St Kieran’s College secured their place in the All-Ireland Semi-Final at the start of March after a hard-fought victory over Kilkenny CBS in the Leinster Final at UPMC Nowlan Park.
The match ended 1-25 to 2-22 after extra time, with Kieran’s eventually prevailing in a penalty shootout.
Both teams left everything on the field in a contest that remained tightly balanced throughout. Speaking to KCLR’s Oisín Langan after the game, St Kieran’s captain Sean Deely reflected on the epic clash.
“It was 80 minutes, neck and neck all the way through. Both teams had their purple patches. Unfortunately, it came down to penalties, and we came out on the good side of it.”
Despite the exhaustion of normal time, Deely credited his teammates for finding the energy to push through extra time.
“We were tired, but we knew we had fresh legs with subs that came on. We were hoping they would make a difference in extra time,” he said.
The penalty shootout was an unfamiliar situation for the team.
“No, that would have been the first,” Deely admitted when asked if he had ever been in one before. “We never practised penalties in training.”
While Kieran’s move straight into the All-Ireland Semi-Final, all is not lost for Kilkenny CBS. They will have a second chance in a fortnight’s time when they face the losers of the Connacht Final between Claregalway and Athenry in the All-Ireland Quarter-Final.
For those who missed the action or want to listen back, the game and post-match interviews are available on the KCLR Big Game Live podcast, accessible wherever you get your podcasts.
Meanwhile, the action at UPMC Nowlan Park continues this Sunday at 1:45 PM as Kilkenny host Galway in the Allianz League Division 1A. You can listen live on KCLR, thanks to Laharts Garage, Waterford Road, Kilkenny.
