Sharp TJ Reid to the fore as Kilkenny slay Antrim by 32 points in Leinster opener

The match was effectively settled in the first half, the home team leading 1-15 to 0-7, with the goal coming from TJ Reid almost a carbon copy of the one he scored in the league semi-final win over Limerick; fielding a long delivery from Paddy Deegan and scoring from close range in the 19th minute.

In the second half, Kilkenny demolished Antrim with two terrific goals from Owen Wall, one from Gearóid Dunne and, near the end, a black-card penalty converted by Billy Drennan. None of those goalscorers started the match.

Despite hitting 20 wides, Kilkenny bettered last year’s win over Antrim by 15 points.

Reid, who missed the league final due to injury, was central to much of Kilkenny’s attacking play in the first half, having 1-4 to his name by the interval, and having a major say in possibly the most spoken-about topic from the opening half - a black-card penalty issued against the Antrim goalkeeper Ryan Elliott only a couple of minutes after Reid’s opening goal.

Reid set up the chance with a shrewd reverse pass into the path of Mossy Keoghan, cutting in close to the end line, and as he tried to get a shot off he was fouled by Elliot.

Galway referee Shane Hynes applied the black-card rule for denying a goalscoring opportunity, awarding Kilkenny a penalty and sending Elliott to the sideline for 10 minutes, leaving Antrim a man short.

Hynes repeated the act at the end of the match when Keoghan was fouled by Antrim’s Conor Boyd and the referee gave Boyd a black card - Drennan scoring from the penalty.

Sub goalkeeper Tiernan Smyth’s first deed on coming on for the black-carded Elliott was to make a fine save from Reid’s penalty and his general performance over the following 10 minutes persuaded the Antrim management to leave him on.

Antrim were unable to cause Kilkenny any problems with a reliance on frees, Conal Cunning scoring five of their seven first-half points from placed balls. Their only scores from play came from midfielder James McNaughton and Conor McCann.

Kilkenny made five changes from the league final, with the recall of Mikey Butler, Michael Carey, veteran Reid and, for the first time since the Walsh Cup, Tom Phelan. Keoghan also started after impressing when introduced against Clare with four points, while Glenmore’s Shane Murphy made his championship debut.

Antrim’s recent league campaign ended with five losses, but they were hit badly with injuries and had hoped to improve with some of those players available again.

A Cunning point brought them to within a point of Kilkenny, 0-4 to 0-5, after 13 minutes but that was helped by careless shooting from the home side who had nine wides registered before Antrim hit their first on the half-hour mark.

They also lost Adrian Mullen to an injury 15 minutes into the match, and Eoin Cody in the second half, but with Reid looking sharp they still had too much for the visiting team to handle.

Kilkenny goalkeeper Eoin Murphy also had to retire injured at half-time, replaced by Aidan Tallis, who didn't have too much to do in the second half. Reid went off to a warm ovation and the players coming on were keen to prove a point.

Kilkenny can expect a tougher ordeal when they go to Galway next weekend, while Antrim are at home to Wexford.

Scorers – Kilkenny: B Drennan 1-6 (1 65, 2fs, 1-0 pen); TJ Reid 1-5 (0-3f); O Wall 2-2; G Dunne 1-1; C Kenny 0-4; J Donnelly, M Keoghan 0-3 each; P Deegan 0-2; R Reid, M Carey, S Murphy, A Mullen 0-1 each. Antrim: C Cunning 0-7 (7fs); J McNaughton 0-2; N Elliott, E Campbell, C McCann, C Bohill 0-1 each.

Kilkenny: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; D Blanchfield, P Deegan, M Carey; C Kenny, R Reid; A Mullen, J Donnelly, T Phelan; M Keoghan, TJ Reid, E Cody.

Subs: G Dunne for Mullen (inj, 15); A Tallis for E Murphy (inj, h-t); O Wall for Cody (inj, 39); B Drennan for TJ Reid (45); B Ryan for Phelan (54); T Walsh for Butler (62).

Antrim: R Elliott; P Duffin, R McGarry, P Burke; S Walsh, E Campbell, C Bohill; J McNaughton, N O’Connor; M Bradley, N Elliott, N McKenna; C Cunning, C McCann, S Elliott.

Subs: T Smyth for McKenna (21); N McKenna for R Elliott (32); J McLaughlin for Bradley (h-t); R McCloskey for Walsh (57); C Boyd for McKenna (59).

Referee: S Hynes (Galway)