Cool Kilkenny too smooth for Dublin

Kilkenny 0-23 Dublin 1-14: Kilkenny were too smooth for Dublin yesterday at home, running out victors by six points in a curious Division 1A contest.

All the requirements for a good game were on hand in Nowlan Park yesterday — a crowd of over 8,000, a decent surface, the going crisp and sunny — but it was a dead rubber for both sides before throw-in, as they were guaranteed quarter-final slots.

Did that have a bearing on the game? One statistic may tell you something — Dublin hit 16 wides, and Kilkenny 14. Both sides had the space and time to hit that many shots, but not the burning need to put them over the bar. It was a loose enough contest, with players taking shots in more space than one might see, say, in a game taking place during August.

The result was decided in the first half, with Kilkenny turning in a serviceable performance to knock over a pretty decent 1-14. Dublin, on the other hand, came in for their cup of tea having scored just 1-3: their first-half shooting was wayward, to say the least, and Kilkenny turned them over more than once as they tried to work the ball upfield.

Among those who caught the eye for Kilkenny were Walter Walsh, whose bullocking power and thirst for work gives the Cats a real advantage when he gets going. He may not have Eoin Larkin’s silkiness but his industry is making him a valuable stand-in. Dublin were better in the second half, outscoring Kilkenny 0-11 to 0-9, and at one stage — curiously, because the hosts were well on top — the men from the capital were within five points of their opponents. They never looked like closing that gap, however, and the game limped to its conclusion. Even Brian Cody acknowledged an element of the contest “fizzling out”.

“There were five or six points in it and that’s nothing, obviously, in a game of hurling,” said the Kilkenny manager after the game. “But it kind of fizzled out there at the end. Coming into the game, the reality for both teams was that we were both in the quarter-final, but that shouldn’t take away from the competitiveness of it.

“We were in a decent position at half-time but their goal kept them in it to a degree. It wasn’t massively competitive but we’re happy enough to have won the game.” Dublin manager Ger Cunningham wasn’t happy to have lost, but despair would have been too strong a description of his mood after the game.

“It’s stating the obvious that this is not an easy place to come at the best of times… “(We’re) disappointed with the first half performance to an extent. ut in fairness to the lads in the second half, they stuck with what we were trying to do and if Trollier (Eamonn Dillon) got the goal in the last couple of minutes it was down to a one-score game. They (Kilkenny) play a different game of hurling – a very, very physical game. The intensity today was way up on anything we’ve played on so far. “

Certainly players like David Treacy and Fiontan McGibb continued to improve for Dublin — the latter scored the only goal of the game, a neat, calm sidestep before a clinical finish. McGibb was energetic throughout the game and asked the Cats’ rearguard quite a few questions. Cunningham will be hoping that progress continues through the summer.

Kilkenny’s quality is well known, but even at this stage of 2016 TJ Reid seems to be occupying his own discrete time zone in games: winning ball, measuring passes, looking for targets hitting points, all of that happens at his pace. TJ Time, you could call it. He ended the day with 11 points and had a direct hand in quite a few other scores. Both sides will now turn to their respective quarter-final — Dublin against Limerick, Kilkenny and Offaly — with different agendas. Dublin will hope to see the likes of McGibb improve, and perhaps the likes of Peter Kelly get back on the field.

Kilkenny wouldn’t say no to a couple of fringe players putting their hands up for championship selection, but if the likes of Reid and Walsh are going this well, that may not be as pressing a need as it might otherwise seem.

A minute’s silence was observed before the game for the late Tom Hunt of Scoil Arrigle, Ballyhale.

Scorers for Kilkenny:

TJ Reid (0-11, 0-6 frees); W. Walsh, R. Hogan (0-3 each); L. Ryan, P. Walsh (0-2 each); K. Joyce (free), J. Power (0-1 each).

Scorers for Dublin:

D. Treacy (0-5, 0-4 frees); F. McGibb (1-1); E. Dillon (0-3); N. McMorrow (0-2); L. Rushe, M. Schutte, J. McCaffrey (0-1 each).

KILKENNY:

R. Reid, J. Tyrrell, J. Holden, B. Kennedy, P. Walsh, K. Joyce, C. Buckley, L. Ryan, D. Cody, W. Walsh, TJ Reid, J. Maher, JJ Farrell, J. Power, R. Hogan.

Subs:

M. Malone for Maher, S. Prendergast for Tyrrell (both 61); K. Kelly for Malone (70).

DUBLIN:

G. Maguire, E. O’Donnell, C. O’Callaghan, O. Gough, C. Crummy, L. Rushe, S. Barrett, D. O’Connell, G. Whelan, C. Cronin, N. McMorrow, D. Treacy, F. McGibb, E. Dillon, M. Schutte.

Subs:

J. McCaffrey for Whelan (25); S. McGrath for Cronin (47); S. Treacy for O’Connell (62).

Referee:

John Keenan, Wicklow