Kilkenny outclass Galway with 12-point win in Leinster opener

Leinster SHC: Kilkenny 3-24 Galway 0-21

Kilkenny were in blistering form as they outclassed Galway in a one-sided Leinster Championship clash at UPMC Nowlan Park.

The 12-point success was Kilkenny’s first over the Tribesmen in the Leinster round-robin with former Kerry star Fionan Mackessy one of the star turns as he scored four points in his championship debut with the Cats.

Goals from Adrian Mullen, Eoin Cody and Mossy Keoghan were the standout moments for the side in black and amber and while Galway competed well to begin with, the Cats class all over the field eventually told in a huge victory.

Kilkenny welcomed back Mullen and Cody from recent injuries and it worked a trick to begin with as Mullen netted a goal within four minutes after he took advantage of a mistake by Galway goalkeeper Darach Fahy to shoot to the net.

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Mullen’s joy didn’t last long though as he and Shane Murphy both limped off with serious looking knocks.

Galway's Dathí Burke tackles Harry Shine of Kilkenny. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inphi

With TJ Reid also missing the game, the Cats looked like they were in for a real battle. And with Cathal Mannion and Cianan Fahy excelling for the Tribesmen, the visitors led 0-7 to 1-3 after 15 minutes of play.

Galway’s fluency up top began to dry up, though, and three of their last four points of the half were via Cathal Mannion frees. In contrast all six Kilkenny starting forwards, as well as sub Stephen Donnelly, had registered from play by the time the home side brought a 1-14 to 0-11 lead into the break.

Successive second-half efforts from Mikey Carey and Cody quickly moved the six-in-a-row Leinster chasing Cats into a massive nine-point advantage and it was an uphill challenge from that point on for Galway.

While Cathal Mannion and TJ Brennan kept the visitors honest, Micheál Donoghue will be very disappointed at how Galway faded out of the contest as Mackessy, Cody, Cian Kenny and Stephen Donnelly succeeded in making it a double figures game.

Cody’s wonderfully taken goal, where he slalomed his way through the Galway defence in the 58th minute, made it even worse for the visitors and if it wasn’t for a late rally via points from Cathal Mannion, Gavin Lee and Conor Cooney then the final scoreline could have had a very ugly look altogether.

Keoghan then gave Kilkenny their icing on the cake with a third goal in stoppage time.

KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; M Carey (0-2), R Reid, P Deegan; C Kenny (0-2), J Molloy (0-3); A Mullen (1-0), J Donnelly (0-1), F Mackessy (0-4, 1f and 1 65); B Ryan (0-2), M Keoghan (1-2), E Cody (1-5, 2f).

Subs: S Donnelly (0-2) for Mullen (17 mins); D Blanchfield for S Murphy (22); T Walsh for Blanchfield (61); H Shine for J Donnelly (63); L Hogan (0-1) for Ryan (66).

GALWAY: D Fahy; J Grealish, F Burke, D Morrissey; P Mannion, G Lee (0-1), TJ Brennan (0-1); C Fahy (0-2), T Monaghan; J Fleming (0-2), C Mannion (0-10, 6f), T Killeen (0-1); C Whelan (0-1), B Concannon, D McLoughlin (0-1).

Subs: C Cooney (0-2) for McLoughlin (48 mins); R Glennon for Monaghan (49); R Burke for Killeen (53); D Burke for Fleming (60); Anthony Burns for Brennan (64).

Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin).