Daly’s Dublin even starting to sound more like champions

Talk of a first All-Ireland hurling title for Dublin since 1938 flew loosely from the lips of Anthony Daly’s players last year.

Now they find themselves 140 minutes away from their goal and yet any mention of Liam MacCarthy remains strictly taboo.

Such a reluctance to discuss the possibility of a national breakthrough, which everyone else is contemplating after the county claimed a first senior provincial title since 1961 two days ago, speaks volumes for the distance the new Leinster champions have travelled in the last 18 months.