Former Galway hurler Joe Canning has admitted that Galway's last-gasp defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster Senior Hurling final on Sunday was 'sickening.'
Kilkenny and Galway played an incredible game, and the match was decided by a late Cillian Buckley goal. In the dying moments, Galway's Pádraic Mannion, who had lost his hurl, kicked the ball clear, but it fell straight to Kilkenny substitute Buckley.
Buckley maintained his composure, driving the ball into the right corner of Éanna Murphy's net in the sixth minute of added time. Kilkenny's players celebrated the dramatic victory in a jubilant manner after the 4-21-2-26 win.
This triumph meant that Kilkenny secured their 75th Leinster title and their 4th Bob O'Keeffe Cup in a row on Sunday. Canning, who represented Galway at the inter-county level from 2008 to 2021, expressed his frustration at Galway's collapse.
GOAL KILKENNY - Cillian Buckley with the last, dramatic act of the game snatches victory for Kilkenny in the Leinster final. The Cats win 4-21 to 2-26
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"Yeah, absolutely sick to be straight up about it," said Canning on the Sunday Game when asked about his feelings. "The ball was in the corner, and they could have cleared it two or three times. It's just a sickening way to lose because they did so well to come back, and I think they were 7 or 8 points down at one stage."
"I thought the Galway lads were going to fall over at one stage... Even a line ball..."
After a scramble in the corner that saw TJ Reid stripped of possession, the sliotar fell to the feet of Padraic Mannion, whose booted clearance could only find the match-winner Buckley.
"Even just here... Padraic just kicked at it... I'm just sick of the way it's gone, to be straight up about it."
