Henry Shefflin believes that Kilkenny have taken a step backwards since their All-Ireland SHC triumph in 2008.

The Cats were pushed all the way by Tipperary in last year's decider at Croke Park, where Shefflin's late penalty swung the game for Brian Cody's men, and this year they displayed some contrasting form in the NHL.

On Sunday, Kilkenny will open their Leinster and All-Ireland SHC defence against Dublin at Croke Park and Shefflin says that they will need to improve with every game if they are to reach the final and achieve an unprecedented five-in-a-row of Liam McCarthy Cups.

"I think last year we showed that we were very lucky on some of the games and it was a lot tighter than the year previous," Shefflin told the Irish Independent. "The gap has definitely tightened and I think the league has shown that again. A couple of teams have overtaken us and we're back a few steps from where we want to be.

"If we are going to win it we're going to have to improve as the years goes on. It's hard to know. I think we have taken a step, there's no doubt about that. Our performances over the last year and a half reflect that from where we were in 2008." Tweet

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