No disgrace to lose to Kilkenny but manner of defeat leaves us plenty to ponder

We’ve seen bad games this year, but this was the most boring.

Not because of Kilkenny, the greatest team we’ve ever seen, but because of the standard of the opposition. I can’t for the life of me understand how a team can train as hard as these players train, for six or seven months, and perform as badly as Dublin did in Portlaoise on Saturday evening.

I’m talking physically and mentally. They weren’t just brushed aside by Kilkenny, they gave in, and that’s surely the biggest disappointment for all their supporters, and for Anthony Daly particularly.