PATHS TO THE FINAL:
LIMERICK
• Limerick 1-18 Waterford 0-19 (Munster ‘round robin’)
• Clare 1-24 Limerick 2-20 (Munster ‘round robin’)
• Limerick 0-25Tipperary 0-25 (Munster ‘round robin’)
• Limerick 3-25 Cork 1-30 (Munster ‘round robin’)
• Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-22 (Munster Final)
• Limerick 2-24 Galway 1-18 (All-Ireland semi-final)
Played 6, Won 4, Drew 1, Lost 1
TOP SCORERS
1. Aaron Gillane............3-42 (0-29 frees)
2. Diarmuid Byrnes........1-19 (0-13 frees, 1-0 pen)
3. Seamus Flanagan........4-9
4. Tom Morrissey...........0-17 (0-1 free)
5. Cathal O’Neill..............1-10
6. Gearóid Hegarty...........0-8
7. Peter Casey...................0-6
- Christy O'Connor: Limerick have had tougher path than Kilkenny's four-in-a-row team
- League final defeat may give Kilkenny the lessons to knock Limerick off course
- Limerick v Kilkenny: the tale of the tape before All-Ireland SHC Final
KILKENNY
• Kilkenny 0-29 Westmeath 0-7 (Leinster ‘round robin’)
• Kilkenny 0-28 Galway 1-25 (Leinster ‘round robin’)
• Kilkenny 5-31 Antrim 3-20(Leinster ‘round robin’)
• Kilkenny 0-27 Dublin 0-21(Leinster ‘round robin’)
• Wexford 4-23 Kilkenny 5-18(Leinster ‘round robin’)
• Kilkenny 4-21 Galway 2-26 (Leinster Final)
• Kilkenny 1-25 Clare 1-22 (All-Ireland semi-final)
Played 7, Won 5, Drew 1, Lost 1
TOP SCORERS
1. TJ Reid...................2-66 (0-47 frees. 0-6 ‘65s’, 0-1 s/l)
2. Eoin Cody...............4-21
3. Martin Keoghan......5-9
4. Adrian Mullen.......0-15
5. Tom Phelan.............1-9
6. Billy Ryan................0-10
7. Walter Walsh..............1-5
PREVIOUS CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS
These counties have met 15 times in the championship: Kilkenny have won nine times to Limerick’s six. They have met in nine All-Ireland finals, with Limerick winning five to Kilkenny’s four:
• 2022: Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-26 (All-Ireland Final)
• 2019: Kilkenny 1-21 Limerick 2-17 (All-Ireland semi-final)
• 2018: Limerick 0-27 Kilkenny 1-22 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
• 2017: Kilkenny 0-20 Limerick 0-17 (All-Ireland qualifier)
• 2014: Kilkenny 2-13 Limerick 0-17 (All-Ireland semi-final)
• 2012: Kilkenny 4-16 Limerick 1-16 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
• 2007: Kilkenny 2-19 Limerick 1-15 (All-Ireland Final)
• 2005: Kilkenny 0-18 Limerick 0-13 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
• 1974: Kilkenny 3-19 Limerick 1-13 (All-Ireland Final)
• 1973: Limerick 1-21 Kilkenny 1-14 (All-Ireland Final)
• 1940: Limerick 3-7 Kilkenny 1-7 (All-Ireland Final)
• 1936: Limerick 5-6 Kilkenny 1-5 (All-Ireland Final)
• 1935: Kilkenny 2-5 Limerick 2-4 (All-Ireland Final)
• 1933: Kilkenny 1-7 Limerick 0-6 (All-Ireland Final)
• 1897: Limerick 3-4 Kilkenny 2-4 (All-Ireland Final)
Limerick are bidding to join an exclusive club, occupied by counties that have won four successive All-Ireland titles. Cork (1941-44) and Kilkenny (2006- 2009) are the only ones to have achieved it so far.
John Kiely is in his seventh season as Limerick manager and is bidding to lead them to a fifth All-Ireland win.
LIMERICK’S CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD UNDER JOHN KIELY
..............................P.......W.........D....... L..............Titles
2017......................2........0...........0.........2.................0
2018......................8........6...........1.........1.................All-Ireland
2019......................6........4..........0.........2..................Munster
2020.......................5.......5..........0..........0.................Munster, All-Ireland
2021.......................4........4.........0..........0..................Munster, All-Ireland
2022.......................6.........5.........1..........0.................Munster, All-Ireland
2023.......................6.........4..........1.........1..................Munster
Total......................37......28........3..........6
Derek Lyng takes charge of Kilkenny for the first time in an All-Ireland final. He played at midfield against Limerick in the 2007 All-Ireland final which Kilkenny won by 2-19 to 1-15.
For and Against: Kilkenny have scored an average total of 32 points and conceded 25.3 in this year’s championship. Limerick have averaged 26 points and conceded 24.5.
Kilkenny scored a total of 15 goals (five v Antrim and Wexford, four v Galway in the Leinster final and one v Clare. They scored no goals against Westmeath, Galway (‘round robin) or Dublin.
Limerick scored a total of nine goals (three v Cork, two v Clare (‘round robin’) and Galway and one each v Waterford, Clare (Munster final). They scored no goals against Tipperary.
TJ Reid needs a total of six points to become the top scorer in this year’s championship. He is on 2-66 (72 points), five behind Galway’s Evan Niland on 0-77.
Limerick scored an average of 1-32 in their All-Ireland final wins over Waterford, Cork, and Kilkenny in 2020-21-22.
Kilkenny have lost three All-Ireland finals (2016-19-22) since last being successful in 2015. This is their longest gap between All-Ireland wins since 1983-92.
Kilkenny are the only county to have beaten Limerick in a knock-out championship game over the last six seasons, winning the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final by a point.
John Keenan becomes the first Wicklow man to referee the All-Ireland hurling final since Jimmy Hatton took charge of the 1963-66-70 finals.
HOW KILKENNY WON THEIR 36 ALL-IRELAND TITLES
• 1904 – Kilkenny 1-9 Cork 1-8
• 1905 – Kilkenny 7-7 Cork 2-9
• 1907 – Kilkenny 3-12 Cork 4-8
• 1909 – Kilkenny 4-6 Tipperary 0-12
• 1911 – Kilkenny 3-3 Tipperary 2-1
• 1912 – Kilkenny 2-1 Cork 1-3
• 1913 – Kilkenny 2-4 Tipperary 1-2
• 1922 – Kilkenny 4-2 Tipperary 2-6
• 1932 – Kilkenny 3-3 Clare 2-3
• 1933 – Kilkenny 1-7 Limerick 0-6
• 1935 – Kilkenny 2-5 Limerick 2-4
• 1939 – Kilkenny 2-7 Cork 3-3
• 1947 – Kilkenny 0-14 Cork 2-7
• 1957 – Kilkenny 4-10 Waterford 3-12
• 1963 – Kilkenny 4-17 Waterford 6-8
• 1967 – Kilkenny 3-8 Tipperary 2-7
• 1969 – Kilkenny 2-15 Cork 2-9
• 1972 – Kilkenny 3-24 Cork 5-11
• 1974 – Kilkenny 3-19 Limerick 1-13
• 1975 – Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 2-10
• 1979 – Kilkenny 2-12 Galway 1-8
• 1982 – Kilkenny 3-18 Cork 1-13
• 1983 – Kilkenny 2-14 Cork 2-12
• 1992 – Kilkenny 3-10 Cork 1-12
• 1993 – Kilkenny 2-17 Galway 1-15
• 2000 – Kilkenny 5-15 Offaly 1-14
• 2002 – Kilkenny 2-20 Clare 0-19
• 2003 – Kilkenny 1-14 Cork 1-11
• 2006 – Kilkenny 1-16 Cork 1-13
• 2007 – Kilkenny 2-19 Limerick 1-15
• 2008 – Kilkenny 3-30 Waterford 1-13
• 2009 – Kilkenny 2-22 Tipperary 0-23
• 2011 – Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 1-16
• 2012 – Kilkenny 3-22 Galway 3-11 (replay)
• 2014 – Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 2-14 (replay)
• 2015 – Kilkenny 1-22 Galway 1-18
Decade-by-decade
• 1900-09: 4
• 1910-19: 3
• 1920-29: 1
• 1930-39: 4
• 1940-49: 1
• 1950-59: 1
• 1960-69: 3
• 1970-79: 4
• 1980-89: 2
• 1990-99: 2
• 2000-09: 7
• 2010-19: 4
HOW LIMERICK WON THEIR 10 ALL-IRELAND TITLES
• 1897: Limerick 3-4 Kilkenny 2-4
• 1918: Limerick 9-5 Wexford 1-3
• 1921: Limerick 8-5 Dublin 3-2
• 1934: Limerick 5-2 Dublin 2-6
• 1936: Limerick 5-6 Kilkenny 1-5
• 1940: Limerick 3-7 Kilkenny 1-7
• 1973: Limerick 1-21 Kilkenny 1-14
• 2018: Limerick 3-16 Galway 2-18
• 2020: Limerick 0-30 Waterford 0-19
• 2021: Limerick 3-32 Cork 1-22
• 2022: Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-26
ALL-IRELAND SENIOR HURLING ROLL OF HONOUR
36: KILKENNY: (1904-1905-1907-1909-1911-1912-1913-1922-1932-1933-1935-
1939-1947-1957-1963-1967-1969-1972-1974-1975-1979-1982-1983-1992-1993-
2000-2002-2003-2006-2007-2008-2009-2011-2012-2014-2015).
30: Cork (1890-1892-1893-1894-1902-1903-1919-1926-1928-1929-1931-1941-
1942-1943-1944-1946-1952-1953-1954-1966-1970-1976-1977-1978-1984-1986-
1990-1999-2004-2005).
28: Tipperary (1887-1895-1896-1898-1899-1900-1906-1908-1916-1925-1930-
1937-1945-1949-1950-1951-1958-1961-1962-1964-1965-1971-1989-1991-2001-
2010-20162-19)
11: LIMERICK (1897-1918-21-34-36-40-73-2018-20-21-22).
