Kilkenny ruthless in the finish

Leinster SHC Final: Kilkenny 2-23 Wexford 2-12 Kilkenny's reign as Guinness Leinster hurling champions stretches on through a record sixth year and for all we know into infinity, writes Seán Moran at Croke Park.

Yesterday Wexford supporters, high on expectation, thronged to Croke Park to make up the bulk of a crowd of nearly 50,000. But they left crushed, their colourful optimism scattered to the four winds by the champions' remorseless second-half performance.

Much can be made of the competitive state of Leinster - and it's now official that things have never been worse - but credit must go to Kilkenny for the standards and motivation they have been bringing to the provincial championship for the past six seasons in particular.

Yesterday brought further proof. Maybe all the futile speculation about the sharpness of the team's appetite and the form of various players helped prompt the backlash but the truth is probably simpler. They were simply too good and too well prepared for a patchy Wexford performance to ever seriously menace.

After all the debate about the changes in defence, Kilkenny's debutants James Ryall and Sean Dowling fitted seamlessly into the team. Dowling in particular had a roaring first championship start, playing his role in a half-back line - Peter Barry resurgent, JJ Delaney poised and alert - that was universally lauded for establishing the winning platform.

This is another aspect of the county's wealth: a steady production line of talented young hurlers being introduced into a framework so strong and settled that they have the space to do themselves justice.

Tommy Walsh has been such a mainstay of the team during the league that he doesn't really come into the same category but it was also his first championship start. He held his ground in a bruising match with another tyro, Keith Rossiter, graced the occasion with touches of his undoubted class and shot three points for good measure.

The centrefield that had changed en bloc since the semi-final buried the doubters, with Derek Lyng recapturing the form that made him an All Star in his rookie season last year and Conor Phelan coming into the match strongly in the second half.

Kilkenny's domination at half back and centrefield led Wexford manager John Conran to identify it as the key determinant in his team's demolition. It didn't, however, look that way at half-time.

Kilkenny had been a bit flat and had wasted a succession of scoring opportunities. Even DJ Carey was loose in his shooting, with four wides. Admittedly, Wexford's defence had hurled heroically to play a major role in keeping the champions to eight points but what happened at the other end must have also worried Kilkenny supporters.

Having opened up a 0-8 to 0-5 lead at the end of normal time in the first half, Kilkenny looked as if they could fling a sizeable interval deficit into Wexford when four minutes of injury time was announced. But the challengers responded impressively and rattled off three points to go in on level terms.

This was at variance with what had gone before. Really poor ball into the forwards had placed Wexford at a great disadvantage and their opponents were gobbling up the stray passes and renewing what was at times almost constant pressure at the other end.

As expected Wexford had made changes before the throw-in. Darragh Ryan started at full back and had an immense game, spoiled when Henry Shefflin, who finished at full forward, beat him to a dropping ball (with the hint of a square infraction) for Kilkenny's second goal.

Rory McCarthy filled the vacancy on the team and started at wing forward with Darren Stamp going centrefield. But McCarthy never got going and was replaced at half-time.

In front of Ryan, Declan Ruth was Wexford's best player, seeing off three opponents and hurling very effectively throughout the first half and as best he could when defensive meltdown later befell the team.

But the attack - apart from those brief first-half moments when Barry Lambert and Rory Jacob broke free in the corners to shoot good points - was a big disappointment. Captain Paul Codd never got going and, considering his importance, this was an unsustainable blow to the team.

Donal Berry's transition from defence to target man didn't work out and he too was substituted at the break.

Berry did have a goal chance in the ninth minute but was crowded out as he tried to connect with a loose ball. This followed immediately on a good opportunity at the other end when Eddie Brennan got clear onto a ball but under pressure from Fitzhenry couldn't finish.

Brennan had a similar but less clear-cut chance in the 22nd minute but again was hustled out of it by the ravening cover. There were two further scares towards the end of the half when Ryan first made a mistake but then scrambled the ball out for a 65 and when Colm Kehoe deflected DJ Carey's shot at goal out, also for a 65.

Conran said afterwards that there had probably been a warning there for his side. Despite the defensive heroics they were being stretched thin and as they were exerting so little pressure at the other end the position would eventually reach breaking point.

It did two minutes after the restart and from an unexpected source. Brennan, whose finishing had lacked conviction in the first half, scythed through the middle and with defenders backing off let loose a startlingly decisive finish from about 20 metres. The goal seemed to drain Wexford's self-belief.

In attack changes designed to harness the apparent momentum before half-time didn't live up to expectations. It took slightly freakish goals to keep Wexford even vaguely in the game. Barry Lambert's shot was deflected to his own net by Delaney in the 53rd minute and eight minutes later Chris McGrath's shot ghosted past James McGarry.

The suspicion that Kilkenny had plenty of spare capacity was confirmed by the champions' response after Codd's free on 62 minutes closed the gap to three.

They simply stepped it up. Martin Comerford began his deep manoeuvres away from full forward, centrefield intensified the pressure and the scores flew.

Kilkenny outscored Wexford by 1-6 to 0-1 in the last 10 minutes to emphasise their dominion on a historic day for the county.

KILKENNY: 1 J McGarry; 2 M Kavanagh, 3 N Hickey, 4 J Ryall; 5 S Dowling (0-2, 1f), 6 P Barry, 7 JJ Delaney; 8 D Lyng (0-3), 9 C Phelan (0-1); 10 J Hoyne, 11 H Shefflin (1-8, 4f), 12 T Walsh (0-3); 13 DJ Carey (capt, 0-3, 1f, one 65); 14 M Comerford (0-2), 15 E Brennan (1-1). Subs: None.

WEXFORD: 1 D Fitzhenry; 2 C Kehoe, 11 D Ryan, 3 D O'Connor; 4 K Rossiter, 6 D Ruth, 7 L Dunne; 8 A Fenlon (0-1), 5 D Stamp (0-1); 12 M Jordan (0-1), 14 D Berry, 9. R McCarthy; 13. B Lambert (1-1), 10.P Codd (capt, 0-4, 3f), 15 R Jacob (0-1). Subs: 23 B Goff (0-1) for McCarthy (half-time), 26 M Jacob (0-2) for Berry (half-time), 25 C McGrath (1-0) for Jordan (47 mins), 22 T Mahon for Rossiter (61 mins).

Referee: A Mac Suibhne (Dublin).