The Leinster Hurling Final is set, with Kilkenny and Dublin emerging as the two teams to contest this season’s decider. Kilkenny narrowly edged past Wexford with a one-point victory at Nowlan Park, while Dublin ousted Galway from the championship with a six-point win in Salthill.
Kilkenny’s match against Wexford was a nail-biter, ending 1-24 to 2-20. The game had some controversial moments, notably a penalty decision that did not sit well with Wexford manager Keith Rossiter. Reflecting on the match, Rossiter expressed his frustration with the penalty but acknowledged that the game of hurling often balances out such moments.
“The game gives and takes from you,” Rossiter remarked, referencing the recent Under-20 Munster Final and a disallowed goal that had similarly incensed fans. However, his frustration was compounded by the condition of the pitch, which had been used for a Bruce Springsteen concert just a week earlier.
“I’d need to look back on it, at least it was on the right side of the field anyway because if it was the other side of the field, you wouldn’t have seen the line with the amount of damage done with the concert. How that can happen I don’t know, to be honest with you, before a big Championship match.” Rossiter did bring it back to penalty before being pressed on the pitch issue, “I’d need to look back on it, I thought it was given easy enough.”
Rossiter’s dismay was evident as he continued, “I saw a picture of it at about 11 o’clock this morning (Sunday), I couldn’t believe it.”
“But Bruce had to be played, I suppose. They had to dance in the dark up here for a couple of days, and the pitch was the one to suffer.”
Despite the controversy and challenges, Rossiter tried to remain philosophical about the outcome. “The consolation prize is not a bad consolation prize,” he noted, as Wexford now looks ahead to their next challenge against either Laois or Offaly in the preliminary All-Ireland series, with Cork also entering the fray.
On the other side, Dublin delivered a strong performance in Salthill, defeating Galway with a score of 2-27 to 1-24.
KCLR’s The Kilkenny Hurling Podcast S2 Ep14: Minor Success, Leinster Final, Inter-county Round-up & more
