Goals are the key to dethroning the Cats

While triumphs over Kilkenny may be rare, what the record books do emphasise is that goals have been essential in Galway’s nine previous championship wins over the Cats – and, most likely, will be again if the Tribesmen are to upset the reigning All-Ireland champions in their keenly anticipated Leinster final showdown at Croke Park this Sunday (4pm).

That old adage of goals win game has certainly applied to Galway in their endeavours against Kilkenny, with Galway ‘out-goaling’ their illustrious rivals in seven of their nine wins and breaking even in this department in the remaining two.

The latter includes their memorable 2012 Leinster final victory which Galway won on a scoreline of 2-21 to 2-11 although, notably, Anthony Cunningham’s charges did lead 2-12 to 0-4 at half-time after producing a blistering first half of hurling. So, goals did lay the foundation.

Goals have also been fundamental on the two occasions the sides have ended level. In the drawn 2012 All-Ireland decider, Galway hit Kilkenny for two as the contest finished tied at 2-13 to 0-19. In the Leinster semi-final last year, goals once again proved the Tribesmen salvation as they hit three late ones to draw the game, 5-16 to 3-22.

What has been telling is that Galway, in their nine wins and two draws, have never secured a result against Kilkenny in championship hurling without scoring a goal while, in contrast, the Cats have garnered results against the Tribesmen in the past without finding the net, again most recently in the drawn game of the 2012 All-Ireland final.

Given the way both teams have gone about their business already, it would be a major surprise if both didn’t bag a goal or two on Sunday. In their three games so far, Galway have netted nine times, while Kilkenny hit Wexford for five.

Sunday will mark the 40th championship meeting between the two counties, with Kilkenny holding the upper hand with 28 wins. The most recent of those was in last year’s Leinster semi-final replay when Brian Cody’s men ran out 3-19 to 1-17 winners.

Both teams have a few changes from that clash. For Galway, Fergal Moore, Ronan Burke, Paul Killeen, Niall Burke and Conor Cooney – yet to make the starting fifteen this year – lined out day while Brian Hogan, JJ Delaney, Tommy Walsh, Aidan Fogarty and Henry Shefflin, all of whom saw action, have retired for Kilkenny.

The retirement of those five high-profile players from the Kilkenny set-up had led many to surmise early in the year that the All-Ireland champions were a team in transition but the Cats unceremoniously put this hypothesis to bed with their 24-points hammering of a subdued Wexford in their Leinster semi-final.

In truth, it was a ridiculous claim anyway. Of the famous five, full-back JJ Delaney was the only starter in the 2014 All-Ireland final replay against Tipperary, although Brian Hogan did line-out at centre-back in the drawn game and Shefflin and Fogarty were introduced over the two games.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.