Goals, goals, goals. That was the order of the day for the first round of fixtures in the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Hurling Championship, as the netting in grounds around the country barely got a rest.
Three games in the Leinster championship saw one side score four goals in their respective games, and two of those counties didn't even win -- that's the level of goal-scoring we're dealing with here.
Kilkenny were not one of those teams, scoring just the three on this occasion, but they came out the other side of their clash with Dublin as the winners. It might go down as a classic in years to come, but for the moment all the Marble County are worried about is the next set of matches and plotting a course for the All-Ireland.
Cúl don gcolaisté & don gcondae!
Goalscorer for @KieransCollege & @KilkennyCLG Ciaran Brennan against @DubGAAOfficial in the @gaaleinster @ElectricIreland minor championship.
Highlights tonight at 20.00 on @SportTG4 #kilkenny pic.twitter.com/quqpBu2glD— GAA 2022 (@GAA_2022_TG4) May 14, 2018
Without further ado, here are your nominees for the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Hurling player of the week.
Conor Kelly - Kilkenny
The Cats put the Jacks in their place; that's the impression one got from the absolutely absorbing first-round tie between Kilkenny and Dublin.
The Dubs certainly gave as good as they got, scoring an impressive tally of 4-12, but it couldn't match Kilkenny's 3-23.
Love this @sportsfile photo - the Dublin and Kilkenny senior teams gather to watch the minor game ahead of their own clash. There's nothing quite like the #GAA pic.twitter.com/bJy0t8dz9q
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) May 13, 2018
In a game like this it can be difficult to pick out just one star performer, but no one can deny that Conor Kelly stood out to everyone who witnessed this game. Kelly scored three points at the start of the second half to extend their lead to six, but Dublin impressively reeled them back in by the 55th minute.
From there it was all black and amber however, as Ciaran Brennan found the net while the excellent Kelly scored an incredible five points without reply to round out a great attacking performance.
Would anyone be surprised if the Cats go all the way this year?
AJ Redmond - Wexford
Hitting double figures in a game that only lasts 60 minutes is pretty damn impressive. Scoring into the teens can be considered exceptional.
That's exactly what happened at the weekend when AJ Redmond came away with a 13 point haul as Wexford beat Laois by 1-21 to 0-18. Sure, the majority of them weren't from play, but you can't argue with that kind of accuracy.
That's AJ's 10th successful free of the match as the clock ticks to the 57 minute mark.
— Wexford GAA (@OfficialWexGAA) May 12, 2018
It was a closely contested battle up until the 46th minute when Owen Whitty fired in the pivotal goal as the Slaneysiders ran out the game with a six point lead.
There could be concern in Wexford that the side could be too reliant on one player, but they won't care so long as the Rathnure youngster keeps doing the business on the pitch.
Cathal Kiely - Offaly
Whatever Offaly's expectations are for the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Hurling Championship this year, they certainly played with real intent last week, hammering Meath by 23 points.
Their captain Cathal Kiely was at the centre of it all, scoring a goal and seven points during an imperious performance.
Almost time to go @Offaly_GAA v @MeathGAA MHC pic.twitter.com/P484k4ZxDr
— Official Offaly GAA (@Offaly_GAA) May 12, 2018
The Royal County were only five points behind at the interval, but Kiely found the net in the 33rd minute, paving the way for complete and utter domination from then until the end. As well as putting them away, Kiely was also creating chances for his teammates, feeding Ciaran Teehan for the Faithful County's third goal.
Whether or not this level of performance will be good enough should they get promoted to tier 1 in Leinster, we don't know, but Offaly will be going into the next game with plenty of momentum on their side thanks to Kiely and co.
Have your say and cast your vote for the player of the week nominees on Electric Ireland's Facebook page by clicking here. All nominated players will be in with a chance of making overall team/player of the year at the 2018 Electric Ireland GAA Minor Star Awards.
