MARTIN ‘MOSSY’ KEOGHAN believes Kilkenny’s calmness after a dismal start was the key to the opening-day NHL Division 1A win over Clare.
The Cats trailed by seven points after just 15 minutes at Cusack Park on Sunday but reeled in the Banner and claimed a fine 0-23 to 0-21 triumph in damp and dark conditions.
Keoghan led from the front with five points as Derek Lyng’s men flexed their muscles against the All-Ireland champions.
And the Tullaroan Terror told KCLR FM: “We are very happy. Ennis is not an easy place to come in tough conditions like that in the first round of the league.
“To come away with the win is a great boost and a great start to the year for us.”
Keoghan was a nightmare for Brian Lohan’s defence, with Kilkenny finishing with ten scorers.
Fellow forward Billy Drennan fired over 0-7 from frees.
But Keoghan revealed: “It wasn’t easy, especially in the first half.
“We were against the wind and it looked like Clare couldn’t hit a wide if they tried. It was a tough start but we dug in and got a few important scores coming up to half-time.
“Then we knew that we’d be able to create chances a bit more in the second half.
“And thank God we took them and came away with the win.
“When you’re playing a team like Clare, they are bound to have a purple patch at some stage.
“You just have to dig in and try to cut down as many opportunities as they have during that purple patch.
“We were just trying to hook and block as much as we could in tough conditions.
“There were a lot of rucks and stuff and we just trusted our process.
“We knew that we’d create the chances and we took them.”
The win saw the Cats beat the Banner after losing to them three times last year.
Lyng’s men lost to Clare twice in the NHL — including the decider — and in the All-Ireland SHC semi-finals last summer.
And Keoghan, 26, was happy the Cats are purring ahead of the visit of Galway to Nowlan Park on Sunday.
‘BATTLING IT OUT’
He said: “You would be fairly content after that match.
“Coming down to Clare, what they based their All-Ireland win on last year was their work-rate and their doggedness.
“I moved out to the half-forward line and you have to cover an awful lot of ground.
“When we’re trying to work the ball out that bit more, you have to be an option.
“The boys in the backs did fierce well to try and retain possession. Then they were able to spray it out to us, which was working very well.
“We battled it out until the end and got the win.
“We were definitely happy to come out on the right side.”
