How the Kildare hurlers won the Kehoe cup with superb Meath win
Kehoe Cup Senior Hurling 2023 Round 5
Kildare 2-24
Meath 0-18
Kildare have won the 2023 Keogh Cup with a brilliant victory over Meath in round five of this year’s competitions. The Lilywhites have displayed plenty of open and attacking hurling in the early parts of 2023 and their final game in this competition was no different.
The conditions for such a style didn’t look ideal on the day as the men in white walked onto a tight and mucky field of play in Dunganny. There would be plenty of incisive play to come, but Kildare’s opening score was far more rudimentary as a long was sent into the full-forward line to contest as Kildare found themselves two v two.
Declan Flaherty emerged with the ball facing away from goal but the Coill Dubh man turned sharply and drilled an effort into the back of the net. It was an incredible start for Kildare as they led by three after just a couple of minutes.
The game was back and forth as we reached the ten-minute mark with the key difference undoubtedly being in attacking areas. Plenty of credit can be given to the diligent and energetic Kildare defending but Meath will no doubt still be disappointed in their shot percentages early on.
The superior scoring allowed Kildare to keep their opponents at arms length despite Meath being very much in this game in the early parts of it. One of the best scores of the early spell came from the ash of the game’s top scorer James Burke.
Burke added a superb score from play to his deadeye free-taking. He found himself surrounded by Meath jerseys and got a shot away in the tightest of spaces and over the bar. Despite it being done with a hurl, it was not dissimilar to a Jimmy Hyland-esque score as Burke got his shot away when he was seemingly in the process of being crowded out.
Meath’s defence got another warning as Paul Dolan latched onto a loose ball and was steaming towards goal. Dolan was under pressure following some incredible recovery defending and played it safe to convert for his first white flag of the day. Dolan’s scorer extended Kildare’s lead to 1-7 to 0-4 after 15 minutes.
However, the Meath goal would be breached just a minute later as Kildare sprung a counter-attack from some brief Meath possession. Brian Burke found himself in possession and beat his man before slamming his effort across Meath keeper Charlie Ennis and into the goal. The second goal was a sucker punch to Meath and it most certainly made their task of turning this game around look far more difficult.
Meath were competitive in this first half for large parts but each spell of possession for either side reminded you of the same fact, the Kildare forwards were the difference. The scoring power and sharper exchange of passes that upset the Meath defence meant Kildare were in control.
Kildare would close out the half with a familiar sight on the day, James Burke converting a set-piece. It was a triple dose of Burke frees just before half-time as Meath looked worn down after over half an hour of Kildare pressure.
Kildare held a 2-14 to 0-10 lead at half-time and in truth the first 35 minutes had done the damage in this game.
The second half brought substitutions that slowed the momentum of the game as the two managers rang in the changes. The last detail of note came just two minutes from the end when James Burke stood over a penalty but saw it saved as Charlie Ennis produced an incredible stop.
It was a small blip in a near perfect day for Burke but I doubt he worried about it too much as he lifted the Keogh Cup for Kildare just 10 minutes later.
Scorers
Kildare, James Burke 0-13 (0-8 frees), Declan Flaherty 1-1, Brian Byrne 1-1, Paul Dolan 0-3, Gerry Keegan 0-2, Jack Travers 0-1, Johnny Byrne 0-1, Cathal McCabe 0-1, Cian Boran 0-1.
Meath, Padraig O'Hanrahan 0-5 (0-3 frees), Jack Regan 0-4 (0-3 frees) Éamon g ó Donnchadha 0-3, Damien Healy 0-2, Pa Ryan 0-1, Simon Ennis 0-1, Nicky Potterton 0-1, Kyle Donnelly 0-1.
Teams
KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Niall O'Muineacháin, Sean Christianseen, Simon Leacy; Jack Travers, Rian Boran, Cian Shanahan; Paul Dolan, Cathal McCabe; Johnny Byrne, Gerry Keegan, James Burke; Brian Byrne, Declan Flaherty, Killian Aherne.
Subs: Cian Boran on for Killian Aherne (38 minutes), David Qualter on for Paul Dolan (38 minutes), Conan Boran on for Sean Christianseen (40 minutes), Drew Costello on for Rian Boran (55 minutes).
MEATH: Charlie Ennis; Gerard Dwane, Seán Geraghty, Brendan McKeon; Kyle Donnelly, James Kelly, Martin Healy; Stephen Morris, Pa Ryan; Damien Healy, Simon Ennis, Niall McLarnon; Nicky Potterton, Éamon g ó Donnchadha, Padraig O'Hanrahan.
Subs: David Murtagh on for Martin Healy (Half-time), Daire Shine on for Niall McLarnon (43 minutes), Joey Cole on for Stephen Morris (43 minutes), Jack Regan on for Padraig O'Hanrahan (48 minutes).
Referee: Ciaran Goff