Good afternoon and welcome to The42‘s live minute-by-minute coverage of the Leinster senior hurling final.

Provincial finals without Kilkenny are a rarity but this pairing is certainly an intriguing one – a Galway side fancied by many to go all the way this year versus Davy Fitzgerald and a Wexford team positively hopping with anticipation.

Throw-in at HQ is at 4pm.

We’ve already had the minor decider in Croke Park, with Kilkenny running out 3-15 to 1-17 winners against Dublin. Read Kevin O’Brien’s report here >

KILKENNY ATONED FOR last year’s Leinster MHC final defeat to Dublin with a commanding four-point victory over the same opposition in Croke Park today.

This was Kilkenny’s fourth provincial crown at this grade in the past five years and their biggest margin of victory since the 2013 final win over Laois.

Adrian Mullen, who notched 2-29 in the lead-up to this game, shot the lights out once more with a tally of 1-9. The Ballyhale Shamrocks clubman and team captain comes from good breeding, he’s a first cousin of senior stars Michael and Colin Fennelly.

Sean Ryan, Mullen’s partner in crime in attack, chipped in with an impressive 2-2 from play.

Still 15 minutes to Croke Park is filling up nicely. It looks like the predictions of a Wexford invasion, in particular, were accurate. Could we see a crowd of 60,000+ this afternoon?

TEAM NEWS: Wexford line out as named, unchanged from the side which beat Kilkenny three weeks ago.

Wexford

1. Mark Fanning (Glynn Barntown)

2. Willie Devereux (St Martins)
3. Liam Ryan (Rapparees)
4. James Breen (Adamstown)

5. Simon Donohoe (Shelmaliers)
6. Matthew O’Hanlon (St James)
7. Diarmuid O’Keeffe (St Annes)

8. Shaun Murphy (Oulart The Ballagh)
9. Aidan Nolan (Half Way House /Bunclody)

10. Jack O’Connor (St Martins)
11. Lee Chin (Faythe Harriers)
12. Conor McDonald (Naomh Eanna)

13. Paul Morris (Ferns St Aidans)
14. Jack Guiney (Rathnure)
15. Harry Kehoe (Cloughbawn)

TEAM NEWS: One late change for Galway – Jason Flynn comes in at forward for Cathal Mannion, who is reportedly ruled out with injury.

Galway

1. Colm Callanan (Kinvara)

2. Adrian Tuohy (Beagh)
3. Daithi Burke (Turloughmore)
4. John Hanbury (Rahoon/Newcastle)

5. Padraic Mannion (Ahascragh/Fohenagh)
6. Gearoid McInerney (Oranmore/Maree)
7. Aidan Harte (Gort)

8. Johnny Coen (Loughrea)
9. David Burke (captain, St. Thomas)

10. Niall Burke (Oranmore/Maree)
11. Joe Canning (Portumna)
12. Joseph Cooney (Sarsfields)

13. Conor Whelan (Kinvara)
14. Conor Cooney (St. Thomas)
23. Jason Flynn (Tommy Larkin’s)

Five minutes to throw-in. The bookies make this a four-point game in Galway’s favour – who do you fancy?

THROW IN: Colm Lyons from Cork is the man in the middle and he gets us underway – Wexford in yellow with the purple trim, Galway in all white.

Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

1 min — Galway 0-1 Wexford 0-0: Conor McDonald launches the first delivery of the day towards the Canal End but there are no Wexford players there. Galway drive it down the field where Conor Cooney takes his first touch and scores.

3 mins – Good work by Gearoid McInerney who finds a path down the Cusack Stand touchline. Johnny Coen’s shot is wide.

Aiden Nolan responds with a wide for Wexfrod at the other end. Both sides still finding their feet.

4 mins — Galway 0-2 Wexford 0-0: James Breen gets a handful of Conor Whelan’s jersey, and Joe Canning steps up to do the necessary with the free.

4 mins — Galway 0-2 Wexford 0-1: Lee Chin soars above Johnny Coen to claim the puckout and after winning his own ball, he converts. Fine score.

5 mins – David Burke launches a long ball on top of the Wexford full-back line but Liam Ryan does well to police Conor Whelan, and Shaun Murphy sweeps up to clear.

6 mins – Galway 0-3 Wexford 0-1: Murphy is hoovering up all the loose ball in these early stages and he scoops up another David Burke delivery, which was intended for Niall Burke. He hits it to Padraic Mannion though and Mannion responds by putting it over the bar.

7 mins — Galway 0-3 Wexford 0-2: Conor McDonald opens his account for the day.

9 mins – Niall Burke is down receiving treatment. He closed Willie Devereux with a fine block that shattered the Wexford man’s hurl, and the butt of it caught Burke on the follow through. A sore one.

11 mins — Galway 0-3 Wexford 0-3: Tricky free for Conor McDonald, who starts the day on Wexford free-taking duties. Nerveless, he splits the posts and we’re all square.

12 mins — Galway 0-4 Wexford 0-3: Shaun Murphy does well to sweep again but his distribution puts Harry Kehoe into trouble and the ball goes out for a sideline. Galway attack, and Conor Cooney catches and points.

13 mins — Galway 0-4 Wexford 0-4: Diarmuid O’Keeffe jinks between Gearoid McInerney and Aidan Harte as they try to sandwich him, and points.

14 mins — Galway 0-5 Wexford 0-5: Colm Callanan pucks the ball straight to Conor Cooney and, ominously for Wexford, he rattles over his third of the day.

Matthew O’Hanlon responds for Wexford at the other end. That’s two of the Wexford half-back line that have scored so far today.

15 mins — Galway 0-6 Wexford 0-5: Joe Canning points a free. He hasn’t been seen too often in play yet, though.

16 mins – Super hurling from Jack O’Connor who puts in a perfectly-timed block on Padraic Mannion. He gets a rap of Mannion’s hurl across the knuckles for this trouble but after a moment of treatment, he’s ok to continue,

17 mins — Galway 0-6 Wexford 0-6: Lovely from Matthew O’Hanlon. All square again.

18 mins – Incredible fist pumping from Wexford — Conor McDonald and Lee Chin in particular — as Chin is fouled by Gearoid McInerney and David Burke. Before that, Jack O’Connor stopped Padraic Mannion with a huge shoulder. No budging from either side.

19 mins — Wexford 0-7 Galway 0-6: There’s plenty of distance in this free, but that’s no bother to Lee Chin. A bullet.

21 mins — Wexford 0-8 Galway 0-6: Chin sets up O’Connor and he races into the space between the lines before pointing. Three unanswered for Wexford.

23 mins — Wexford 0-9 Galway 0-7: Joseph Cooney gets one back. Wexford respond, Conor McDonald picking out Paul Morris with a beauty of a crossfield pass and Morris points.

25 mins — Wexford 0-9 Galway 0-9: David Burke cuts the gap to one, and then Joe Canning points a free from well inside his own 65m line. That took an eternity just to get to the posts!

25 mins — Wexford 0-10 Galway 0-9: Matthew O’Hanlon edges Wexford back in front. He’s getting involved at both ends.

Tommy Dickson / INPHO Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO

26 mins — Wexford 0-10 Galway 0-10: Joe Canning draws Galway level with a free.

28 mins – Lee Chin has been caught by a stray finger to the eye and will need attention, but he’s ok to continue.

29 mins — Wexford 0-11 Galway 0-10: Willie Devereux puts the ball on the end of his hurl and races away from David Burke before pointing. That’s four points now for Wexford’s defenders – not too shabby.

30 mins — Wexford 0-11 Galway 0-11: Conor Cooney gets a nudge in the back from Simon Donohoe but he’s back to his feet in a flash and points. Level again.

Galway sub: Early change as Thomas Monaghan comes on to replace Jason Flynn.

32 mins – Mark Fanning launches a long, long ball right down onto the edge of the Galway square but Aidan Harte is there to claim, gather and clear.

34 mins — Galway 0-12 Wexford 0-11: Little bit casual by Wexford at the back as Shaun Murphy turns back to his goalkeeper. David Burke is right on top of Mark Fanning though and gets in the block as Fanning goes to clear. Wexford give away the free, rather than the goal chance, and Canning converts.

34 mins – Thomas Monaghan is only on the pitch about two minutes and he’s already in the book for laying out Willie Devereux with a frontal charge.

35+1 mins — Galway 0-13 Wexford 0-11: Super stuff from Joseph Cooney who gets out in front of his man to win the ball, steadies himself and points. Four added minutes to be played.

35+3 mins – Lee Chin wins the free but, with a chance to cut the gap to one before the break, Conor McDonald puts it wide. That’s a blow.

35+4 mins – Fortunately for Wexford, Niall Burke has a bad wide for Galway at the other end. A worse wide, in fact.

35+5 mins – Smashing defending by Daithi Burke to win possession. Jack Guiney steams through Aidan Harte as he clears, and he goes into the book for it.

35+6 mins — Galway 0-14 Wexford 0-11: Joe Canning points a free to close the half.

HALF TIME: Galway 0-14 Wexford 0-11

We’ve seen it all now. Here’s Niall Burke trying to lift the ball without a hurl.

Oisin Keniry / INPHO Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO

SECOND HALF: Back underway with one change for Wexford – David Redmond on for Jack O’Connor.

Here are the stats from that first half – Wexford with more of the ball, but Galway doing more with the ball they had.

37 mins – It looks like Conor McDonald has Wexford on the board in this second half as the umpires at the Hill 16 end – after some deliberation – wave the white flag. But HawkEye contacts the ref with a second look, and the technology chalks it off.

PENALTY FOR WEXFORD!

SAVED!

39 mins – Aidan Nolan is pulled back by Daithi Burke as he goes to shoot, and after allowing a couple of seconds of advantage, the referee brings it back for the penalty. Conor McDonald hits it low, hard, and not quite in the corner — and Colm Callanan gets down to make a smashing save. Brilliant from the Galway keeper.

40 mins – Galway 0-14 Wexford 0-12: Lee Chin points the 65.

41 mins — Galway 0-15 Wexford 0-12: Canning responds with a 65.

43 mins — Galway 0-16 Wexford 0-12: Conor Cooney is a machine. He might conceivably have scored with every touch he’s had so far, and he’s done it again.

45 mins — Galway 0-17 Wexford 0-12: Joe Canning points his ninth free of the day. This is slipping away from Wexford, or at least it could do very quickly

46 mins — Galway 0-18 Wexford 0-12: Niall Burke stretches Galway’s lead to six and they’re well on top now.

47 mins — Galway 0-19 Wexford 0-12: Sensational stuff from Joseph Cooney. Claims Callanan’s puckout and points. Galway up by seven.

Wexford sub: Eoin Moore on to replace Simon Donohoe.

49 mins — Galway 0-20 Wexford 0-12: Canning points from his own 65. Wexford need to find answers and they need to find them fast.

50 mins – Galway 0-21 Wexford 0-12: Another sensational score from Joseph Cooney out under the Hogan Stand. Galway are cruising; Wexford can’t even get their hands on the ball.

51 mins — Galway 0-21 Wexford 0-13: HawkEye called in to adjudicate on a Lee Chin point, and it’s good. Every little helps at this stage.

GOAL FOR WEXFORD! (O’Keeffe, 52′)

Hang about for a second… maybe we’re not done yet! Brilliant hustle from Jack Guiney who chases down the ball before it can go out over the line, keeps it in play, beats two Galway defenders, and then pops it past Colm Callanan. Diarmuid O’Keeffe is there to bundle it into the net. Five in it now, and an eternity of time to be played.

55 mins — Galway 0-21 Wexford 1-14: Conor McDonald points a free and now that’s 1-2 for Wexford without reply.

56 mins — Galway 0-22 Wexford 1-14: Conor Cooney ends that mini drought for Galway. That will help a bit.

58 mins — Galway 0-23 Wexford 1-14: Magnificent fielding by Conor Whelan, who is fouled. Conor Cooney taps it over the bar while Joe Canning is receiving treatment out the field for a wrist injury.

59 mins — Galway 0-25 Wexford 1-14: Lads, there’s nothing wrong with Joe Canning’s wrist. He slices a sideline over the bar. Textbook.

Then Conor Whelan gets out in front of James Breen, breaks the ball to Conor Cooney, and Cooney points.

62 mins — Galway 0-26 Wexford 1-14: Niall Burke curls over a point off his right. Galway have certainly weathered that storm.

64 mins – Joe Canning needed treatment on a leg injury a moment ago and although he’s back on his feet, Conor Cooney takes over free duties. He puts a tricky one wide.

66 mins – Matthew O’Hanlon gets half a sight on the Galway goal but fires his shot wide.

67 mins — Galway 0-27 Wexford 1-15: Conor McDonald points another free but Joseph Cooney responds immediately at the other end; that’s five for him today by my count.

70 mins — Galway 0-27 Wexford 1-16: Young Cathal Dunbar is on for Wexford off the bench and he’s just given us a glimpse of his talent, slaloming through the Galway defence to score.

70+1 mins — Galway 0-28 Wexford 1-16: Galway respond through their own youngster, Shane Moloney.

70+2 mins — Galway 0-29 Wexford 1-16: Thomas Monaghan points to stretch the gap to 10. Time is just about up.

70+3 mins — Galway 0-29 Wexford 1-17: Lee Chin points a free and that should be that. Galway seconds away from their second Leinster title…

FULL TIME: Galway 0-29 Wexford 1-17

GALWAY ARE THE LEINSTER SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONS!

Galway will be back here in August for an All-Ireland semi-final; for Wexford, a quarter-final date against one of the qualifiers awaits.

That’s all from us for now, but there will be lots more reaction and analysis on site later this evening.

Thanks for reading and for commenting.