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.
After being defeated by Wexford in the 2004 Leinster semi-final, Kilkenny continued to compete and eventually reached the All-Ireland finals, where they played against Cork on September 12, 2004.