Kilkenny secured their place in the Leinster final this afternoon, with their hard fought 1-24 to 2-20 victory over Wexford enough to book their place in the provincial decider. In saying that, there was more than a hint of controversy surrounding a vital decision that went Kilkenny's way at a pivotal moment in the contest.
Wexford were the better team for much of the opening half, with this cracking goal from Conor McDonald an example of their fine play at times.
Unbelievable stuff from Conor McDonald against Kilkenny 🔥pic.twitter.com/hrNZOekgNU
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) May 26, 2024
They would lead 1-11 to 0-12 points at the interval.
Kilkenny would start the second half much stronger, knocking over a number of quick scores to take a three-point lead in the game.
Crazy penalty decision costs Wexford in Kilkenny loss
The controversial moment in question would come in the 51st minute of the game.
At a time when Kilkenny led by just two points, they would be awarded a penalty after a foul on Eoin Cody. However, replays seemed to indicate that the Ballyhale Shamrocks man was well outside the box when the contact occurred.
A penalty could still have been awarded if this was a black card incident, but referee Liam Gordon would hand out no such punishment.
TJ Reid would go on to score a goal from the resulting dead ball.
GOAL 🚨
Tj Reid scores Kilkenny's first goal today ‼️‼️#GAANOW @KilkennyCLG pic.twitter.com/7iCz0rzQMe— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 26, 2024
Wexford would battle back well from that point, although they would never manage to get back on level terms with their opponents. With the ultimate margin of victory being just a single point, this proved to be a decisive moment in the contest.
Speaking on GAAGO after the game, former Kilkenny star Richie Hogan admitted that his county were incredibly fortunate to be given a penalty on this occasion.
I'm not so sure if it was a penalty.
It wasn't inside the box, we know that for sure. [The referee] either forgot to give the black card, or else maybe he thought it was inside the box. I'm not so sure.
It's definitely a free for sure. I'm not so sure about a black card, he has three lads around him and is not going to score a goal there.
This loss meant that Wexford would not advance to the Leinster final, with Kilkenny now set to face Dublin in the provincial decider.
While they will have the consolation prize of an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final to look forward to, they may well feel that this decision has cost them a shot at a potential first Leinster title since 2019.
They can certainly feel hard done by.
SEE ALSO: Jackie Tyrrell & Donal Óg Cusack Clash Over Controversial Galway Red Card Vs Dublin
