Antrim 3-20 Kilkenny 5-31: Cats fast start sets up facile Leinster win over Saffrons

Kilkenny led 4-16 to 1-7 at half-time at Corrigan Park

Kilkenny's fast start set up a 5-31 to 3-20 Leinster Hurling Championship win over Antrim at Corrigan Park.

Goals from Martin Keoghan and TJ Reid helped the Cats lead 2-2 to 0-1 after only four minutes and the margin was 4-16 to 1-7 by half-time.

Keoghan completed a hat-trick of goals before the interval with Keelan Molloy hitting Antrim's first-half goal.

Antrim improved after the break and Conor Johnston and Neil McManus netted before Reid notched his second goal.

After their lacklustre first-half efforts, the Saffrons did raise their intensity considerably in the second period with a change of tactics to a more direct method causing the Cats difficulty but it was damage limitation for the home side by that stage.

McManus forced off by hamstring injury

Veteran forward Neil McManus was forced off by a hamstring injury less than 10 minutes after scoring his goal and must be a huge doubt for Antrim's remaining Leinster round-robin games against Galway and Westmeath.

That was another injury blow for Antrim after centre half-back Eoghan Campbell was ruled out of the game by a leg injury and his presence was particularly missed in the first half as the Kilkenny attack ran riot.

Antrim will face another hugely difficult task against Galway in two weeks which could leave their concluding clash with Westmeath as a shootout to avoid relegation to the championship second-tier - although the bottom team in Leinster will avoid the drop if Kerry win the Joe McDonagh Cup.

Despite an encouraging opening draw against Dublin two weeks ago, Antrim's performance in losing to a struggling Wexford team last weekend suggested they were going to be up against it in the tussle with Derek Lyng's side.

So it proved, as the Cats tore into the Saffrons at the start, having opted to play with a strong breeze, as John Donnelly's catch set up Keoghan to net after only two minutes before Reid gave Ryan Elliott no chance two minutes later.

Despite their facile opening win over Westmeath and entertaining draw against Galway last week, there had been a few murmurs about Kilkenny's failure to score goals thus far in the championship which theh Cats seemed determined to address in west Belfast.

Kilkenny's total domination on Antrim's puckouts meant that the home defence was under constant pressure in the first half.

Kilkenny dominated all over the pitch at Corrigan Park

The Cats half-back line of David Blanchfield, Richie Reid and Darragh Corcoran were in total control, with the scratch midfield partnership of Alan Murphy and Adrian Mullen also having a field day.

After Molloy's goal reply helped cut Kilkenny's lead to three, scores from the two midfielders started a run of five straight Cats points to put them eight up by the 17th minute.

With Antrim continuing to give the opposition the freedom of the park, Kilkenny outscored the home side 2-8 to 0-4 during the second quarter - which included two goals in as many minutes just before half-time from Keoghan, as he was set up by Eoin Cody and Tom Phelan.

Whatever Saffrons boss Darren Gleeson did say to his men at half-time, it spurred a response as Johnston immediately fired in their second goal before McManus bulldozed his way past Huw Lawlor to net in the 42nd minute, after Kilkenny had failed to deal with another direct ball.

With Antrim having outscored Kilkenny 2-5 to 0-2 in the 10 minutes following the resumption, the margin was down to 10 points but the loss of McManus coincided with the Saffrons losing their momentum as the Cats regained control with five straight points.

Free-taker Reid hammered in his second goal in the 67th minute as he finished on 2-10 and while Antrim continued to score regularly as they accumulated a 3-20 tally which would win most games, it was not a day to remember for the Saffrons.

Antrim: R Elliott; P Burke, R McGarry, N O'Connor; G Walsh (0-1), P Boyle (0-2), C Bohill; M Bradley, J McNaughton (0-2); K Molloy (1-2), C Cunning (0-8), N McKenna (0-4); C Johnston (1-0), N McManus (1-1), R McMullan.

Subs: S Rooney for Bradley 34, C McKernan for Walsh 58, E O'Neill for R McMullan 53, S McAuley for Molloy 64, D Nugent for McManus 53.

Not used: T Smyth, S Walsh, C Boyd, E Og McGarry, J Maskey,

Kilkenny: E Murphy (0-1); M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield (0-1), R Reid (0-1), D Corcoran; A Mullen (0-2), A Murphy (0-3); T Phelan (0-1), J Donnelly, B Ryan (0-4); M Keoghan (3-3), TJ Reid (2-10, E Cody (0-2).

Subs: C Buckley (0-1) for Murphy 48, P Walsh for T Walsh 42, N Brennan for Keoghan 64, T Clifford, W Walsh (0-2) for Phelan 54, R Hogan for Mullen 60.

Not used: D Brennan, C Delaney, C Heary, C Kenny, S Walsh

Referee: S Hynes (Galway)