Former Offaly hurler Daith Regan reckons that the loss of a host of dressing room leaders will hit Kilkenny to an extent - and could give Wexford some encouragement.
The likes of Henry Shefflin and Tommy Walsh will not be wearing their Cats' shirts again and speaking on Off The Ball alongside former Tipperary hurler Eoin Kelly ahead of the Leinster clash between Kilkenny and Wexford, Daithi feels those changes could have an impact.
"These guys have got to be replaced within the group and if you're a young Kilkenny player coming in over the last number of years into a dressing room and the dynamics of the dressing room with these particular guys there, their leadership and winning mentality that they brought and the legendary effort that goes into their training sessions and the way they go about it with bringing these guys through," he said.
"So from that perspective I feel that they are a loss irrespective of how little game-time they may have gotten. So all of a sudden you're looking at a Kilkenny team shorn of natural leaders - some of the greatest leaders the game of hurling has ever produced. So from that point of view, there's a lot going for Wexford."
But Daithi also agreed with Eoin's point that the Cats cannot be written off just yet until the result is known as a new generation try to impresss Kilkenny manager Brian Cody.
Kilkenny v Wexford is our live match on Off The Ball with a commentary team of Dave McIntrye, Brian Hogan and Jamesie O’Connor.
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