Has everybody caught their breath after Limerick v Clare? If not, consider this your 20-minute warning — part two of a blockbuster afternoon of provincial hurling is quickly approaching.
It’s Kilkenny, chasing a Leinster four-in-a-row — and a remarkable 75th provincial crown in total — versus Galway, hoping to bring the Bob O’Keeffe Cup back west for the first time since 2018.
It’s Lyng v Shefflin. It’s Croke Park on a sunny June Sunday. It’s coming up shortly, and we’ll make sure you won’t miss a puck of it.
Throw-in is at 4pm.
TEAM NEWS: There’ll be two changes to the named Kilkenny side: Conor Fogarty and Cian Kenny are both in, replacing Mikey Carey and Richie Reid, who are not fit enough for the matchday 26.
Kilkenny
1. Eoin Murphy
2. Mikey Butler, 3. Huw Lawlor, 4. Tommy Walsh
20. Conor Fogarty, 6. David Blanchfield, 7. Darragh Corcoran
22. Cian Kenny, 9. Paddy Deegan
10. Tom Phelan, 11. John Donnelly, 12. Billy Ryan
13. Martin Keoghan, 14. TJ Reid, 15. Eoin Cody
TEAM NEWS: Galway make one change to their named line-up as well: Cathal Mannion starts, with Ronan Glennon dropping to the bench.
Galway
1. Éanna Murphy
2. Jack Grealish, 3. Gearóid McInerney, 4. Darren Morrissey
5. Padraic Mannion, 6. Daithí Burke, 7. Fintan Burke
8. Joseph Cooney, 21. Cathal Mannion
1o. Tom Monaghan, 11. Conor Cooney, 12. Kevin Cooney
13. Conor Whelan, 14. Brian Concannon, 15. Evan Niland
There was literally nothing between these sides when they met in the round-robin, a 0-28 to 1-25 draw, and the pre-match markets make this every bit as close, making Galway the one-point favourites before throw in.
Who are you going for?
We’ve had Amhrán na bhFiann, Sean Stack is the referee, and we’re just about ready to go.
THROW IN: We’re underway with Kilkenny playing into the Hill 16 end in this first half.
1 min — Galway 0-1 Kilkenny 0-0: An early free for Galway in midfield, and Evan Niland makes no mistake with it.
3 min — Galway 0-2 Kilkenny 0-0: Good pressure from the Galway forwards and Brian Concannon points from the Hogan Stand side.
4 mins — Galway 0-3 Kilkenny 0-0: Conor Whelan drifts out over to the Cusack Stand touchline and finds the space to point. Bright start from the Galway forwards.
5 mins — Galway 0-3 Kilkenny 0-1: TJ Reid steps into a pocket of space and when the ball breaks to him, he opens his account with the ease that you’d expect.
6 mins — Galway 0-5 Kilkenny 0-1: Quick double for Galway as Evan Niland points from play, and then Joseph Cooney returns the Kilkenny puckout with interest. There’s a bit of a breeze in Croke Park, and it’s favouring Galway in this first half.
8 mins — Galway 0-6 Kilkenny 0-1: Mikey Butler fouls Kevin Cooney as the two compete under a dropping ball. Evan Niland makes no mistake with the free.
GOAL FOR KILKENNY!
8 mins — Galway 0-6 Kilkenny 1-1: Mossy Keoghan gets the game’s opening goal. Cian Kenny digs out possession in midfield, David Blanchfield advances forward before popping the ball over the top, and Keoghan keeps his poise to finish past Éanna Murphy. Kilkenny cut the margin to two.
10 mins — Galway 0-6 Kilkenny 1-3: TJ Reid lands a monster point from way, way, way out the field, and then Eoin Cody levels things up — although there may have been a goal on there. All square after 10 mins.
11 mins — Kilkenny 1-4 Galway 0-6: Kilkenny lead for the first time; Cian Kenny opens his account for the day. That’s 1-3 unanswered now in the last three or four minutes.
13 mins – Éanna Murphy tries his luck — and the wind — with a free from deep inside his own half. It nearly has the legs, and it nearly has the accuracy, but drops just wide. Eoin Murphy looked to have it covered anyway.
14 mins – TJ Reid looks to have a tap-over free, but with the Galway defence napping, he tries to take a quick free inside to Eoin Cody to create a goal chance. It’s quick thinking — too quick for Cody, perhaps, who can’t take possession cleanly — but it’s brought back by the referee: Cody wasn’t 13 metres away from Reid when the free was taken, so it’s a Galway free out.
15 mins — Kilkenny 1-5 Galway 0-6: Reid makes no mistake with his next free.
16 mins – Great stop by Éanna Murphy. Cathal Mannion tries to be a bit too clever with possession in midfield and succeeds only in playing in Eoin Cody. He fires across the face of the Galway goal but Murphy gets his hurl on it to deflect it behind for a 65.
17 mins — Kilkenny 1-6 Galway 0-6: Kilkenny take the 65 quickly to David Blanchfield, who has all of the time and space he needs to compose himself before pointing.
GOAL FOR GALWAY!
18 mins — Kilkenny 1-6 Galway 1-6: Goal for Conor Whelan! Galway needed that. A long ball drops over the heads of everyone and Whelan is quickest to react in behind, and buries it past Murphy; no chance for the Kilkenny keeper.
Substitution for Kilkenny: Early change by Derek Lyng and it’s goalscorer Mossy Keoghan — who was a fitness doubt coming into the game — who is replaced by Walter Walsh.
20 mins — Galway 1-7 Kilkenny 1-6: Evan Niland points Galway back into the lead.
22 mins – Gearóid McInerney is yellow-carded for a high tackle on Mikey Butler on midfield, which is the prelude to a rarity: a missed TJ Reid free.
24 mins — Galway 1-8 Kilkenny 1-6: Kevin Cooney breaks the ball to Conor Whelan, and he splits the posts; big few minutes for the Kinvara clubman.
24 mins — Galway 1-9 Kilkenny 1-6: Kevin Cooney opens his account for the day. This game has definitely ebbed back in Galway’s favour in the last few minutes, and they’ve outscored Kilkenny 1-3 to no score.
GOAL FOR KILKENNY!
25 mins — Kilkenny 2-6 Galway 1-9: A virtually instant impact from Walter Walsh! We’re all square again. It’s a superb solo effort from Walsh, who fields the ball high over Fintan Burke’s head and turns and makes a beeline for goal before batting it past Éanna Murphy.
29 mins — Galway 1-10 Kilkenny 2-6: Evan Niland’s latest free edges Galway back in front as we come into the closing minutes of this first half.
29 mins — Galway 1-11 Kilkenny 2-6: Magnificent stuff from Conor Whelan, who has been leading Galway from the front in this first half. He gets out in front of David Blanchfield, plucks it out of the air, and turns and points. That’s 1-3 so for Whelan.
30 mins — Galway 1-11 Kilkenny 2-7: TJ Reid points, with an assist from HawkEye which confirms that his shot just snuck inside the left-hand upright at the Hill 16 end.
31 mins — Galway 1-12 Kilkenny 2-7: Evan Niland has been unerring with his frees so far today, and he points another to restore Galway’s two-point margin.
33 mins — Galway 1-12 Kilkenny 2-8: Kilkenny wriggle out from underneath the Galway pressure as TJ Reid and David Blanchfield move it from the left wing to right, where Walter Walsh has plenty of room to take his point.
33 mins — Galway 1-12 Kilkenny 2-9: Draw game – Eoin Cody levels it up.
There’ll be two additional minutes played at the end of this half.
35+2 mins – TJ Reid cuts a sideline towards goal, and it’s initially ruled as a 65 as the ball came off Éanna Murphy’s hand before going behind — but Sean Stack overrules his umpire, deeming that Walter Walsh challenged Murphy illegally.
HALF TIME: Galway 1-12 Kilkenny 2-9
SECOND HALF: We’re back underway in Croke Park. Will Kilkenny be able to take advantage of the breeze in this second half?
36 mins — Galway 1-13 Kilkenny 2-9: Cathal Mannion gets the opening score of the half to put Galway back in front.
38 mins — Galway 1-13 Kilkenny 2-10: Tom Phelan fields a great catch over Jack Grealish, and is fouled as he turns and runs towards the Galway goal. TJ Reid converts the free.
38 mins — Kilkenny 2-11 Galway 1-13: John Donnelly takes a sideline quickly to Walter Walsh and then shows for the return pass before pointing.
39 mins — Kilkenny 2-11 Galway 1-14: Evan Niland gets his latest from play to draw Galway level.
GOAL FOR KILKENNY!
40 mins — Kilkenny 3-11 Galway 1-14: Mikey Butler! The corner-back fires Kilkenny into the lead. Super strength from David Blanchfield to keep possession and then find Butler on the overlap, and he finished to the bottom corner.
41 mins — Kilkenny 3-11 Galway 1-15: Evan Niland cuts the gap to two with a free.
43 mins — Kilkenny 3-12 Galway 1-15: A two-point swing there as Evan Niland tries his luck into the breeze with a free from deep. It drops short into Eoin Murphy’s hand, and within seconds, it’s down the other end where Cian Kenny points.
44 mins — Kilkenny 3-13 Galway 1-15: From all of 80 metres, TJ Reid splits the posts at the Canal End with a free. Kilkenny lead by four.
46 mins — Kilkenny 3-14 Galway 1-15: TJ Reid picks out Billy Ryan with a crossfield pass, and Ryan is fouled before he can put John Donnelly through on goal. We go back for the free, TJ points, and Kilkenny lead by five.
47 mins — Kilkenny 3-15 Galway 1-15: This game is starting to slip away from Galway, and just as we’ve seen them do so many times over the years, Kilkenny are turning the screw. Eoin Cody gathers possession, Padraic Mannion slips, and Cody has Kilkenny six up.
48 mins -- Super goalkeeping by Eoin Murphy. He gets out to make a brilliant diving stop and flick the ball away from Kevin Cooney.
49 mins — Kilkenny 3-17 Galway 1-15: Moments after that Murphy stop, Walter Walsh fires over another great score from underneath the Hogan Stand. John Donnelly adds another quickly, and Kilkenny lead by eight.
GOAL FOR GALWAY!
50 mins — Kilkenny 3-17 Galway 2-15: Jason Flynn is only on the pitch a matter of moments, and he’s made an instant impact to breath new life into Galway’s challenge! Conor Whelan does brilliantly to pick him out, and Flynn finishes. Kilkenny were drifting out of reach but Galway are back within five now.
52 mins — Kilkenny 3-17 Galway 2-16: And now it’s four, as Evan Niland points.
54 mins — Kilkenny 3-18 Galway 2-16: Kilkenny free. TJ Reid. Point.
54 mins — Kilkenny 3-18 Galway 2-17: Conor Whelan is under pressure as he gets his shot away. It’s high, and dropping, but the umpires like it — that’s 1-4 now for Whelan.
55 mins — Kilkenny 3-18 Galway 2-18: Make that 1-5 for Whelan. Galway have given themselves every chance here with 15 minutes to play.
57 mins — Kilkenny 3-19 Galway 2-18: This won’t win any awards for analysis, but TJ Reid is a simply phenomenal hurler. Again, from all of 90 metres, and only a couple of feet in from the sideline, he points a monster free.
58 mins — Kilkenny 3-19 Galway 2-19: Kevin Cooney responds quickly. It’s end-to-end stuff here.
59 mins – With one of his more straightforward frees of the afternoon, TJ Reid hits the post; Galway breathe a sigh of relief.
61 mins – Galway work a quick free in to Conor Whelan. He lays it off to Joseph Cooney but under pressure, his shot isn’t a clean one and it drops left and wide.
61 mins – And a wide at the other end for Kilkenny sub Pádraig Walsh.
62 mins — Kilkenny 3-20 Galway 2-19: Walsh doesn’t have to wait long for a chance to make amends, and he makes no mistake. Kilkenny lead by four.
63 mins — Kilkenny 3-20 Galway 2-20: Galway respond with the very next play, and it’s that man again: Conor Whelan with arguably the pick of his 1-6 haul this afternoon.
64 mins — Kilkenny 3-20 Galway 2-21: Brian Concannon scoops up a breaking ball and takes his point. Joseph Cooney was off his shoulder, and could have been in for a goal chance, but Concannon points to bring Galway back within two.
66 mins – Tommy Walsh has a tug on the arm of Kevin Cooney as the two of them scramble towards a loose ball; it’ll be a free for Galway and a chance to cut Kilkenny’s lead to a single point.
67 mins — Kilkenny 3-20 Galway 2-22: Evan Niland makes no mistake from in front of the Hill 16 posts. We’re all set for a grandstand finish.
67 mins — Kilkenny 3-20 Galway 2-23: ALL SQUARE! Cathal Mannion makes a big block at one end, Sean Linnane — I think — absolutely leathers it into Kilkenny territory, and Evan Niland is the first to get the ball in hand and points. We’re level with three minutes to play.
69 mins — Kilkenny 3-21 Galway 2-23: Billy Drennan points; Kilkenny lead by one.
70 mins — TJ tries his luck with another huge free, but it drops into Éanna Murphy’s hand.
We’ll play five additional minutes here.
70+1 mins — Kilkenny 3-21 Galway 2-24: ALL SQUARE AGAIN! Kevin Cooney draws Galway level… but we’ve still four minutes to play here to find a winner.
70+3 mins — Galway 2-25 Kilkenny 3-21: Eoin Murphy does brilliantly to stop a Galway effort from dropping over the bar — but it’s brought back for a Galway free, as referee Sean Stack was playing advantage. Niland points and Galway edge into a late, late lead.
Less than two minutes of the additional five to play here…
70+4 mins – Big block by Tommy Walsh to deny Conor Cooney. Kilkenny look to move it down the pitch.
70+5 mins — Galway 2-26 Kilkenny 3-21: BRIAN CONCANNON! Is that Galway’s winner? They lead by two with 30 seconds on the clock.
GOAL FOR KILKENNY!
SENSATIONAL FINISH – CILLIAN BUCKLEY WINS IT AT THE DEATH FOR KILKENNY WITH A GOAL!
FULL TIME: Kilkenny 4-21 Galway 2-26
That is a quite simply a sensational late twist – Kilkenny are the Leinster champions again, and they have stolen this one from Galway in the most remarkable fashion.
Galway simply couldn’t clear their lines as Kilkenny launched their last attack, and under huge pressure from the Cats players, the ball seemed to bobble around for an eternity. TJ Reid was at the heart of it, fighting for every last ball, before John Donnelly hooked a Hail Mary back over his head into the space in front of the Galway goal.
Padraic Mannion had lost his hurl and so booted it clear as far as he could, but it was only as far as Cillian Buckley, who ducked and dived and rattled in one of the most unforgettable goals in the history of the Leinster Championship.
My word, that is incredible.
Here’s that moment:
GOAL KILKENNY - Cillian Buckley with the last, dramatic act of the game snatches victory for Kilkenny in the Leinster final. The Cats win 4-21 to 2-26
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 11, 2023
⌨️Updates: https://t.co/SrTqTcm8O4
📺Watch: https://t.co/AKAre5FHdN #sundaygame pic.twitter.com/xwXWQrYjOp
“We’re hearing all week there’s no hurling in Leinster,” says winning Kilkenny captain Eoin Cody from the steps of the Hogan Stand. “There’s plenty of hurling in Leinster!”
That’s all that we’ve time for now, but stay with us for lots more reaction and analysis from Croke Park later this evening.
Congratulations to Kilkenny — Leinster champions once again!
Thanks for reading.
