stretched their lead to eight points. Kilkenny's great scoring threat, Eddie Keher, was deployed closer to goal and finished the game with 2–9. A fifteen-point swing resulted in Kilkenny winning the game by 3–24 to 5–11. Not only did Skehan collect his first All-Ireland medal on the field of play but he also had the honour of lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup. He finished the year by claiming his first All-Star. Skehan won his second Leinster medal on the field of play in 1973 following a 4–22 to 3–15 defeat of Wexford. On 2 September 1973 Kilkenny faced Limerick in the All-Ireland decider. The game hung in the balance for the first-half, however, eight minutes after the restart Mossie Dowling got a vital goal for Limerick. Shortly after this Richie Bennis spearheaded a rampant Limerick attack which resulted in a 1–21 to 1–14 victory for Limerick. In spite if this defeat Skehan finished off the year by winning his second All-Star. Wexford were, once again, narrowly defeated by Kilkenny in the 1974 provincial decider. The remarkable 6–13 to 2–24 victory gave Skehen a third successive Leinster medal on the field of play. In a repeat of the previous year Limerick provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final on 1 September 1974. The Munster champions stormed to a five-point lead in the first eleven minutes, however, a converted penalty by Eddie Keher, supplemented by further goals from Mick Brennan and Pat Delaney gave Kilkenny a 3–19 to 1–13 victory. It was a second All-Ireland medal on the field of play for Skehan and his fifth winners' medal in all. He later won a third All-Star. Kilkenny made it five successive provincial titles in-a-row in 1975. The 2–20 to 2–14 defeat of Wexford gave Skehen his fourth successive Leinster medal on the field of play and his tenth winners' medal overall. On 7 September 1975, Skehan lined out in his fourth successive All-Ireland final, with surprise semi-final winners Galway providing the opposition. Playing with the wind in the first half, Galway found themselves ahead by 0–9 to 1–3 at the interval. Eddie Keher's huge tally of 2–7 kept Galway at bay giving Kilkenny a 2–22 to 2–10 victory. As well as collecting a third All-Ireland medal in four seasons Skehan later added a fourth successive All-Star to his collection. Decline and then resurgence In 1976 Skehan won a first National Hurling