Kilkenny Under 20 manager Derek Lyng was quick to praise the efforts of his side after nearly 90 minutes of hurling on Monday.
Trailing at the break against Galway in Tullamore, Kilkenny dug deep with a much better second-half performance, pushing the game to extra time before running out single score winners, 1-28 to 1-27.
The result sends Kilkenny to a first Leinster final since 2019 and a repeat of that year’s decider with Wexford providing the opposition having hung on to beat Dublin on Monday.
“I think it was important that we stayed in the game in the first half”, Lyng told Scoreline immediately after Monday’s game.
“We were probably played within ourselves (sic) for a good spell in the game and yet we were only three points down at half time. I think that was a positive for us.”
“We were in the situation last year where we were 13 points down so we knew that anything was possible. We won that day by nine points in the second half and we knew there was a lot more in us and as the game went on we went at it a little bit more.”
“The players were just incredibly brave, went at it and kept going.”
“The work rate was outstanding. It started in the forwards, they just chased, they hunted and we just our chances then when we got them.”
“It’s a quick turnaround (for Monday), we have to dust ourselves down fairly quick, use the feeling that we have tonight, use it as momentum and use that for next Monday. We’re just happy to be there. We’ve won the match but we have to get ready for another one next week and that’s the reality of it.”
Monday’s Leinster Under 20 hurling final between Kilkenny and Wexford has since been confirmed for Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow with a 7.30pm throw-in. You can catch that game live in full on-air and online at scoreline.ie.
