Dublin left no room for doubt about their strength in Tier 1 of the group stages at the Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship, clinching a convincing victory over Kilkenny by a notable five-point margin at UPMC Nowlan Park.
Kilkenny now stands at a crucial crossroads after missing out on an automatic semi-final berth, having suffered two defeats in three matches.
Manager Niall Bergin, speaking frankly to KCLR, expressed the team’s disappointment, saying, “It’s disappointing, there’s no point in saying otherwise. We came here to win, we weren’t good enough to win it, the better team won by far and Fair play to Dublin, from our side, yeah it’s very disappointing.”
Bergin underscored the urgency of the situation, adding, “We don’t have an option now, we’re playing Kildare next Saturday, we don’t have an option, we got to pick it up and pick it up fast. The lads don’t become a bad team overnight or over the last couple of weeks. They put in a phenomenal effort, they’re not showing it on the field at the moment and just hoping It will come together very soon over the next week or so because if not, we’re nearly at the point of no return here now so we’re going to have to pick up.”
Looking forward, Kilkenny prepares to face Kildare in the upcoming Leinster Quarter Final, a match with high stakes for both teams as they seek advancement in the championship.
In other championship developments, the Carlow Minor Hurlers secured a notable victory over Wicklow, triumphing with a scoreline of 3-20 to 9 points. This impressive performance propels them into the final of the Peader O’Lachtain Cup, setting the stage for an eagerly anticipated showdown against Antrim.
