Galway face Kilkenny at Nowlan Park in the opening round of fixtures of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship 2025 with throw-in set for 3:45pm on Saturday 19 April.
Both teams will be desperate to get points on the board early. The pair are also the favourites to take the two final spots ahead of the first round of games, a win here would lay down a marker ahead of the 8 June showpiece decider.
Cats icon TJ Reid will miss the game through injury. Galway legend Daithi Burke is on the bench after recovering from injury.
The format for the 2025 Leinster Championship doesn't leave much room for error.
There are six teams, each facing five rounds. There is also an automatic relegation spot, and three spots for progressing through to the All-Ireland, be it the preliminaries or the All-Ireland series proper.
Antrim, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Offaly and Wexford are the six competitors for 2025 Leinster Championship. Offaly competed in the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2024, and were promoted to the top table after winning that lower championship.
Laois finished rock bottom in 2024's Leinster Championship, and were relegated.
Each team faces each other once. The teams finishing 1st and 2nd progress to the Leinster final, while the team in 3rd place moves on to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.
All other teams are knocked out of the championship, with the bottom-placed team facing relegation to next year's Joe McDonagh Cup.
The top two teams from the group stage compete in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Final. The Leinster champions move forward to the All-Ireland semi-finals, while the runners-up in Leinster advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Tickets for the match at Nowlan Park are available at selected Centra and SuperValu stores, and are available through Ticketmaster.
Adult tickets cost €15 for terraces, €25 for the stand. OAP and student tickets cost €15, and juvenile tickets cost €5.
This is a LIVE article, updates will be posted below...
Key Events
FULL-TIME!!
GOAL!!!
Cody breaks through...
HALF-TIME!!!
Looks like Shane Murphy is going off
KEY EVENT
FULL-TIME!!
Kilkenny looked Championship-ready. They have a game plan, and executed it well. Galway never got back into the game after half-time.
Kilkenny 3-24 Galway 0-21
Vinny Fanneran
One last try for a point
Mac an tSaoi misses and the refs peeps for full-time.
Vinny Fanneran
One last free, one name taken
Cianan Fahy goes in the book - no card, though.
Vinny Fanneran
72 minutes played - one minute of added time to play
Twelve points in it
Kilkenny 3-24 Galway 0-21
KEY EVENT
GOAL!!!
Mossie Keoghan!!!
Kilkenny 3-24 Galway 0-21
Vinny Fanneran
Burke will a lax pass - Richie Reid says 'Thank you'
Luke Hogan tries from way out!
A point - a lovely score.
Kilkenny 2-24 Galway 0-21
Vinny Fanneran
We pass the 70-minute mark
Still an eight-point game.
Vinny Fanneran
Three minutes to be added
Galway with a free out to restart - long drive but wide!
Vinny Fanneran
One minute of the regulation 70 left to play
Maybe a few minutes of added time.
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-21
Vinny Fanneran
68 minutes on the clock
Galway try attack again - Concannon to Conor Cooney.
Point.
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-21
Vinny Fanneran
No mistake - nine points in it
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-20
Vinny Fanneran
Free in for Galway
Easy chance to make it nine points in the game.
Cathal Mannion to take...
Vinny Fanneran
Another point for Galway
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-19
Back to a ten-point game - four minutes remain of the 70.
Vinny Fanneran
Still Galway's forwards try work something
A point.
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-18
Vinny Fanneran
The subs are coming thick and fast as both teams seem to acknowledge this one is over as a contest
A poor first half from Galway set them up for a poor second.
Vinny Fanneran
63 minutes gone
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-17
Vinny Fanneran
Deegan to Tommy Walsh
Off the post!! Keoghan under i!!
He tack on a point.
Kilkenny 2-23 Galway 0-17
Vinny Fanneran
Kilkenny are trying to go long to counter attack
Galway can clear their lines.
Vinny Fanneran
Galway trying to find Whelan
Butler gives a definite 'no'. Superb defending and Butler wins a free out.
Vinny Fanneran
We pass the hour mark
Ten minutes left for Galway to get something from this.
Vinny Fanneran
Galway try to regroup, but Kenny can gather
To Keoghan! Last second tackle from Mannion!! Great flick to rob Keoghan at the last second!
Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 0-17
Vinny Fanneran
It was scrappy in midfield
A lucky break taken clinically - 11 points in it now with just 12 minutes of normal time to go.
KEY EVENT
Cody breaks through...
GOAL!!!
Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 0-17
Vinny Fanneran
Butler to John Donnelly
To Keoghan - Mannion intercepts, to Fahy.
But Kenny wins it back for the Cats!!
Vinny Fanneran
Galway respond - Brennan with a point
Kilkenny 1-22 Galway 0-17
Vinny Fanneran
Long one from Mac an tSaoi
A peach of a point!!
Kilkenny 1-22 Galway 0-16
Vinny Fanneran
Long try from Concannon
But it was always going wide.
Vinny Fanneran
They'll need a longer run of scores to haul themselves back into this
Kilkenny 1-21 Galway 0-16
55 minutes gone - 15 of normal time to go...
Vinny Fanneran
Two points in a row for Galway
Kilkenny 1-21 Galway 0-16
Vinny Fanneran
Kilkenny hit back again
Lovely score from midfield
Kilkenny 1-21 Galway 0-14
