Lacklustre Kildare beaten at a canter by 14-man Kilkenny in Leinster Hurling Championship
Brian Dowling’s Kildare came up well short when they faced his native Kilkenny in Round 4 of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Kildare were on the wrong end of a 24-point defeat to Kilkenny which all but confirmed their return to the Joe McDonagh Cup for 2027. The Lilies have impressed in many of their outings in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in 2026 but couldn’t quite string together that perfect 70 minutes to put the necessary points on the board.
Their 70 plus minutes against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park was perhaps their worst as the Kildare train which has powered the county to this point looked like it had run out of steam. Brian Dowling’s men failed to capitalise on more than a half of hurling with a man advantage over his native county and were well-beaten in that spell too.
The opening exchanges of this game were tepid in comparison to the blood and thunder beginnings of Kildare’s Championship action so far.
After a couple of early wides, Kilkenny opened the scoring at the third attempt through Paddy Deegan.
Their second came through Harry Shine whose point capped a subdued opening five.
Kildare opened their account from a free after Muiris Curtin was fouled by Cian Kenny, who picked up a sixth minute yellow card for stray use of his stick. Jack Sheridan fired over.
The Lilies were level when free-winner Curtin struck over beautifully moments later from out wide.
Kilkenny responded to being pegged back by grabbing the game’s next three scores. A spell in which TJ Reid was brilliantly denied a goal by a Paddy McKenna scoop save after the Ballyhale man had sent his opposite number to the shops with a fake shot.
Dan O’Meara made this game 0-5 to 0-3, and after 15 minutes of play, the sides had shared five wides each in a flat start from both.
Kilkenny continued to be given too much time by The Lilies but the home side looked devoid of the ability to punish them thoroughly. The Cats would go on to finish the half with 13 wides and four efforts dropping short, yet still carried a lead in at the break.
Gerry Keegan at one end and Liam Moore at the other maintained the three-point buffer as the game crossed the 20-minute mark.
However, back-to-back scores from Harry Shine, had The Cats five clear as the Dicksboro man injected some quality to proceedings.
Cathal Dowling, in his first start since returning from injury, had had a difficult start to this game but struck Kildare’s fourth with conviction to settle him into his Leinster SHC start.
A foul in front of the posts on Muiris Curtin gave Sheridan an easy take to bring the gap back to three.
After two without reply, The Lilies added a further three before The Cats struck next.
Jack Travers, who was up against the endline, worked possession back out to Darragh Melville to flick over. Cathal Dowling then added his second after a superb switch of play found the Naas man in all kinds of space.
Dan O’Meara was the man to level things at 0-9 apiece with a fine score from the middle of the pitch.
Liam Moore edged Kilkenny back in front but Kildare fired back through Gerry Keegan after he linked up directly with Paddy McKenna.
The Cats went two clear through Reid and Phelan before being reduced to 14 men when Cian Kenny fouled Jack Sheridan with another loose tackle and received a second yellow card.
Kildare hadn’t performed to any extent but at half-time, after a late point from Darragh Melville, they trailed by one at 0-11 to 0-10 with a man advantage.
It was however 14-man Kilkenny who showed their claws after the restart and truly stepped up.
It was a breathless opening 120 seconds of the second half with two points at each end, which, as it turned out, would be half of Kildare’s entire second half total.
Two goals in two minutes from Kilkenny sapped the life from whatever Kildare had left in the tank to challenge The Cats with Eoin Cody was the man at heart of both goals. First setting up TJ Reid with a ball cut back across for a chance that one of the best to ever do it was not going to miss.
Cody’s second assist was one of real class as he drew Cathal McCabe towards him before lofting the ball over his head and into the path of Harry Shine. The Dicksboro forward made no mistake with a fine finish low into the net to make this game 2-13 to 0-12 after 40 minutes of play.
Tom Phelan and Mossy Keoghan added points before Kildare tacked on their third point of the half through Jack Travers.
After horrendous first half shooting, Kilkenny had hit 2-4 before registering their first second half wide in the 47th minute.
Moments later Kildare were also reduced to 14 men when Rian Boran conceded a penalty for pulling and dragging out of a man he got little change out of all day, TJ Reid. It was perhaps the exceptional full-back Boran’s first true mismatch of 2026 and he received a black card after the concession of the penalty.
Reid made no mistake from the set-piece and put his side 11 points clear at 3-15 to 0-13 with 20 (long) minutes to go.
Reid, Cody and Keoghan added for The Cats before substitutes Adrian Mullen and Timmy Clifford got in on the act with Kildare heads now hanging toward the floor.
Just past the hour mark, Muiris Curtin, as he had done throughout won possession and was fouled, only this time he was pulled back inside the box and the referee stretched his wingspan to signal for a penalty. It would have been little more than a ceremonial score for The Lilies but a welcome one nonetheless.
Jack Sheridan stepped up and saw his effort tipped onto the post by Eoin Murphy. The Kilkenny ‘keeper deserves huge credit but it was again disappointment from the spot for the Naas man in this Championship.
Kilkenny responded with 1-2 in two minutes to rub salt in those wounded Kildare bodies. Killian Doyle and Eoin Cody struck before Cody, after setting up two goals, raised a green flag of his own.
There was time for three more Kilkenny points, all of which came from the hurl of the imperious TJ Reid.
The game’s closing point was a heartening one for Kildare as the returning James Burke, who had been out since the Joe McDonagh Cup final last June, slotted a fine score.
Kilkenny all but relegated Kildare and added two crucial points to their Leinster Senior Hurling Championship tally on a scoreline of 4-25 to 0-14.
Kilkenny: TJ Reid 2-6 (1-0 penalty, 0-3 frees), Harry Shine 1-2, Eoin Cody 1-2, Martin Keoghan 0-4, Tom Phelan 0-3, Liam Moore 0-2, Paddy Deegan 0-1, David Blanchfield 0-1, Cian Kenny 0-1 (0-1 frees), Adrian Mullen 0-1, Timmy Clifford 0-1, Killian Doyle 0-1.
Kildare: Darragh Melville 0-3, Jack Sheridan 0-2 (0-2 frees), Cathal Dowling 0-2, Gerry Keegan 0-2, Muiris Curtin 0-1, Dan O'Meara 0-1, Jack Travers 0-1, Conan Boran 0-1, James Burke 0-1.
KILKENNY: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Mikey Carey, Ivan Bolger; David Blanchfield, Darragh Corcoran, Paddy Deegan; Killian Doyle, Cian Kenny; Liam Moore, Eoin Cody, Tom Phelan; Martin Keoghan, TJ Reid, Harry Shine. Subs: Adrian Mullen for Liam Moore (53 minutes), Richie Reid for Darragh Corcoran (56 minutes), Timmy Clifford for Tom Phelan (59 minutes), Stephen Donnelly for Harry Shine (64 minutes), Shane Murphy for Mikey Carey (64 minutes).
KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Liam O'Reilly, Rian Boran, Cathal McCabe; Paul Dolan, Conan Boran, Simon Leacy; Daire Guerin, Dan O'Meara; Jack Travers, Cathal Dowling, Gerry Keegan; Darragh Melville, Muiris Curtin, Jack Sheridan. Subs: Cian Boran for Paul Dolan (43 minutes), Richy Hogan for Simon Leacy (53 minutes), Caolan Smith for Gerry Keegan (56 minutes), Alan Goss for Cathal Dowling (65 minutes), James Burke for Muiris Curtin (69 minutes).
Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford)