In the fifth round of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, Kilkenny claimed a 1-24 to 2-20 victory against Wexford, securing a place in their seventh consecutive provincial final. Having initially trailed by two points to Wexford at half-time, Kilkenny demonstrated an impressive comeback in the second half at Nowlan Park which was watched by a crowd of 18,785.
Despite an initially promising performance which suggested a final between Wexford and Galway, Kilkenny turned the tides in their favour in the second half. Their powerful start saw them score 1-6 to Wexford’s 0-2 in the first 17 minutes, a lead solidified by TJ Reid’s penalty goal following a contentious decision by referee Liam Gordon.
The goal provided Kilkenny with a 1-18 to 1-13 advantage. Although a late goal by Cian Byrne awarded Wexford an opportunity for redemption, Kilkenny, led by Derek Lyng, prevailed in the end. As they now seek their fifth consecutive Leinster title, their next encounter will be with Dublin in the provincial final – the first such reunion since 2021.
In contrast, Wexford ended up third in the group, their aggregate score against Galway eliminating them from the championship. Despite Conor McDonald’s opening score for Kilkenny, it was the return effort by John Donnelly that set the pace for the rest of the match, which saw no more than a one-point difference for the first 20 minutes. The match-flipping goal, however, occurred owing to a misplaced pass from Kilkenny’s Eoin Cody.
Cody swiftly passed the ball to Damien Reck, an opponent totally unheard of nearby, who then set off the sliotar to McDonald, who was waiting underneath. McDonald, Wexford’s most forward player, took a successful possession of the ball then sent it straight past Eoin Murphy, scoring 1-7 against 0-6.
Right after that, Cathal Dunbar boosted the lead of Wexford by scoring another point. The team found themselves on a five-point lead as of the 22nd minute after trailing by a single point at the 17th minute.
Wexford still had the upper hand at half time, recording a score of 1-11 against Kilkenny’s 0-12. However, when Billy Ryan scored the opening point in the second half, it seemed obvious that Kilkenny was planning to seize control of the game. Reid’s sideline cut at the 41st minute opened a series of five-point scoring that paved the way for their win.
The Kilkenny team consisted of players like Eoin Murphy, Tommy Walsh, Huw Lawlor, Mikey Butler, David Blanchfield, Richie Reid, Mikey Carey, Paddy Deegan, Cian Kenny, John Donnelly, TJ Reid, Tom Phelan, Eoin Cody, Billy Ryan, and Martin Keoghan. Later, they were joined by substitutes Conor Fogarty, Walter Walsh, Owen Wall, and Harry Shine.
On the contrary, Wexford team was headed by Mark Fanning, Matthew O’Hanlon, Liam Ryan, Shane Reck, Conor Foley, Damien Reck, Eoin Ryan, Conor Hearne, Richie Lawlor, Liam Óg McGovern, Lee Chin, Cathal Dunbar, Cian Byrne, Conor McDonald, and Rory O’Connor. The following players joined as substitutes: Kevin Foley, Jack O’Connor, and Charlie McGuckin. The referee of the match was Liam Gordon from Galway.
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