KILKENNY PLAYER RATINGS
Eoin Murphy Didn't have a save of any note to deal with. Went long with a series of first-half puck-outs that caused bother. Struggled to find Kilkenny men after the break. 7
Mikey Butler Peter Casey's shadow for much of the afternoon. Took a huge hit from Diarmaid Byrnes early on and then fortunate to avoid a yellow for swiping acdross Cian Lynch. Casey came roaring into the game in the final quarter. 7
Huw Lawlor Picked up Aaron Gillane as expected and contributed to one of the game's most fascinating battles. Held the Hurler of the Year candidate to just 0-2 from play. 7
Tommy Walsh Held Seamus Flanagan scoreless and forced Flanagan's exit before moving onto Peter Casey. Immediately conceded two points and was taken off. 7
- Limerick player ratings: How the four-in-row champions rated
Conor Fogarty Tasked with keeping Tom Morrissey in check. Morrissey slotted a point in stoppage time but Fogarty's half-time substitution was harsh. 6.5
Richie Reid Cleared plenty of early ball and drove a stunning 27th minute point after an interception. Pulled off two second-half blocks but was part of a half-back line that was subsequently overwhelmed. 6
Paddy Deegan Laid down an early marker with the game's opening point and struck a cracking goal. Marked Gearoid Hegarty who got better as the game wore on. 7.5.
John Donnelly Wore number 12 but lined out at midfield in a rejigged team owing to David Blanchfield's absence. Eventually replaced by Cillian Buckley. 6
Adrian Mullen Not the impact a player of his quality would have expected. Lined up on Cian Lynch and, in those terms, lost the battle hands down. 6
Walter Walsh: Started instead of David Blanchfield. Lined up at wing-forward on Kyle Hayes and kept his man occupied but didn't do a whole pile with his own possessions. Shot two wides and was replaced. 6
Martin Keoghan Played the full game and put himself in some decent positions but little worked out for him. 6
Tom Phelan Fumbled his first touch. Then took a huge hit from William O'Donoghue. Bounced back to score 0-3. Kept Diarmaid Byrnes on the back foot and set up Paddy Deegan's goal before fading and was taken off. 8
Billy Ryan Played on the inside forward line with Eoin Cody but failed to make any real headyway and was called ashored. 6
TJ Reid Reid got through plenty of work and was at his best in the first-half. Threaded a terrific pass for an Alan Murphy goal chance. 7
Eoin Cody A menacing presence initially. His 26th minute dummy hand-pass on the way to winning a free underlined his quality. His finish for the goal was terrific but three more goal chances went awry. 7
SUBSTITUTES
Padraig Walsh Kept Tom Morrissey scoreless and forced his substitution in the 55th minute. 6
Alan Murphy Almost conjured a goal but was snuffed out by David Reidy. 6
Cian Kenny Throw into the warzone middle third without much impact. 6
Cillian Buckley Married on Saturday, defeated in an All-Ireland final hours later. Couldn't replicate his Leinster final heroics. 6
Richie Hogan Perhaps his last act in a Kilkenny jersey was a thwarted point attempt. 6
