Leinster SHC- Main Talking Points

Main Man- Adrian Mullen (Shamrocks)
On an afternoon where the Shamrocks struggled to find their form for a lot of the game, Adrian Mullen continued his fine form. While the Kilkenny all-star midfielder scored four points from play, it was his workrate and effort off the ball that stood out as he helped his side worked their way into the game. Ronan and Darragh Corcoran also put in big displays while a special mention must go to Dean Mason who produced a trio of crucial saves i the opening half.

Talking Point
In the build up to this weekend’s Leinster Final, the Kilkenny champions will need to figure out just what happened in the opening quarter. A Cathal Dowling goal helped Naas open up a six point lead but in truth it should have been much more as the Kildare side squandered a number of scoreable opportunities.

Turning Point
While Shamrocks had appeared to have stalled the Naas momentum somewhat, TJ Reid’s penalty certainly brought them back into the game. Trailing by four points, Reid’s effort which went through Naas goalkeeper Cormac Gallagher and there was a real inevitability about how the game was going to pan out from that point on.

Highlight
The one thing that continues to help the Shamrocks stand out is their ruthless goalscoring ability and that was certainly on show when Joey Cuddihy and Eoin Cody scored two second half goals in the space of 60 seconds.

Lowlight
The ease at which Naas opened up gaps in the Shamrocks defence early on was the big negative for the Kilkenny side but there is very little time to reflect on the performance as Kilmacud Crokes are immediately coming into view. The Stillorgan based side were emphatic winners over a St Mullins side that has caused Shamrocks bother in the past and they will pose a sizeable threat to Pat Hoban’s team.

Ref Watch
The Dublin official Thomas Gleeson did a top job in allowing the game to flow over the course of the 60 minutes.

Whats next
Shamrocks will meet Kilmacud Crokes on Sunday afternoon in Croke Park as they look to win a fourth consecutive Leinster title while for Naas it’s the end of a hugely progressive season.