Cats cruise to 30th title

YOU couldn’t escape the feeling that it was Kilkenny’s destiny to win their 30th All-Ireland hurling title in Croke Park yesterday in spite of having to replace full-back Noel Hickey after 25 minutes and then team captain Henry Shefflin at half-time with a potentially serious knee injury.

And, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that brave Limerick were doomed to be losers in the final for the fifth time since 1973 after falling 2-3 behind inside the opening 10 minutes. And, at a stage in the second half when they were threatening a recovery, they were out of luck twice in the space of four minutes. First Andrew O’Shaughnessy had a 21 yard free stopped and then after losing his hurley he saw a kicked effort off the ground deflected outside the post.

The irony was that JJ Delaney, who was kept out of last year’s decider by injury, was the defender involved in both ‘blocks,’ the net effect of which was to deny the underdogs the opportunity of at least pushing Brian Cody’s superbly prepared team to the limit. However, either way, the Shannonsiders lost with their honour intact, for the reasons that most commentators had anticipated.