Kilkenny 2-20
Galway 3-13
Galway played some power hurling at the start of both halves in this Leinster senior hurling championship semi-final at O'Connor Park, Tullamore, but learned a cruel lesson that games are won in the final stages.

It is easy to talk all the nice superlatives that we like after this classic encounter where Galway hurlers again put it up to Kilkenny, but in the end it was the Cats that had the last laugh scoring ten unanswered points that left Galway shattered at the end of a pulsating encounter, as Kilkenny qualified for the Leinster hurling final again.

Galway did well and Joe Canning as expected scored 2-9, but Galway's old failing of not being able to hold control and then go 23 minutes without scoring in the second half, was to prove disasterous in the end.

If Canning was Galway’s talisman, Kilkenny relied on Henry Shefflin early on to keep them in the game as Canning’s genius gave the Kilkenny defence a torrid time. In the opening minutes Canning had blasted a free low but was turned out for a sixty five, which he pointed, but within a minute had collected a long Fergal Moore delivery and rattled the Kilkenny net with a touch of sublime skill.

Galway led by 1-4 to 0-2 after ten minutes, but after another 15 minutes only led by 1-7 to 0-5 as Kilkenny began to get back into the game. Yet with the wind at their backs Galway were looking good nine minutes from the break.

Then in a single minute of Kilkenny genius the game turned their way as Richie Power and Eddie Brennan crashed home two trademark Kilkenny goals and suddenly Galway trailed by 2-6 to 1-7. Both sides swapped points before the break as Kilkenny led by 2-7 to 1-8 at the break.

Galway started the second half as they did the first with a blistering scoring spell and when Joe Canning blasted a 25-meter free to the Kilkenny net it was game on. Canning added a brace of pointed frees before Damien Hayes combined with Niall Healy to score another goal and when Healy added a point, Galway led by 3-11 to 2-9 and just ten minutes played in the second half.

Brian Cody roared the changes as Derek Lyng came in at midfield and Sean Cummins came in for the struggling Michael Kavanagh in defence. Shefflin pointed a free and then Kilkenny scored three times in 90 seconds and from once Eoin Larkin leveled, there was always going to be just one result. Kilkenny were now on fire and Galway's introductions of David Tierney and Alan Kerins did little to inspire confidence. The Galway half-back and half-forward line were in tatters and the Cats were roaring. Eoin Larkin who managed just one point off Fergal Moore in the opening half was now on fire and scored four as Kilkenny hit ten points without reply. Galway were dead and buried as Kilkenny turned a five point deficit into a five point lead. Richie Murray was brought in for a struggling David Tierney and was only just on the field when he received a straight red card to reduce Galway down to 14 players. By then the game was over for Galway and late points from Joe Canning and Damien Hayes either side of another Shefflin free were not enough.

Galway may now have the back door and a second chance, but on this evidence, despite a formidable performance, there is still a lot of work to do before the Tribesmen will make that elusive breakthrough in hurling. Good performances count for little when the result goes the wrong way.

Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; M Kavanagh, JJ Delaney, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, J Tennyson, J Dalton; M Fennelly, M Rice; H Shefflin (0-10, 0-5frs, 0-1'65), M Comerford, E Larkin (0-5); E Brennan (1-0), R Power (1-0), A Fogarty (0-3).
Subs: D Lyng (0-1) for Fennelly (46 mins); S Cummins for Kavanagh (50 mins); R Hogan for Brennan (61 mins); TJ Reid (0-1) for Comerford (63 mins)

Galway: C Callanan; D Joyce, S Kavanagh, O Canning; F Moore, J Lee, A Cullinane; E Lynch, K Hynes; A Callanan (0-1), C Donnellan (0-1), A Smith; D Hayes (0-1), J Canning (2-9, 1-8frs, 0-1'65), N Healy (1-1).
Subs: D Tierney for Hynes (31 mins); A Kerins for Smyth (60 mins); R Murray for D Tierney (65 mins).

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