Leinster Senior Hurling Championship final
Galway 0-24
Kilkenny 2-20
Kevin Galvin
Everything about this Leinster Senior Hurling Championship may have been different. The time of year, the weather, the build-up, the 82,300 empty seats.
The action? The quality? The intensity?
Exactly the same.
It was the sort of game that set the pulses racing, put the fire in the belly on a cold November evening, and is sure to break the ice at virtual zoom work calls around the country come Monday morning.
Despite playing against the breeze, Galway forged a point lead after a first-half that was largely the preserve of the free-takers.
What quickly developed into a battle between TJ Reid - who shot 8 points from the dead ball - and Joe Canning who notched five frees, but scored a further two excellent points from play, as well as producing the half’s best piece of play, an exquisite sideline cut giving Joe Cooney an easy score.
The pair were putting on an exhibition in free-taking, barely blinking as they drove set plays low and just over the despairing attempts of namesakes Eoin and Éanna Murphy in the opposing goals, while both sides were playing low ball into the full-forward line, displaying the November nouse we’d expect from these two accomplished outfits.
The Tribesmen also had two fine chances to hit the net in the opening stanza, both denied by Tommy Walsh. The second a superb blockdown, while the first the Tullaroan man used the dark arts to haul back Niall Burke by the hurley as he bore down on goal.
Plenty for Brian Cody - on his longest drought of Bob O’Keeffe Cups since taking over the Cats almost 22 years ago to the day - to ponder therefore, with his side still in the content, but certainly still rank outsiders with the breeze in their face against the 2018 winners.
Despite the unusually nippy weather, Canning was in championship form - a superb sideline cut took the wind to arc back between the posts, yet another highlight ina , and moments later substitute Jason Flynn should have had the flag raised, but a slightly tame effort was batted wide by Murphy at his near post, with Canning popping over the resulting 65’ and a further free to extend the difference to four with 50 minutes on the clock.
However, Kilkenny are as Kilkenny do, and carved a major chance of their own to reverse the trend, as Richie Hogan caught a ball inside and fed the overlapping Martin Keoghan, but with only the ‘keeper to beat, the Tullaoran half-forward dragged his effort left and wide of the diving Éanna Murphy.
It was a missed chance that would have broken many a side, but there’s a reason Brian Cody’s sides have seen Croker on Leinster final day on 19 of his 21 seasons in charge - much has changed, but it was the same names that showed them the way once again at Croker.
First Richie Hogan showed that, even on a winter’s night, one hand is sometimes all you need - flicking the ball past Murphy before - in one swift motion - flicking, pivoting, and finishing; in a display of consummate skill after 55 minutes of largely back-to-basics hurling.
And then, having been kept largely quiet in the second-half, talisman Reid was finally released down the right-hand flank to burst inside and finish across a helpless Murphy.
And all of a sudden, a five point deficit became a single point lead.
But again, Galway battled back. Three unanswered points - two from play - saw the momentum ebb and flow as this game burst into life in front of a crowd on the edge of their seats - or their sofas at the very least.
However, four years is too long for the Bob O’Keeffe cup not to reside at Nowlan Park, and despite Hogan missing a glorious goal chance, three unanswered scores of their own - including another fine score from play by Hogan, saw the Cats crowned champions again.
Galway: Éanna Murphy; Seán Loftus (Aidan Harte 36), Daithí Burke, Shane Cooney (Seán Linnane 70); Fintan Burke, Gearóid McInerney, Joseph Cooney; Pádraic Mannion, Johnny Coen (Adrian Tuohy 69); Conor Cooney (David Buerke 59), Cathal Mannion, Joe Canning; Conor Whelan, Niall Burke (Jason Flynn 40), Brian Concannon.
Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Conor Delaney, Huw Lawlor, Tommy Walsh; Cillian Buckley, Padraig Walsh, Conor Fogarty (Richie Reid 56); Richie Leahy, Conor Browne; John Donnelly, Martin Keoghan, Walter Walsh (Richie Hogan 45); TJ Reid, Eoin Cody (Niall Brasill 61), Colin Fennelly (L Blanchfield 51).
Scorers for Galway: J Canning 0-13 (0-8f, 0-1 65’, 0-1 cut), C Whelan 0-2, J Coen 0-2, D Burke 0-2, C Cooney 0-1, C Mannion 0-1, J Cooney 0-1, B Concannon 0-1, J Flynn: 0-1.
Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 1-10 (0-9f), R Hogan 1-2, M Keoghan 0-2, C Browne 0-2, P Walsh 0-1, E Cody 0-1, J Donnelly 0-1, L Blanchfield 0-1.
Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary).
