Former Kilkenny hurler Adrian Ronan believes Brian Cody can be happy with the number of new players unearthed during the league campaign.
He was speaking to Newstalk's Monday Rewind host Oisin Langan and thinks the development of a new generation is one of the successes of the Spring.
"Brian Cody will be happy. He was probably a bit concerned that he maybe didn't have five guys that he could trust after who he's lost. But he's found five players he can trust on the panel," said Ronan, highlighting the likes of Kevin Kelly.
He also believes that Kilkenny's campaign should be examined in the context of the players Cody had available to him.
"Bear in mind who we lost during the year. We lost five key players, notably Tommy [Walsh] and JJ [Delaney], serious players and legends of the game. Then we had to do without the Ballyhale contingent and that meant we were down nine or ten. Then we had the Richie Powers, Eoin Larkins and Jackie Tyrells injured. So considering who we were short of all year, to stay in Division 1 was huge for Kilkenny," he said.
He also spoke to Oisin about the impact Henry Shefflin's retirement will have and Croke Cup match between St Kieran's and Thurles CBS:
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