DUBLIN vs KILKENNY

[Canalman]

Great result for the Dubs today, came from 6pts down to draw and but for the referee bottling the awarding of a free in the last minute would have won.
Massive committment and never say die attitude were very evident against the Cats minus their Ballyhale contingent.

The footballers should take note.

[Gnevin]

 I think the question on all our minds is false dawn or real progress?

[INDIANA]

well i was at the game today - and quite frankly would be insulted by you (probably a football fan) calling it a flash in the pan. There are quality players coming through our system as good as anything in teh country - and i know the hulring snobs from kilkenny and cork may laugh at that- but it's true. They don't all go and play football and these lads have no fear of kilkenny because they've beaten them before.
It was a strong kilkenny team who were well up for it - it means a  100 times more than the walsh cup win a few years ago and it may help secure div 1 status. we have a few defiencies up front still - up over the next 2 years those should be rectified our defenders and midfield are as good as anything in the country - i doubt very much there are any 20 year olds in the country as good as Tomas Brady anD John Mc Caffrey.
It' a good start to the season and maybe beating wexford in rhe championship this year isn't the laughable notion that a lot of people on this board think it is.

[Gnevin]

well i was at the game today - and quite frankly would be insulted by you (probably a football fan) calling it a flash in the pan.

I didn't mean to insult anyone i just meant is this a false dawn (change original post ) or real progress .

As for Wexford , yes a few more victory's against the big names in the league and I think Wexford will be very worried

[Baile an tuaigh]

Well done Dublin. Great to see masive progress. A heartning result for Hurling after hearing Ulsters best three got beat in the twenty point range. Love for Dublin to continue with this progress you never know what could happen.

[slow corner back]

well done to the dubs great result

[INDIANA]

well i was at the game today - and quite frankly would be insulted by you (probably a football fan) calling it a flash in the pan.

I didn't mean to insult anyone i just meant is this a false dawn (change original post ) or real progress .

As for Wexford , yes a few more victory's against the big names in the league and I think Wexford will be very worried

Fair enough - i suppose from dublin's point of view it will count for nothing if we don't beat antrim next day out  as well- we've a poor record in casement in recent years but a win would probably secure our status. I think galway will be a bridge too far this year - probably tipp too but we might have a chance against limerick - we've a decent record in terms of going close to beating them recently so we may have a chance there. but i think the key for us is trying to establish ourselves ahead of wexford and offaly- easier said than done but with another excellent u21 team this year and a fancied minor team we may be getting there. still our lads have to do it in the championship.

[slow corner back]

Beating antrim wont be enough for you in the league indiana. with the structure changing only 9 teams are staying up and you will need five or more points to avoid relegation playoffs

[Canalman]

My original post went awol.

Absolutely great result for us today.The Dublin supporters in the 2nd half were amazing as a 7 point lead (sounds familiar) was pulled back.
Kilkenny had 8 of their AIF team on show and the Ballyhale contingent were not playing.

Best players on pitch were Eddie Brennan, Joey Boland and Ronan Fallon.

Dublin footballers , PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!!!!!!!!

[Northside Dub]

Fantastic result yesterday....

DUBLIN 2-13 KILKENNY 0-19

Kilkenny's unbeaten record which stretches back through championship, league and Walsh Cup 2007 and '06 came very close to being broken in Sunday's NHL Division 1B clash at Parnell Park.

The Cats were last defeated by Galway in the '05 All-Ireland SHC semi-final while the Dubs last defeated Kilkenny in NHL action in November 1989 but were unlucky not to be awarded a free in the dying seconds which surely would have seen them record a historic victory.

Dublin stood up to Sunday's challenge but must now ensure that they progress by defeating Antrim on March 4 in Casement Park in their next game.

Kilkenny closed out the first half with six unanswered points to open up a half-time lead of 0-13 to 1-4 and after a brave 35 minutes but talk of moral victories was obviously not part of Tommy Naughton's half-time talk.

Dublin kept playing to the finish and were rewarded with an unexpected draw after sub Kevin O'Reilly converted a penalty in the final minute and a free from the halfway line to huge cheers from the Parnell faithful.

This was a performance based on conviction and a solid gameplan. In the opening half Kevin Flynn operated out around centrefield and with the impressive John McCaffrey orchestrating his forces the Dubs frustrated Kilkenny both from their puckouts and around centrefield.

At the back Dublin stood strong with Stephen Hiney not letting Kilkenny's Martin Comerford wield his usual influence on the game which around the Ballyboden man the likes of Tomas Brady and Ronan Fallon repelled the Kilkenny attack.

John Kelly's eighth minute goal, when he flicked a long Derek O'Reilly delivery to the net, was Dublin's only score of the opening 15 minutes at which stage they trailed 0-7 to 1-0.

But points from McCaffrey and two David Curtin '65s' reduced the deficit to the minimum and Dublin were also denied a goal when 'keeper PJ Ryan brilliantly denied Kevin Flynn.

A superb McCaffrey sideline had the sides level but the Cats with Eddie Brennan to the fore raised their game before the interval to lead 0-13 to 1-4 at half-time.

Brennan's made a massive contribution to Kilkenny's cause as apart from his six points from play he was the only Cats forward who regularly secured clean ball in the air.

Seven minutes from time a Brennan point edged Kilkenny 0-18 to 1-11 but Dublin came with a storming finish.

Kevin Flynn, now operating as a more conventional forward, made a terrific fetch before splitting the posts in the 31st minute and three minutes later he was hauled down in the square.... O'Reilly blasted the resulting penalty to the net.

In the first minute of added time O'Reilly showed good mettle to convert a free from halfway. But the drama was not over, once again Brennan looked set to be a match-winner but for once he was stopped in his tracks as he set off on one of his greyhound sprints.

Kilkenny had couple of late chances but Eoin Larkin was off target with a free. Dublin might have been awarded a later free for a foul on Liam Ryan but they will settle for a point, especially if they take two in Antrim.

SCORERS - Dublin: K O'Reilly 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), J Kelly 1-1, J McCaffrey (0-1 sline), D Curtin (0-2 '65s') 0- 3 each, 0-1f), K Flynn 0-2, L Ryan 0-1. Kilkenny: E Larkin (0-5f), E Brennan 0-6 each, W O'Dwyer 0-3, E McCormack 0-2, M Comerford, A Fogarty 0-1 each.
DUBLIN - G Maguire; P Brennan, S Hiney, T Brady; M Carton, R Fallon, D O'Reilly; J McCaffrey, J Boland; K Dunne, D Qualter, D Curtin; J Kelly, P O'Driscoll, K Flynn. Subs: K O'Reilly for Kelly, G O'Meara for Brennan, L Ryan for Curtin, E Moran for Qualter.
KILKENNY - PJ Ryan; C Hickey, N Hickey, J Tyrell; JJ Delaney, B Hogan, T Walsh; E Larkin, D Lyng; E Brennan, W O'Dwyer, M Rice; E McCormack, M Comerford, A Fogarty. Subs: R Mullally for Rice, M Murphy for McCormack.
REF - J McGrath (Westmeath).

[realredhandfan]

Imagine the hill filled with fans for the Dublin hurling.. that'd be a sight.

[BottleOfStout]

Well done Dublin, great result.  will probably make them favourites for Casement match against Antrim now.  Might take a bit of pressure of Antrim

[tayto]

My original post went awol.

Absolutely great result for us today.The Dublin supporters in the 2nd half were amazing as a 7 point lead (sounds familiar) was pulled back.
Kilkenny had 8 of their AIF team on show and the Ballyhale contingent were not playing.

Best players on pitch were Eddie Brennan, Joey Boland and Ronan Fallon.

Dublin footballers , PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!!!!!!!!

Brennan was class alright caused all sorts of trouble.

Are you sure yer not mistaking Boland for McCaffery? Think they had their numbers down wrong in the program, and McCaffery seems to have discarded his old distinctive white helmet. Both played well though.

Fallon had a great game at 6, thought Hiney was imense as well as the rest of the defence after a slightly awestruck start.

I left Parnell park witha spring in me step, great performance, really encouraging, hope we can keep it going now for the next match, will count for nothing if we lose to Antrim and, as has been said, it's not an easy place to go.

[magpie seanie]

Delighted for Dubs hurling folk who seem to me to be doing trojan work despite suffering many setbacks in terms of losing players to football etc. I am not as clued in on the hurling scene as some but I thought the odds of 6/4 on the Dubs to win a game in the NHL were attractive. Mind you I wouldn't have envisaged this result - would have reckoned the Cats by about 7-10. Hurling needs other counties, like Dublin, to come to the top table and upset the applecart. More power to ye.

[Farrandeelin]

Lads, how did Joey Boland play? Someone said he played very good, while another said he was mistaken with McCaffrey.