JJ Delaney believes Kilkenny are in a stronger position now than they were 12 months ago.

Brian Cody has been building a new team which Delaney believes isn't far away from challenging for an All-Ireland. However, he identifies full back as one of the key positions that still needs to be filled.

"This time last year, you would have said Kilkenny were probably missing five or six players. Whereas now you're looking at two or three players," the nine-time All-Ireland winning defender said at the GAA's Games Development Conference in partnership with Sky Sports.

"If they get a number three sorted, that's going to make the Kilkenny backs stronger because you're moving Padraig Walsh out.

Full back is a funny position. You might hit the ball once or twice in a game and you had a brilliant game because your forward didn't score. Your forward might get two balls, two breaks, you might hit ten balls and you had a terrible game. It's so fickle really.

"Any good county back is usually centre back for his club so he can influence the game. So he doesn't get to play in that full back position. Noel Hickey is probably the only out and out full back we had over the last 20 years," added the Fenian's clubman who wore the Kilkenny number three jersey with distinction following Hickey's retirement.

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