Kilkenny stormed to their sixth consecutive Leinster senior hurling championship title by handing Galway a 3-22 to 1-20 defeat at Croke Park this afternoon.

Played before a 37,503 attendance at headquarters, the Cats had their noses in front with a 0-9 to 0-8 lead in the 33rd minute when Martin Keoghan pounced in the small square to send in their first goal.

It saw Derek Lyng’s men taking in a four-point advantage at half-time and they’d increase it with scores from Mikey Carey, TJ Reid and Billy Ryan inside the opening five minutes of the resumption.

Cathal Mannion sailed over a couple of frees at the other end for Galway, but the margin would be at nine points following the scores of Mikey Carey, Cian Kenny (free), Keoghan and Stephen Donnelly.

The Cats are 6⃣ in a row @gaaleinster Champions ⚫️🟡@KilkennyCLG 3-22@Galway_GAA 1-20

Watch the highlights here 🎥 #KKVGAL pic.twitter.com/mBvNfQApZb

— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 8, 2025

It got worse for Micheál Donoghue’s side when Reid got fed through in space and dispatched the sliotar to the net, making it 2-18 to 0-12 three minutes shy of the hour mark.

Looking to avoid a fourth defeat in five years on this stage to the same opposition, the Tribesmen did mount a revival that saw Sean Linnane, Mannion and Tiernan Killeen (2) all shooting points ahead of Brian Concannon’s goal in the 64th minute.

Kevin Cooney and Mannion (free) made it a four-point game after that, but Kilkenny steadied the ship with Adrian Mullen and Ryan points before Keoghan’s second goal in injury-time put a seal on his county’s 78th provincial crown.

Kilkenny now join newly crowned Munster champions Cork in the All-Ireland semi-finals, with Galway set to face the winners of Tipperary and Laois in the quarters.

Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng was pleased by the manner in which his team upped their game in defeating Galway in the Leinster final #rtegaa

📱 https://t.co/XiqbRXEd8V pic.twitter.com/5j78lMTsLT

— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 8, 2025

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