Kilkenny v Galway - all you need to know about Sunday’s Leinster final

Kilkenny are bidding for a fourth successive Leinster senior hurling title this weekend. They’ll meet Galway, who last took the title in 2018, in the Croke Park showdown (throw-in 4pm).

Overview
This Sunday will see the 51st championship meeting between Galway and Kilkenny. Henry Shefflin, Kilkenny hurling legend will now face the Cats from a managing perspective for the opposition in the highly anticipated match to come.

Many are eagerly awaiting the result and, better yet, Shefflin’s take on competing against his home side that he fought so hard to pull over this very line for so many years.

This Sunday will without a doubt be an amazing spectacle to take in as both counties will battle it out.

Journey to the final
Kilkenny won three, drawn one and lost one of their five round robin games this year; with Galway winning three and drawing two, one of which was against Kilkenny in a round two clash in UPMC Nowlan Park.

Kilkenny

• Kilkenny 0-29 Westmeath 0-7

• Kilkenny 0-28 Galway 1-25

• Kilkenny 5-31 Antrim 3-20

• Kilkenny 0-27 Dublin 0-21

• Wexford 4-23 Kilkenny 5-18

Galway

• Galway 0-24 Wexford 2-12

• Galway 1-25 Kilkenny 0-28

• Galway 6-33 Westmeath 0-17

• Galway 5-29 Antrim 1-22

• Galway 1-25 Dublin 2-22

Top Scorers
TJ Reid and Evan Niland are set to battle it out this Sunday as the two top scorers for each team. With Reid ahead on frees and Niland taking the scores from play, this Sunday in Croker is set to be saturated with scores. 

Conor Whelan, the goalscoring machine, will surely be out in full force this weekend but an experienced Eoin Coady has the diversity and range to keep it a level playing field.

All in all, the Cats have accumulated a higher score over the competition and hope to carry that through and stick it to the Galway men this Sunday.

Kilkenny’s top scorers

1. TJ Reid 2-45 (0-31 frees, 0-5 65s)

2. Eoin Cody 3-13

3. Martin Keoghan 4-9

4. Adrian Mullen 0-13

5. Tom Phelan 1-8

Total points: 118

Galway

1. Evan Niland 0-48 (0-26 frees, 0-4 65s)

2. Conor Whelan 5-5

3. Kevin Cooney 2-9

4. Brian Concannon 2-8

5. Conor Cooney 0-10

5. Declan McLoughlin 1-7

Total points: 117

Previous championship meetings

The last five championship matches that have pitted Kilkenny against the Galway side have seen an even number of victories for each side and one drawn game. There’s no doubt the tension to come this Sunday in the capital will be fierce as the two sides battle out an uncallable fixture.

• 2023 - Kilkenny 0-28 Galway 1-25 (Leinster ‘round robin)

• 2022 - Kilkenny 0-22 Galway 0-17 (Leinster final)

• 2022 - Galway 1-24 Kilkenny 3-17 (Leinster round robin)

• 2020 - Kilkenny 2-20 Galway 0-24 (Leinster final)

• 2019 - Galway 3-20 Kilkenny 2-22 (Leinster round robin)