Ryan: Margins are so fine

Had Dublin converted all their opportunities from placed balls during their barren league campaign, they could now very easily be on course to retain the title won in such glorious fashion last year.

Instead, they find themselves in a last-ditch relegation game against Galway, the side that beat them most comprehensively in the regular rounds.

Paul Ryan is their usual dead-ball expert; against Kilkenny (one-point loss), Cork (one-point loss), Tipperary (draw), he would surely have made a difference. That’s an extra five points picked up right there, giving Dublin something extra to play for in their final game against Waterford, and a possible table-topping eight points.