field of play. He was later honoured with his first All-Star award before making a clean sweep of the three Hurler of the Year awards. After facing a shock, last-minute 2–15 to 1–16 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster semi-final in 2004, Kilkenny worked their way through the qualifiers and lined out against Cork in the All-Ireland decider on 12 September 2004. The game was expected to be a classic, however, a rain-soaked day made conditions difficult as Kilkenny aimed to secure a third successive championship. The first half was a low-scoring affair and provided little excitement for fans, however, the second half saw Cork completely take over. For the last twenty-three minutes Cork scored nine unanswered points and went on to win the game by 0–17 to 0–9. Kilkenny ended the year with no silverware, however, Delaney was still presented with a second consecutive All-Star award. Kilkenny were back in form in 2005, with Delaney winning a third National League medal following a 3–20 to 0–15 victory over Clare. "The Cats" later struggled against a wasteful Wexford side, however, a 0–22 to 1–16 victory gave Delaney a fourth Leinster medal. While a third successive All-Ireland showdown with Cork seemed likely, Galway defeated Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final in one of the games of the decade. Four-in-a-row In 2006 Delaney added a fourth National League medal to his collection following a 3–11 to 0–14 victory over Limerick. He later won his fifth Leinster medal following another facile 1–23 to 1–12 victory over Wexford. With an All-Ireland showdown with Cork beckoning, Delaney damaged the cruciate ligament in his left knee which ruled him out of the game which Kilkenny won by 1–16 to 1–13. In spite of missing the decider, Delaney rounded off the year once again by claiming a third All-Star award. Initial concerns that Delaney would be absent for most of 2007 proved unfounded, as surgery revealed that 75% of the ligament remained undamaged and intact. He returned to full training early in January of that year and made his return to the Kilkenny side during the league campaign. Delaney collected a sixth Leinster medal in 2007, as Kilkenny asserted their provincial dominance and defeated Wexford by 2–24 to 1–12. On 2 September 2007 Kilkenny faced defeated Munster finalists and surprise All-Ireland semi-final winners Limerick in the championship decider. Kilkenny got off to a flying start with Eddie Brennan