Amidst Salthill’s deafening applause, a finely executed final point by Conor Whelan brought Galway into a draw with Kilkenny, closing the game at 2-23 each. Despite a challenging day for the Galway All-Star marked by five wides, he managed to seize the ball amidst defensive chaos, equalising the score. This match could not break Galway’s still undefeated record in the round-robin stage against Kilkenny, but it’s pertinent to note that they haven’t succeeded in winning the key Leinster match for six years now.
Given the history of these county teams in making it to the provincial final, this group fixture has often been considered insignificant. This perception was heightened further due to the unfortunate injuries sustained by four of Kilkenny’s premier players: goalkeeper Eoin Murphy, wing-back Mikey Carey and forwards Adrian Mullen and Eoin Cody.
Despite the late resurgence from Galway, team manager Henry Shefflin may find it challenging to reap substantial praise, considering that they narrowly avoided what seemed like an inevitable defeat for the majority of the second half.
Even though they were significantly under strength, Kilkenny’s calm gameplay with substantial contributions from the mid-third resulted in the draw feeling more rewarding for the visitors. Their half-forwards – Martin Keoghan, John Donnelly and Tom Phelan, scored 0-11 from open play, with the centre pairing of Cian Kenny and Richie Reid adding an extra five points.
Galway’s two goals, which seemed to give them an edge, were skillfully neutralized by Kilkenny, resulting in a consistent scoreboard. Initially, Galway had a promising start, appearing to control the match with their forwards dispersing and their defenders anticipating ball movements. They took the lead four times in the first quarter, with Cathal Mannion leading the charge, scoring 0-4 and assisting Gavin Lee’s goal in the 20th minute. Both he and Brian Concannon prioritised team-play over individual points, setting up Lee for his impressive finish.
Kilkenny gained the upper hand in the game and scored the next three points to neutralise the goal. By half-time, they had significantly advanced their lead, courtesy of a streak of five points from Reid, Keoghan, Phelan and Mikey Butler, who seized a pass from David Blanchfield. David Burke’s outfield play was also commendable. Kilkenny possessed a score of 0- 16 whereas Galway had 1-9 prior to the intermission.
Galway strived for resurgence but failed to make any significant progression on the scoreboard. Come the 42nd minute, a point by Lee, followed closely by a goal from Brian in the 44th minute, brought Galway back into contention. They capitalised on Aidan Tallis’s unsuccessful attempt to field Conor Cooney’s shot. Whelan also managed to score his second shot, levelling the points.
Cooney’s previous inconsistent scoring was rectified upon Evan Niland’s arrival in the 45th minute. Niland flawlessly converted each opportunity that followed, including a shot from his own 45.
With respect to this, Kilkenny displayed resilience by scoring two points thereby taking the lead of 0-21 to 2-13. Galway’s lacklustre marking and unwillingness to interrupt the short puck-out allowed Kilkenny plenty of opportunities.
As the game shifted into injury time, TJ Reid augmented Kilkenny’s lead by two. It seemed like they had the game in the bag. However, a future free from Niland and Whelan’s last-ditch effort ensured parity in honours despite the division not being entirely equal.
Galway’s performance was defined by D Fahy; D Morrissey, F Burke, P Mannion; S Linnane, C Fahy (0-2), and Daithi Burke; R Glennon, David Burke; G Lee (1-2), T Monaghan, B Concannon (1-1); C Whelan (0-3), C Cooney (0-4, 2f, 1 65), and C Mannion (0-4). The substitutes included J Grealish for Morrissey (29 mins), E Niland (0-7, 6f) for Monaghan (45 mins), Joseph Cooney for David Burke (58 mins), J Glynn for Concannon (58 mins) and J Flynn for Lee (69 mins).
In Kilkenny, A Tallis; M Butler scored 0-1, whilst H Lawlor and T Walsh played too. D Blanchfield and B Ryan both scored 0-1, whilst P Deegan (the captain), S Murphy, C Kenny with 0-3, and R Reid with 0-2 were also part of the team. Notably, M Keoghan, J Donnelly and T Phelan all scored 0-4, while TJ Reid pulled off an impressive 0-8, including 0-6f and 1 ‘65. L Hogan was also on the team. Later in the game, substitutions were made with O Wall replacing Hogan 48 minutes in, J Molloy who scored 0-2 replacing Ryan at the same instant. D Corcoran took the place of R Reid at 72 minutes and G Dunne came in for Keoghan at the 74 minutes mark. The game was refereed by Thomas Walsh from Waterford.