Kilkenny claimed their 61st Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship title , powering past Galway with a 4-11 to 1-8 victory at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise.
The 12-point win was underpinned by a dramatic final ten minutes, during which the Cats struck for three goals—courtesy of Cian Byrne, Ollie O’Donovan, and Diarmuid Behan—to blow the contest wide open and seal provincial glory.
Despite having the breeze in the opening half, Kilkenny only led by three at the break, but manager Niall Bergin praised his side’s grit and determination in a dominant second-half showing.
“Yeah, it was outstanding, to be honest with you,” Bergin told KCLR after the game.
“We played with the wind in the first half and it’s fair to say we were probably under pressure. Three points up going in at half-time having hurled with the wind. I thought the lads were absolutely outstanding in the second half. To a man, they rolled their sleeves up and worked so hard, and I’m delighted they got the rewards.”
Bergin emphasised the spirit within the group, highlighting their resilience under pressure.
“You know what these fellas can hurl, but there’s a tremendous spirit and a tremendous fight there. They were asked a lot of questions today and they came back with really, really positive answers—every single one of them—and that says a lot.”
Looking ahead, the Kilkenny boss welcomed the three-week break before their All-Ireland semi-final, a chance to rest and refocus.
“It puts us in a really good position moving forward. We have three weeks now to get the bodies ready and prepare as well as we can for the All-Ireland semi-final, and we’re really looking forward to that.”
Kilkenny and Cork now await the winners of the quarter-finals were Galway play Clare and Waterford take on Limerick.
