All-Ireland champions Kilkenny won the last-ever Oireachtas final yesterday when they overcame Galway 4-06 to 0-12 in Nenagh. Although this match took a full 12 months to be played (this was the culmination of the 1999 Oireachtas campaign), it proved a fitting end to its 61-year history. Five of Kilkenny's nine All-Star recipients were on duty, including the "holy trinity" of DJ Carey, Henry Shefflin and Charlie Carter. That blistering strike force proved too much for Galway as each one got on the score sheet with Eddie Brennan scoring the other Kilkenny goal. The game was tight right up until two minutes from half-time. With the scoreline at 0-7 to 0-5 in Galway's favour, Shefflin and Carey combined to set up Carter who fired home unmarked.
Only minutes into the second half, the Cats doubled their goal tally when a magnificent 50-yard line cut found Eddie Brennan at the far post and Ciaran Callanan had no chance in goal. Although Galway threatened at the other end they couldn't punish the Cats, and even had a penalty saved when a goal would have put them back into the game. Kilkenny pulled even further ahead when eight-time All-Star winner DJ Carey scored from a 21-yard free. Their final goal came eight minutes from the end when John Power combined with Shefflin and the newly-crowned All-Star proved his worth.
Although only a few hundred people showed up at McDonagh Park for this swansong, those who did were given a clear warning by the Cats. This team will not give up their All-Ireland title easily. Manager Brian Cody explained just how committed his team is when he said afterwards: "Nobody was put under remote pressure to come out at all today. Twas their own wish to be here. Hurlers are what they are and hurling is what they do. The reason why so many of these guys are All-Stars now is because they love hurling."
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
