Cats edge Deise men late as Galway get off the mark in Division 1A

February 22, 2026

Kilkenny's Stephen Donnelly with Mark Fitzgerald of Waterford ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon

Cian Kenny’s free in the fifth minute of injury-time saw Kilkenny snatching a 1-21 to 1-20 win against Waterford at UPMC Nowlan Park this afternoon.

The hard-fought victory marks the second of the league campaign for the Leinster champions who went into an early 1-2 to 0-1 lead thank to Martin Keoghan’s goal before their Munster opponents battled back to level by half-time (1-10 to 0-13).

The visitors would hit the front through Sean Walsh’s goal six minutes into the second-half and, despite falling behind by three again, they held a 1-20 to 1-18 advantage with two minutes to go in normal time thanks to the scores of Walsh, Charlie Treen and Stephen Bennett.

Kenny (free) and Keoghan brought Derek Lyng’s men level by the 73rd minute and there’d still be time for Kenny to win it for the home side, breaking Deise hearts in the process.

In Birr, Galway got their league campaign up and running thanks to a 2-23 to 0-18 victory over winless Offaly.

Having led by 0-9 to 0-6 at the halfway stage, the Tribesmen hammered in their first goal through Cathal Mannion after two minutes of the resumption and kept the points coming via Mannion, Jason Rabbitte and Thomas Monaghan to hold a nine-point advantage with 15 minutes left.

Jack Clancy (2), Oisin Kelly and Brian Duignan got point back for the hosts, but Mannion and Conor Whelan kept the points ticking over for Galway ahead of the latter blasting in their second goal in injury-time.


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