A redemption story in four touches as Richie Hogan leads Kilkenny comeback against Galway

Brian Cody's men looked destined for defeat when they trailed by five points with 59 minutes played

Richie Hogan shoots to score Kilkenny's first goal at Croke Park. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Kilkenny 2-20 Galway 0-24 

Four touches. In the end, that’s what the Leinster final can probably be distilled right down to, and all from Richie Hogan.

As redemption stories go, this was textbook, the veteran Kilkenny attacker vanquished and considering retirement immediately after his red card in last year’s All-Ireland final, but this time masterful.

With Kilkenny in flux, Brian Cody called on the 32-year-old as a 45th-minute substitute and considering his meagre offerings in a similar role against Dublin previously, we didn’t expect a whole pile.

But just like Katie Taylor a couple of hours later at Wembley, Hogan had dark intentions and a mind for inflicting damage, firstly teeing up Martin Keoghan for a goal attempt and then feeding Liam Blanchfield for a point. Still Kilkenny trailed by five points and having never been ahead and on the verge of a seventh Championship defeat to Galway in the Brian Cody era, they needed a hero. Then came those four sumptuous touches.

Touch number one from Hogan brought some control upon a long delivery from Padraig Walsh, touch number two directed the ball around the advancing Galway goalkeeper Eanna Murphy, Hogan cleverly stealing in behind Murphy to meet the ball on the other side and flick it up into the air with touch number three before, with his back to goal, volleying to the net with touch number four. Just 40 seconds later, TJ Reid stuck a second one for Kilkenny and like a Taylor left hook to the temple, the impact was decisive.

Kilkenny outscored Galway by 2-6 to just 0-5 in all from the 54th minute with Hogan accounting for 1-2 of that. If he was never to pull on the Kilkenny jersey again, the 2014 Hurler of the Year could retire a happy man.

“Was it disappointing last year? Of course it was disappointing but you can’t carry that with you forever either,” said Cody on Hogan’s personal tale.

As much as Hogan needed this opportunity to atone, so too Kilkenny needed him. It was only when the ineffectual Colin Fennelly and Walter Walsh exited the stage, allowing for Hogan and TJ Reid to resume a lethal partnership close to goal, that Kilkenny got a real grip.

In a game where they scored 22 times to Galway’s 24, and in which the possession count was a perfect 50-50, those two moments of genius in the space of just 40 seconds separated the teams.

Did Kilkenny deserve a 72nd Leinster title and their first since 2016? Just about. They were roundly criticised for their schizophrenic performance against Dublin but this was much closer to a 70-minute display. It wasn’t quite the manic ferocity of the 2006 or 2011 All-Ireland finals, before which they were similarly questioned, but as Cody said afterwards: “It was a kind of a display that I would be very satisfied with, there’s no doubt about that.”

They’re not the finished article though and having made four changes after the Dublin game, there’ll surely be more for Saturday week’s All-Ireland semi-final. Walsh and Fennelly must be looking over their shoulders for starters given Hogan’s excellence.

Midfield has been a conundrum for Cody too with Richie Leahy and Conor Fogarty the latest pairing — Fogarty and Richie Reid lined out against Dublin — and both replaced by the 62nd minute, albeit Leahy with a hamstring injury.

Cody at least has the guts of a fortnight to tinker, Galway have to stitch their season back together by next weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-finals. They may wonder exactly how they’re not Leinster champions for the third time in fourth years.

One argument is that Kilkenny robbed them. Another is that Galway wasted too many chances, shooting six wides in each half. Joe Canning displayed all his genius, striking 0-14 from frees, 65s, open play and a line ball but also hit the upright twice in the second half and had a 47th minute free cleared off the line by Tommy Walsh.

“Joe has freedom with the frees to do whatever he wants to do,” said Galway manager Shane O’Neill. “If they go in, it’s a great call, if it’s saved then not such a good ball but he has that freedom. There’s no issue there.”

O’Neill was leaning more towards the intangible Kilkenny spirit to explain this one away.

“Kilkenny are Kilkenny and will never be gone,” he shrugged.

Maybe they’ll meet again next month. Galway are far from down and out and for long spells their carefully choreographed gameplan of captain Padraic Mannion operating as a sweeper, Joe Canning/Cathal Mannion at midfield beside Johnny Coen and the rest of their forwards rotating worked a treat. Had Canning’s goal attempt sneaked home, or sub Jason Flynn’s shortly after, they may have been too far ahead to catch.

The 60-second report

IT MATTERED:

Kilkenny’s two-goal blast in the 57th minute hauled them back into contention but it still took four unanswered points at the finish from Richie Hogan (2), Conor Browne and Martin Keoghan to seal it.

CAN’T IGNORE:

The Cats remain deeply reliant on veteran duo TJ Reid and Richie Hogan for inspiration, the former Hurler of the Year recipients scoring 2-12 between them.

GOOD DAY:

We can only imagine how sweet this one was for Hogan. He’d almost certainly have retired if Kilkenny won last year’s All-Ireland but felt he couldn’t bow out on such a low.

BAD DAY:

The clamour for a black card in hurling will only grow after Huw Lawlor’s deeply cynical drag back of Niall Burke’s hurl, preventing a goalscoring opportunity.

PHYSIO ROOM:

Richie Leahy suffered a hamstring injury and was visibly limping afterwards. Adrian Mullen (cruciate) is still unavailable.

SIDELINE SMARTS:

Galway set up with Pádraic Mannion as a sweeper and a two-man full-forward line at the other end, their forwards rotating and switching between the lines. Kilkenny set up in orthodox fashion with Cillian Buckley their spare defender.

BEST ON SHOW:

Hogan was only on the field for 30 or so minutes but his impact was decisive, scoring 1-2, setting up another point, and playing in Martin Keoghan for a goal chance. Reid was excellent when they needed him too.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE:

Seven of Kilkenny’s first eight points came from Reid frees as Fergal Horgan consistently punished Galway. How he didn’t book Lawlor for his blatant and cynical pull of Niall Burke’s hurl in the 24th minute, denying Galway a clear goalscoring opportunity, was anyone’s guess.

NEXT UP?

Kilkenny are through to the All-Ireland semi-finals and will play again on Saturday week. Galway have to pick themselves up for a quarter-final against Tipperary or Clare next weekend.

Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid (1-10, 9 frees); R Hogan (1-2); M Keoghan and C Browne (0-2 each); L Blanchfield, J Donnelly, P Walsh and E Cody (0-1 each).

Scorers for Galway: J Canning (0-14, 9 frees, 1 s/l, 1 65); J Coen, David Burke, C Whelan (0-2 each); C Mannion, J Cooney, B Concannon and J Flynn (0-1 each).

KILKENNY: E Murphy; T Walsh, C Buckley, C Delaney; P Walsh, H Lawlor, C Browne; C Fogarty, R Leahy; J Donnelly, TJ Reid, M Keoghan; W Walsh, C Fennelly, E Cody.

Subs: J Holden for Buckley (43-47, blood); R Hogan for W Walsh (45); L Blanchfield for Fennelly (51); R Reid for Fogarty (56); N Brassil for Cody (60); A Murphy for Leahy (62).

GALWAY: E Murphy; S Loftus, Daithi Burke, S Cooney; P Mannion; G McInerney, J Cooney, F Burke; J Coen, J Canning; C Cooney, C Mannion, N Burke; C Whelan, B Concannon.

Subs: A Harte for Loftus (h/t); J Flynn for N Burke (40); David Burke for C Cooney (59); A Tuohey for Coen (69), S Linnane for S Cooney (70).

Ref: F Horgan (Tipperary).