Mullen backs Shefflin as Kilkenny begin fresh chapter

Kilkenny's Adrian Mullen is tackled by Wexford's Kevin Foley ©INPHO/Ken Sutton

Adrian Mullen believes Kilkenny’s players must take individual responsibility for improving as the Cats prepare for a new era under Henry Shefflin.

Kilkenny endured a difficult 2026 campaign, recording just four wins in 11 competitive games before missing out on a place in the Leinster championship knockout stages.

Derek Lyng’s departure has paved the way for Shefflin to take charge, with ace attacker Mullen welcoming the appointment of his Ballyhale Shamrocks clubmate while acknowledging the scale of the challenge ahead.

"It's exciting for Henry to be coming in and the management team he's after putting together," Mullen told RTE Sport.

"It's definitely massive to have someone of that stature I suppose over the team.

"It's all positive and you'd be looking forward to it but there's going to be nothing easy, you know. There's going to be a lot of work to do. You have to be realistic about that as well but that's exciting in itself.

"Can we improve on last year? A lot of that is down to the players to see if we can learn from last year.

"And to do a lot of soul searching and improve as individuals. Because it does start individually."