Gaelic Games

Martin Keoghan’s first-half hat-trick sees Kilkenny pile the pain on Antrim

TJ Reid grabs two as Cats score five goals after failing to find the back of the net to date

Kilkenny's David Blanchfield shoots for goal during the Leinster SHC round three game against Antrim at Corrigan Park in Belfast. Photograph: Cathal McOscar/Inpho
Kilkenny's David Blanchfield shoots for goal during the Leinster SHC round three game against Antrim at Corrigan Park in Belfast. Photograph: Cathal McOscar/Inpho
David Mohan at Corrigan Park
Sun May 07 2023 - 16:03

Antrim 3-20 Kilkenny 5-31

A ruthless display from Kilkenny saw them take Antrim apart at a sunny Corrigan Park in Belfast on Sunday to keep their bid for a Leinster final place firmly on track.

A hat-trick of goals in the first half from Martin Keoghan and one in each half for top-scorer TJ Reid underlined the Noresiders’ dominance and while Antrim continued to battle to the last, they were never really in contention in the second period.

The hosts will rue a slow start that saw Kilkenny rattle the net twice to put them on the back foot and while they initially rallied, by the break they were 18 points adrift.

Kilkenny hadn’t found the net in their opening two games in the competition but were quick to correct that stat as after TJ Reid pointed a free in the opening seconds, from the subsequent puck-out, Alan Murphy rose to fetch the ball and played it inside and John Donnelly found Keoghan for this first of his goals.

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They didn’t have long to wait for a second as after Keelan Molloy got Antrim on the board, Eoin Murphy’s puck-out found TJ Reid in an obscene amount of space and he was able to gallop through to blast home.

Yet Antrim responded well with a Paul Boyle point and then from a long delivery, Conor Johnston knocked down into the path of Molloy to race through and hit the roof of the net, pegging the gap to 2-2 to 1-2.

The sides traded points, but Kilkenny then began to pull away with their touch and vision excellent as Antrim were now struggling to gain any traction, rattling off five points on the spin.

Antrim's Keelan Molloy celebrates scoring a goal against Kilkenny. Photograph: Cathal McOscar/Inpho
Antrim's Keelan Molloy celebrates scoring a goal against Kilkenny. Photograph: Cathal McOscar/Inpho

The hosts kept plugging away with Niall McKenna splitting the posts from an acute angle, but the scores were flowing at the other end through Adrian Mullen, Billy Ryan, TJ Reid and Richie Reid, who thumped over from range.

The Cats were threatening more goals to put this game to bed before the break and they got two in the space of a minute, both through Keoghan to complete his hat-trick, fed first by Eoin Cody and then Tom Phelan as Kilkenny carried a 4-16 to 1-7 lead into the half-time break.

In fairness, the hosts showed plenty of heart and enjoyed an excellent 10 minutes after the break, sparked by a goal for Johnston two minutes in as he got on to a long deliver from Ryan McGarry to wriggle free and fire home.

Points from David Blanchfield and Tom Phelan was the Kilkenny reply, but the Saffrons had another goal soon after and again it came from a route-one delivery as this time Neil McManus was on the end of it to find the space to rattle the net.

A hat-trick of points followed from Molloy, McManus and Gerard Walsh as the gap was narrowed to 10. But that would be as close as they would get as Kilkenny upped it a gear with Reid, Walter Walsh and Keoghan on target, while Eoin Cody got in on the act for the day.

Antrim stuck to the task and picked off some nice scores through Niall McKenna and James McNaughton, but the game was long since decided with Kilkenny’s fifth goal coming on 67 minutes as Cody passed inside to TJ Reid who whipped to the net.

He and Cody would add points to put a gloss on their afternoon and while Conal Cunning and Boyle closed out with late points for Antrim, victory was Kilkenny’s who are now in a three-way tie at the top with Galway and Dublin heading into the break.

ANTRIM: R Elliott; P Burke, R McGarry, N O’Connor; G Walsh (0-1), M Bradley, C Bohill; P Boyle (0-2), J McNaughton (0-2); K Molloy (1-2), C Cunning (0-8, six frees, one 65), N McKenna (0-4); C Johnston (1-0), N McManus (1-1), R McMullan.

Subs: S Rooney for M Bradley (34 mins), E O’Neill for R McMullan, D Nugent for N McManus (both 53), C McKernan for G Walsh (58), S McAuley for K Molloy (64).

KILKENNY: E Murphy (0-1, free); M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield (0-1), R Reid (0-1), D Corcoran; A Mullen (0-2), A Murphy (0-3); T Phelan (0-1), J Donnelly, B Ryan (0-4); M Keoghan (3-3), TJ Reid (2-10, six frees, two 65s), E Cody (0-2).

Subs: P Walsh for T Walsh (42 mins), C Buckley (0-1) for A Murphy (48), W Walsh (0-2) for T Phelan (54), R Hogan for A Mullen (60), N Brennan for M Keoghan (64).

Referee: Shane Hayes (Galway).