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.