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The Leinster Hurling championship is the road to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling championship. It is one of the three provincial championships to be played along with the Munster Hurling championship and the Joe McDonagh Cup.
The Road To The All-Ireland
The Leinster group has a total of five teams with each team having a nominal home stadium for the round-robin format provincial championship. The top two teams after the round-robin series advance to the championship game or the provincial final. The winner of the Leinster Hurling Championship, as well as the winner of the Munster Hurling championships, will advance to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling championship semi-finals. While the losing finalist ( of both Leinster and Munster) will go to the quarterfinals.
The third-placed team will advance to the quarterfinals of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Where they will join the Munster third-placed team and face the Joe McDonagh Cup finalists in the preliminary quarterfinals. The winners will then dispute the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in August. Read our tips on how to bet on hurling.
| Round | Date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 11
May 12 |
Kilkenny
Galway |
v
v |
Dublin
Carlow |
Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
Pearse Stadium, Galway |
| 2 | May 19
May 19 |
Carlow
Dublin |
v
v |
Kilkenny
Wexford |
Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow
Parnell Park, Dublin |
| 3 | May 26
June 2 |
Galway
Carlow |
v
v |
Wexford
Dublin |
Pearse Stadium, Galway
Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow |
| 4 | June 8
June 9 |
Wexford
Kilkenny |
V
v |
Carlow
Galway |
Innovate Wexford Park, Wexford
Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
| 5 | June 15
June 16 |
Wexford
Dublin |
V
v |
Kilkenny
Galway |
Innovate Wexford Park, Wexford
Parnell Park, Dublin |
The Leinster Final will be held on June 30, 2019 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. TV coverage for the games will be provided by Ireland’s official TV, RTE and Sky Sports.
Who Are The Favorites?
Here are the odds to win the 2019 Leinster Hurling championship. Odds taken from bet365 as of 4/22/19:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Galway | +100 |
| Kilkenny | +175 |
| Dublin | +600 |
| Wexford | +700 |
| Carlow | +50000 |
Galway’s starting XV is considered one of the best in the nation, if not the best. With several minor championships won in recent years and with some key bench pieces added recently, Galway looks formidable this year. Not just in the Leinster but the All-Ireland Hurling championships. Galway won the All-Ireland in 2017 and barely missed winning it again last summer, losing to Limerick.
However, injuries to Joe Canning and Fintan Burke are big blows to the team. Canning is expected to miss the Leinster championships with a groin injury while Burke is out of the entire 2019 season after an ACL injury. Despite these key losses, Galway is still considered deep enough to win the Leinster for the third straight year and their fourth overall.
Kilkenny is the winningest team in the Leinster Hurling championship with a total of 71 titles and they have also won 36 All-Ireland Hurling championships as well. This team was runner-up last year and the last time Kilkenny won was in 2016, before the current two year reign of Galway.
While they finished as runner-up last year, it’s quite evident that they are no longer the dominant team they once were. However, you can never write off Brian Cody off and with leaders like Colin Fennelly and T.J. Reid back after being tied up with the Ballyhale Shamrocks recent All-Ireland title quest.
Much was expected of Dublin last year with the arrival of Pat Gilroy. As many were hoping he would duplicate the job he did with the county’s football team. After getting disappointed, Dublin put Mattie Kenny in charge, replacing Gilroy. After topping Division 1B ahead of Waterford and Galway and beating Tipperary subsequently, this team has shown enough to believe they will be fighting for the Leinster championship this season.
Wexford was a late Kilkenny comeback away from a second straight finals appearance at the Leinster championship and last season was something to build on for this time around. Davy Fitzgerald’s team still has ways to go before becoming elite contenders at the Leinster championship this year. But on a good day, they certainly can beat any team ranked higher than them.
Who Wins?
Right now, this year’s championship looks like a two-way race between current Leinster heavyweights Galway and Kilkenny. However, don’t count Wexford out as they may be contenders to earn a finals slot especially if they surprise Kilkenny at Wexford Park on June 15th. However, whether it’s Kilkenny or Wexford, I think Galway keeps its dominance for the third straight year, despite their current injury status.
Prediction: Galway
