KK half back line cleaning house. 3 quick points there
Antrim could actually give this Leinster hurling lark a go, for a couple of years at least. They always seem to have more belief in themselves than Laois or Westmeath.
But it’s important that they have a Westmeath or a Laois below them to be the whipping boys. When Offaly come back into the reckoning, Antrim will fall away again and then they’ll interchange with Laois as the whipping boys.
Jaysus, Corrigan Park is a lovely venue.
I’ve never been there but was in the old Casement Park a couple of times.
Must try and visit sometime.
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Good save
Great save by Elliott from Billy Ryan. KK could have 4 goals.
Antrim look decent on the ball but Kilkenny finding it too easy to create chances.
Some score from McKenna.
Keelan Molloy is a serious hurler.
Edit: x2 from McKenna from really tight angles.
Great defending from Antrim to prevent Mossy getting in again.
McKenna again. Lovely hurler.
Antrim just too loose.
Is there a wind because KK are scoring from out the field easily enough?
Antrim are currently in that sweet spot that “rising” teams frequently experience. This is a new experience for them and they’re enthusiastic. This means they’re giving “credible”, “respectable” performances.
What generally happens with these teams is they can keep this run of “credible”, “respectable” performances going for maybe 2-3 years. They might pick off one standout win, usually against a gutless Dublin team, or a draw against a shambolic Wexford team. But all the other games, they lose.
This run of losing while giving “credible”, “respectable” performances takes a mental toll. One day, Kilkenny or Galway decide they want to run up a total of 6-36 for the hell of it, and they do, effortlessly. And that’s the end of the “rising” team.
Laois have been there, done that. Westmeath are a good example this year. After a few “credible”, “respectable” performances last year, they’re shipping 34 point hidings to beat the band this year. Westmeath inter-county hurlers will take stock and, like the drummer in a band who once had a single reach number 39 in the UK charts, will walk away and do other things with their lives.
This is something like the future that awaits Antrim.
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Goal for Mossy. Kilkenny getting chances way too easily.
Hat-trick for Mossy.
Elliott played the exact same shit puckout that had been picked off 2 minutes before. Crazy.
Antrim coughed up a load of goal opportunities last
week again Wexford. Obviously our crew weren’t really interested in them but they were there nonetheless.
Don’t write Antrim off yet. They could lose the second half by just three or four points and pick off a few very nice scores which will be patronisingly featured on the Sunday Game highlights to give the impression of a contest.
It’s like the video for Belfast Child by Simple Minds in GAA venue form.
I’ll have to take your word for that.
At 2-10 to 1-5; you’d say Antrim might have had some hope in the second half if they had the wind in the second half. But Kilkenny have fairly ruthlessly ripped them apart in the past 10 minutes.
Antrim authors of their own misfortune a bit, a couple of awful puckouts led to goal chances.
They have set up in a fairly attacking manner, and they’ve been exposed. They have a bit up front to be fair to them but are struggling at the back. The diagonal balls from the likes of Reid, Corcoran & Blanchfield into Cody, Keoghan & TJ are causing awful problems; there’s no real protection from the centre-back. And if they did sit off, Kilkenny can shoot from distance (have hit a lot of wides too tbf).
I would expect Antrim to score a bit more in the second half if they don’t lose the head but the game is done, sadly.
Tuning out now. Castlebar might be closer.
Brilliant goal from Johnston, caught it clean & buried it.
Lawlor blowing fellas out of the way.