Cats Take Wexford For 64th Title

Leinster SHC Final
Kilkenny 2-24
Wexford 1-12

By Dermot Kavanagh

Kilkenny ruthlessly destroyed a very poor Wexford side at Croke Park on Sunday to capture their 64th provincial title with alarming ease.

This was one of the poorest Leinster finals in living memory and unquestionably the worst final between the teams since Wexford emerged as a hurling force in the 1950s. It was so bad and uncompetitive that it was quite difficult to watch, particularly the second half. It appears that most of the attendance felt the same as this observer as from an attendance of 34,600 at least 3000 had departed the stadium midway through the second half. At the end of the game there were barely enough supporters remaining on to cheer Kilkenny Capt Henry Shefflin as he received the trophy.

There was always a fear that this game would be a non-event and one that would herald the demise of the Leinster championship. Most genuine followers had hoped that an early goal from Wexford would settle their nerves and install a level of confidence within them to rise to the Kilkenny challenge. An early goal did come in the 4th minute but as it nestled in the Wexford net all our pre-match feels ominously began to take on an air of reality.

When Henry Shefflin, in the ninth minute twisted and turned Wexford full-back Declan Ruth with a mazy display of both footwork and stick work before brilliantly setting up Willie O' Dwyer for his and Kilkenny's second goal the game was effectively over. The sight of Ruth being booked shortly afterwards for a pull on Shefflin and then being substituted as early as the 13th minute sadly demonstrated the ever worsening plight that Wexford were now stuck in.

At the break Kilkenny, following a procession of points from Shefflin, O' Dwyer and Comerford led by 2-11 to 0-6. It was clear that Wexford's only target for the second half was one of damage limitation. So poor and demoralised were they that by the 45th minute they had only added a solitary point to their total as against Kilkenny's six.

So superior were Kilkenny by then that they replaced their entire half back line to give some game time to Ryall, Tennyson and Dallon, players would make the starting line-up of every other team in the country bar Cork. One simple statistic illustrates the non-competitive nature of the game. Over the 73 minutes of playing time only 22 frees were conceded. Contrast this with that of the Munster football final where a total of 46 frees were awarded, while in the Laois/Wexford Leinster semi-final 49 frees were conceded. Whither now the Leinster championship and Wexford hurling?

Unless there is some drastic and revolutionary steps are taken by the County board gone forever will be repeats of the marvellous finals of the 1960s and 1970s where a full Croke Park was annually treated to brilliant competitive games between Kilkenny and Wexford, games adored by some of the great names of the sport. For both counties it is now on to the qualifiers, where Kilkenny will meet a group runner up and Wexford a group winner. As the likely winners and runners-up of the group will be from Cork, Clare, Galway and Tipperary. Wexford's progress to the semi-finals following yesterday's debacle looks unlikely.