Kilkenny were put to the test in their final round-robin game of the Leinster senior hurling championship on Saturday, the win ultimately going the way of visitors Wexford.
Despite a bright start by the Cats, Wexford made the most of the opportunities presented to them in a game where they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
For Kilkenny manager Brian Cody, he knows his side will have to improve.
“We were beaten (on Saturday), which of course we’re disappointed over, but we are in the Leinster final in two weeks’ time against Galway and we’ll need to improve, certainly on tonight’s performance”, he told Scoreline after the Wexford game.
“We knew coming in that tonight was going to be a massive, massive game for both team and a massive challenge for ourselves. Wexford won the battle. Two weeks’ time it’s Galway in the Leinster final in Croke Park. We know what we’re facing obviously but we’ll go away, have a look at tonight’s game and see where we go from here.”
“At the end of the day, hurling is a game of inches, a game of seconds, anything can happen. Four points is not a big lead at all. We obviously had a chance of a goal there near the end and it was kept out somehow, but overall it would be very difficult for us to argue that we deserve to win the game.”
“Our challenge is and our responsibility is that we get the right formula on the field to try and be competitive in the Leinster final.”
It’s two weeks away, but it’s good that it’s two weeks, for everybody. Two weeks in a row is tough going. Regardless, once Saturday week comes, it’s all systems go for both teams and the best team will come out on top.
Going old school
Speaking after the game, Scoreline’s Brendan Hennessy put the question to Cody for a manager of his calibre, does he like the current style of the Leinster senior hurling championship or would he prefer matters old school?
“I don’t even know at this stage, to be honest about it”, says Cody.
“The championship that is there now is there so we’ll just go ahead and take this one on and see where we go. It’s tough going obviously, playing non-stop almost week after week. When you’ve got injuries it makes it very difficult.”
“There’s no point in us feeling “ah sure we’d have done better in some other championship”, this is the only championship we’re playing and the only one we want to play right now.”
With Wexford the points on Saturday, Kilkenny also needed a Galway win over Dublin to ensure their spot in this year’s Leinster final, a task easily performed in the end by Henry Shefflin’s side in Salthill.
With Galway edging Kilkenny by a buzzer-beater score over the May bank holiday weekend in Pearse Stadium, the June 4 trip to Croke Park is certain to be a cracker.
