Shortly before the Leinster hurling championship began, Marty Kavanagh admitted that Carlow would be targeting the Dublin game in particular.

When Dublin, trailing by three points, were awarded a free deep into injury-time at Parnell Park and centre-back Sean Moran strode forward, the mind was drawn back to Croke Park last year.

Dublin defender Sean Moran proved to be a last-action hero yet again for boss Mattie Kenny with a late, late goal at Parnell Park to secure a dramatic Leinster SHC draw.

No prizes for guessing where most of this column’s focus is on after this weekend. Nowlan Park was the stage for one of the most unusual moments I’ve seen in a game and it’s no surprise it has most of the country talking.

Brian Cody’s 21st championship campaign got off to a winning start thanks to an inspirational display by captain TJ Reid.

Castlelyons’ Niall O’Leary is the new face in the named Cork team to take on Tipperary in Sunday’s Munster SHC Round 1 clash as John Meyler goes with 13 of the team that were defeated by Limerick in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Eoghan O’Donnell has claimed that the Dublin hurlers have gathered their strongest panel in years as they chase a Championship breakthrough.

The distance from the headline to the small print was sketched out efficiently yesterday in Nowlan Park.

Limerick manager John Kiely paid tribute to his panel yesterday for maintaining their standards since winning last year’s All-Ireland success, saying “all the credit goes to the players” for kicking on to reach the Allianz League final.

You might have noticed the scoreline of the Dublin-Laois Allianz NHL Division 1B encounter at the weekend and wondered if Dublin were improving at all under Mattie Kenny.

It wasn't always pretty from Dublin at rain-drenched Parnell Park but Mattie Kenny's men dug deep to secure the win and top spot in Division 1B of the Allianz NHL.

Wexford 0-22 Dublin 2-14: For the second week in a row Dublin were caught in additional time as Wexford produced a blazing finish for a two-point victory in a game that kept the attendance in Innovate Wexford Park rapt right to the final whistle.

Former Dublin manager Michael O’Grady reckons there is more pressure on Wexford than Dublin ahead of their Leinster SHC round two game on Sunday.

Experienced Dublin defender James McCarthy has little interest in giving Kerry’s rising stars any grounds for optimism next weekend.

Jason Flynn's 1-9 haul eased All-Ireland title holders Galway to an anticipated victory at Parnell Park, setting up an Allianz hurling league promotion shoot-out with Limerick next weekend.

Limerick 1-26 Dublin 0-17: Limerick maintained their 100% record in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B by comprehensively beating Dublin 1-26 to 0-17 at the Gaelic Grounds.

Dublin 1-15 Offaly 2-25: Kevin Martin reckons resurgent Offaly can be ‘quietly confident’ of keeping their winning run going at the expense of old rivals Limerick.

Offaly 2-25 Dublin 1-15: Talisman forward Shane Dooley crowned his 100th Offaly appearance with 1-5 as the Faithful County pulled off a surprise Allianz hurling league win.

Every year the comparative article here on this day constitutes a variation on a familiar theme. We have, oh dear, had precious little to talk about since last September. We have, oh woe, been living on processed meat. Now proper hurling — real beef — is back again. Yay! Rejoice and be glad. Etc.

Waterford should win but might not. Their main difficulty is their convex tradition against Kilkenny in championship encounters, writes PM O’Sullivan.

Dublin hurler Liam Rushe admits he “underestimated how traditional the GAA is” after his choice of footwear caused a minor storm on two weekends ago, writes Brendan O’Brien of the Irish Examiner.

When I was coming out of Tullamore yesterday, I ran into a few Dublin supporters. The disappointment and frustration was visible on their faces.

If Galway progress in a business-like manner, it will augur well for more than a Leinster semi-final, writes PM O’Sullivan.

Clare took a massive step away from the relegation zone in Div 1A with this narrow victory over Dublin.

Allianz HL Division 1A

John Fogarty examines three managers who will need to put a high priority on league results...

Imagine for a moment what it feels like to be the Dublin hurling manager watching Cormac Costello sitting on the footballers’ bench. The sight of Ciarán Kilkenny ripping it up on a more regular basis can’t be much more palatable.

All the protagonists for this year’s All-Ireland have dipped their toes in the water at this stage.

A gulf in class was clear at Croke Park where Dublin cruised through to a Leinster SHC semi-final showdown with holders and All-Ireland champions Kilkenny next month.

Na Piarsaigh duo Kevin Downes and Shane Dowling proved their worth to Limerick with 1-8 between them as the Shannonsiders secured a first Allianz hurling league semi-final place in a decade.

John Fogarty looks at 10 goals that while impressive, could have been ruled out on another day.