Mickey Whelan is confident that Mattie Kenny can build on the progress that the Dublin hurlers made under Pat Gilroy.

Renowned coach Whelan was part of Gilroy’s backroom set-up this year and is disappointed that they won’t get to build on the solid foundations they laid.

“It was a positive year,” he said to GAA.ie.

“I thought we made progress. We were seen as a kind of a football management team going in, but Anthony (Cunningham) gave that a bit of credibility.

“But I think the players rowed in behind us and did a very good job. I was happy with our outcomes. And we had to go the way we went because we got in very late. We had to elevate the fitness levels. That had to be done at the expense of the League.

“We knew we had to beat Offaly to stay up and we knew we had to have them at their best to meet Kilkenny in the first round of the Championship. And it kind of worked out for us.”

Two-time All-Ireland winning Cuala boss Kenny is now in the hot-seat and Whelan added: “I think this guy will do a great job now.

“He has won two Club All-Irelands. And the other minus, but a positive is Cuala are out of it, out of the Championship so they’ll have these guys early. We didn’t have them until close to the Championship.”

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