Aoife Prendergast and Kilkenny primed for Dublin test

Aoife Prendergast has already led Kilkenny to the most famous presentation position in Irish sport to receive the O'Duffy Cup.

That memory of 2022 prompts a smile, as does the thought of following Jenny Clifford up those same Hogan Stand steps the week before Christmas when Dicksboro dethroned Sarsfields as club champions thanks to Prendergast’s nine-point player-of-the-match contribution.

She is a bit away from repeating an All-Ireland quadruple – she has a minor A memento in the locker as well - and a captaincy double, with the Cats still only at the quarter-final stage of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championship and Dublin standing in their way back at her happy Croke Park hunting ground today.

But if it was to happen once more, it would rubberstamp the tall sharpshooter as a leader of substance.

The circumstances would be different to two years ago, however, as she was not a starter then, coming on late in the final against Galway. While she demurs, Prendergast has become a key member of the attack in Peter Cleere’s first year as manager.

She bats away such talk because of her past experiences and is cognisant of what being a panel member means.

Another thing the 27-year-old PE teacher at Coláiste Mhuire in Johnstown has little truck for, and which has clearly been spoken about in the camp given Cleere has brought it up before, is any notion of Kilkenny being in transition just because one of the top forwards of the modern era in Denise Gaule and wily defenders Claire Phelan are no longer involved.

Prendergast, who has inherited the free-taking responsibilities from Gaule and is delivering with aplomb, has huge respect for her former team-mates but will always emphasise the collective.

"We do have new players in, new