In terms of senior hurling championship experience, Wexford and Kilkenny are absolutely inseparable on one count – the current squads each number 26 players who have been pressed into the heat of summer-time battle.
But, significantly, the 26 Cats have clawed out a clear edge, in that they have tallied 492 championship outings so far – Wexford’s total being 455.
The longest stints in the championship of the two squads are shared by TJ Reid and Richie Hogan, who notched their championship debuts in 2008, both against Offaly, scoring 0-1 apiece that evening, although neither featured in the subsequent Leinster final win over Wexford (5-21 to 0-17).
It wasn’t until the following summer, 2009, that Wexford’s two longest championship servants from the current squad first got into the championship swing – Harry Kehoe in the Leinster quarter-final against Offaly, and Eanna Martin, as a substitute, in the provincial semi-final against Dublin.
Of course, a major factor in Kilkenny boasting 37 more championship appearances of the current selections is that the black-and-amber did go on to capture the All-Ireland title in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
And yet, since TJ Reid and Richie Hogan first hit the championship scene, Kilkenny have played only 10 more games in championship than Wexford – 58 games versus 48.
The complete list of championship appearances to-date for the respective panels ahead of Sunday’s big Leinster final showdown reads as follows –
WEXFORD
EANNA MARTIN: Championship debut – 2009. Championship Appearances – 16. Championship scores – 0-4.
HARRY KEHOE: Championship debut – 2009. Apps – 41. Scores – 2-25 (0-1 placed-ball).
MATTHEW O’HANLON. Championship debut – 2011. Apps – 34. Scores – 0-3.
SHAUN MURPHY. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 19. Scores – 0-8.
DIARMUID O’KEEFFE. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 29. Scores 2-28.
LIAM Óg McGOVERN. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 23. Scores – 3-23.
PAUL MORRIS. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 35. Scores – 4-78 (0-26 placed-balls).
MARK FANNING. Championship debut – 2013. Apps – 29. Scores – 1-1 (all placed-balls).
LEE CHIN. Championship debut – 2013. Apps – 30. Scores – 1-71 (0-45 placed-balls).
CONOR McDONALD. Championship debut – 2013. Apps – 28. Scores – 9-88 (0-41 placed-balls).
LIAM RYAN. Championship debut – 2014. Apps – 25. Scores – 0-5.
IAN BYRNE. Championship debut – 2014. Apps – 10. Scores – 1-34 (0-27 placed-balls).
PÁDRAIG FOLEY. Championship debut – 2015. Apps – 15. Scores – 0-12 (0-7 placed-balls).
AIDAN NOLAN. Championship debut – 2015. Apps – 18. Scores – 2-12.
KEVIN FOLEY. Championship debut – 2015. Apps – 14. Scores – 0-5.
SIMON DONOHOE. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 15.
JACK O’CONNOR. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 17. Scores – 2-15.
CATHAL DUNBAR. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 9. Scores – 0-6.
JAMES BREEN. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 6.
DAVID DUNNE. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 12. Scores – 1-4.
JOE O’CONNOR. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 2. Scores – 0-1.
DAMIEN RECK. Championship debut – 2017. Apps – 10. Scores – 0-2.
RORY O’CONNOR. Championship debut – 2017. Apps – 10. Scores – 2-52 (0-37 placed-balls).
CONOR FIRMAN. Championship debut – 2018. Apps – 4.
SHANE RECK. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 3.
SEAMUS CASEY. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 1. Scores 0-1.
KILKENNY
TJ REID. Championship debut – 2008. Apps – 55. Scores – 22-296 (6-212 placed-balls).
RICHIE HOGAN. Championship debut – 2008. Apps – 46. Scores – 10-85 (0-2 placed-balls).
PAUL MURPHY. Championship debut – 2011. Apps – 45. Scores – 0-4.
COLIN FENNELLY. Championship debut – 2011. Apps – 45. Scores – 10-54.
CILLIAN BUCKLEY. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 36. Scores – 0-7.
CONOR FOGARTY. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 32. Scores – 0-14.
WALTER WALSH. Championship debut – 2012. Apps – 32. Scores – 4-41.
EOIN MURPHY. Championship debut – 2013. Apps – 31. Scores – 0-8 (all frees).
PÁDRAIG WALSH. Championship debut – 2013. Apps – 31. Scores – 0-19.
GER AYLWARD. Championship debut – 2013. Apps – 17. Scores – 5-21.
JOEY HOLDEN. Championship debut – 2014. Apps – 24. Scores – 0-3.
LIAM BLANCHFIELD. Championship debut – 2016. Apps – 15. Scores – 2-6.
PADDY DEEGAN. Championship debut – 2017. Apps – 14. Scores – 0-6.
RICHIE LEAHY. Championship debut – 2017. Apps – 12. Scores – 0-14.
JOHN DONNELLY. Championship debut – 2018. Apps – 10. Scores – 0-10.
ENDA MORRISSEY. Championship debut – 2018. Apps – 7. Scores – 0-2.
JAMES MAHER. Championship debut – 2018. Apps – 7. Scores – 0-8.
BILLY RYAN. Championship debut – 2018. Apps – 7. Scores – 0-5.
BILL SHEEHAN. Championship debut – 2018. Apps – 5. Scores – 0-2.
HUW LAWLOR. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 4.
ADRIAN MULLEN. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 4. Scores – 1-5.
TOMMY WALSH. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 3. Scores – 0-1.
DARREN BRENNAN. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 3. Score – 0-1 free.
MARTIN KEOGHAN. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 1.
ALAN MURPHY. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 3. Scores 0-6.
JASON CLEERE. Championship debut – 2019. Apps – 3.
