Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng branded his team's performance as "unacceptable" in the wake of their 18-point loss to Galway in Salthill.
The Leinster champions are still mired in a relegation battle after what was their heaviest defeat in league or championship since the 1950s.
Choosing to play against the wind in the first half, Galway built up a six-point half-time lead with Kilkenny guilty of poor use of possession and uncommonly slack defending.
The backlash never arrived, with Galway rattling over the first seven points of the second half to kill the game as a contest.
While Cian Kenny in midfield did inspire a mini-rally, it was target practice for the home side in the final quarter, who ran out massive winners and boasted 13 different scorers.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport afterwards, Lyng wasn't inclined to sugarcoat things.
"From the get-go, we were just flat. Totally unacceptable from our side. It's not good enough. And we're very disappointed," the Kilkenny manager said.
"We have to be honest with ourselves. That was unacceptable. Everybody in there [the dressing room] knows that.
"From start to finish, I didn't think we had enough energy at all. We were way too passive. Lookit, I'm responsible for that and it wasn't good enough.
"We have a lot of work to do and we have to get going. We can't do anything about it but we have to learn from it fairly fast."
Kilkenny will survive in Division 1A should Tipperary beat Waterford in next weekend's rearranged game in Walsh Park, though any other result will leave them needing something from their final match in Thurles.
They have been heavily depleted in the league, with injuries to Adrian Mullen and TJ Reid, while All-Star full-back Huw Lawlor is abroad, with no certainty yet as to whether he'll be back for championship.
Lyng did confirm there had been a bug running through the camp in the past fortnight or so but insisted that everyone who took to the field was fit to play.
"We had a few lads sick the last couple of weeks. It's going through the camp a little bit.
"That's not an excuse at all. Everybody that was out there today was fit. That's not why I'm saying it.
"We have a few lads who have long-term injuries that are coming back. Whether they'll be back for the last match of the league, I don't know. But I'm hoping they'll be back in action in the next three or four weeks.
"We were flat, which is completely unlike us. We have to credit the opposition, they were very good, they were fresh. They were hungrier and that's the most important thing.
"Hunger is everything in sport and they won every breaking ball. That's within our control and we'll be very disappointed with that."
'From the get-go we were just flat...no excuses, to be honest' - disappointed Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng talks to #RTESport #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/XGtBJkaIrZ
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) March 7, 2026
Galway manager Micheál Donoghue was fairly phlegmatic in the aftermath of the win, acknowledging his team's improved efficiency in front of goal.
2025 All-Star Cathal Mannion stroked over six from play, while Aaron Niland scored 0-13 in total and the returning Rory Burke hit three from play plus a sideline cut.
"Yeah, it was okay," Donoghue told RTÉ Sport. "After the last two games, we were looking to get a more consistent performance [over 70 minutes]. Today we got a bit more consistent but I still think there's more in us.
"In the two previous games, our efficiency let us down. So a combination of both of them [consistency and efficiency] gave us a better performance today."
The westerners, with a score difference of +30, head to Limerick with a shot at reaching a league final, however making a decider was not really a priority for the manager.
"Our approach for this year was to use as many players and give them as much experience as we can.
"Look, it's gone okay for us. But we'll stay humble and stay working and look forward to the next round."
