice to be vice-captain.
Kilkenny still operate under the system whereby club champions nominate the captain for the following season.
We are delighted to nominate Adrian Mullen as @KilkennyCLG Captain for 2021 and Richie Reid as Vice Captain for 2021 season.
— Shamrocks (@BallyhaleGAA) February 20, 2021
The Shamrocks completed three-in-a-row in Kilkenny last September and achieved that without the attacking talents of Mullen who missed the 2020 campaign after tearing his cruciate in action for Kilkenny in a league game against Clare last February.
The 21-year-old has starred at club level over the past two seasons in their All-Ireland senior wins, firing 0-5 against St Thomas in the 2019 final and grabbing 0-2 against Borris-Ileigh in the 2020 decider. He continued that good form with Brian Cody’s senior side in his breakthrough championship in 2019 when he won the Young Hurler of the Year award.
Mullen will become the 13th player from his club to captain the Kilkenny senior hurlers while there have been six since 2007 alone in Henry Shefflin, James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, Michael Fennelly, TJ Reid, Joey Holden and Colin Fennelly.
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Very young for this role but fair play to him a fine hurler
@Finnster: don’t know how he got young hurler of the year , won nothing was taken off in most senior games .Jake Morris won 2 All Ireland’s and made a massive contribution in both , makes me wonder
@Martin: Ha good man Martin. In 2014 Kilkenny went unbeaten, won every competition and still got less all stars.
Mullen got taken off in 2 games the final when he was clearly not right and the leinster 2nd round game with 4 mins to go and he fell awkwardly.
Jake Morris got 3 point in the Munster final, AI quarter, Semi and Final combined. Mullen got 4 vs Limerick in semi alone.
@Shay Lawlor: Facts isn’t his strong point.
@Shay Lawlor: and Mullen won what ?
Rewarding failure is a bad road to go down . Time to get over 2014 now I think
@Martin: it’s young hurler of the year. Not which young hurler played on the better team. Your argument is silly
@thomas walsh: Morris made a massive contribution to both All Ireland winning teams but only in my humble opinion , so sorry if that’s a silly argument
Why not pick a starter instead of a couple of subs
@Martin: they pick the captain a different way in Kilkenny
@Paddy: they should have gave TJ another go 3rd time lucky and all that
@Martin: all the luck in the world isn’t going to swing an AI for this Kilkenny group. They’re really very average and I would rank them probably at 6 in the pecking order. Not Cody’s fault , it’s just the supply line has dried up.
@Johnny B: I’ve seen them written off too many times before , I know they don’t get away with what they used to but ask Limerick they had them beaten a point a man in 2018
@Martin: didn’t do much good come the final, never write off a Kilkenny team managed by Cody, but this one certainly doesn’t carry the same fear factor as previous teams. Aura is gone, for now at least.
@Martin: Get away with what ?
@Now or Never: Still have limericks number
@Barry Dowling: the blatant dirt and hatchet men , referees fear of Cody . That’s all . Well documented by Loughnane
@Martin: Loughnane waffles a lot about kilkenny. Thats well “documented”
Very young fir this role but fair play to him a fine hurler