If Tommy Walsh is to be believed, rumours of Kilkenny's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
The man who won nine All-Ireland winners medals under the management of Brian Cody has no doubts that recent disappoints will only serve a greater good.
Speaking on Off the Ball this evening, the hurler-cum-pundit was adamant that Kilkenny are "starting to build for the future."
After a disappointing Championship exit last time out, Kilkenny have started 2018 in a similarly unusual style.
Losing the preliminary Walsh Cup to Wexford, Brian Cody's side have proceeded to lose both of their opening National League fixtures to Cork and Clare.
Factor in the manner in which Kilkenny's U-21 side were so definitely defeated in last year's All-Ireland final against Limerick, many watching on from afar would surmise that a relative barren period may be on hand for the most dominant side in the history of the GAA.
Some have gone as far to suggest that a reevaluation of Cody's position could be necessary. For Walsh, this is not where the attention should be directed:
We have so many guys now that have no All-Ireland's, so this is basically a new, young Kilkenny team ... and we need to have patience with this team.
As long as these young lads stay going the way they are going, hopefully, please God, the results will start going in our favour.
It's amazing what a win can do this time of year. That's the only thing they are missing at the moment. If they can get a few wins under their belt, it'll be great for confidence.
Certain that despite some negative results "there are huge positives Brian Cody can take" from what he has seen thus far, Walsh is equally convinced that this side can achieve when and where it matters most:
The great thing for this Kilkenny team at the moment is that there are so many great teams at nearly an even level.
So, if I'm a Kilkenny guy, if I'm playing Wexford in the morning, if I'm playing Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Galway; can we beat them? Yes we can. I think they have as good a chance as anyone to win an All-Ireland.
Under the impression that Kilkenny do not lack the quality of players required to reach such heights, Walsh does concede that the one thing Cody would like to improve is Kilkenny's ability "to change from game to game."
With such an increased ability to read what needs to occur when facing a particular opponent, Walsh feels Kilkenny can stop the rot before it really begins to take hold.
Walsh highlighted a change in the game that requires an improvement in this skills set:
When I was playing as a wing-back, me reading the game involved [thinking], 'where are they going to hit this ball when they hit it long?'
I didn't have to worry about, most of the time, a ball coming short into the half-forward up the line. Now as a half-back, you can't be thinking like that.
So, I think Kilkenny need to be able to adapt [more].
You can listen to all of Walsh's interview here.
