GAA fanatic Keith Merchant (@kmerchant3) shares his thoughts on Saturday night's hurling action between Wexford and Kilkenny.
Wexford v Kilkenny | Saturday 19:00 | Sky Sports 3
The next round of the Leinster hurling championship starts with what will be a proper fiery battle between two sides with a rivalry going back decades.
Kilkenny have had the upper hand in recent years as Wexford haven’t beaten them in Leinster since 2004. And in a game I expect no inch to be given, Kilkenny will be hungry to make amends for a five-point defeat to Wexford in the league, adding to the highly-anticipated contest.
From a spectator point of view, this will be one to saviour. It will be a proper battle to claim both bragging rights and a place in the final and the bookies have this priced it up as a foregone conclusion.
Foregone conclusion?
Kilkenny – 4 on the handicap at 5/6 offers little value in what I expect to be a close affair. Saying that, I do expect Kilkenny to do the business as they should have too much firepower for a Wexford side that, are one of the fittest teams in the country but might just be lacking in experience for the occasion with a young team.
Wexford have some brilliant young players like Lee Chin and Conor McDonald for example, but Kilkenny have no shortage of their own talent on show with the likes of TJ Reid, Richie Hogan etc.
The betting angles
There are two markets here I’d like to explore, Over 44.5 points (4/5 Paddy Power) as I expect a high scoring affair and as Kilkenny are regularly involved in high scoring games whilst their last meeting with Wexford featured 43 points.
Plus, I’ll be having a speculative punt on an award winning performance from the brilliant TJ Reid of Kilkenny. He’s 11/2 (Paddy Power) to claim the Man of the Match award from Sky Sports on Saturday night.
Best Bets
Wexford v Kilkenny – Over 44.5 Points (4/5 Paddy Power)
Wexford v Kilkenny – TJ Reid to be Man of the Match (11/2 Paddy Power)
