Dublin v Kilkenny: Recent HL meetings

Dublin and Kilkenny meet this Saturday in Parnell Park (3.30) in their Allianz HL Division 1B opener.

The counties are familiar opponents having met twice last year - in both League and Championship - with the Cats victorious on both occasions.

Here we look back on last year's two meetings as well as the more recent League encounters of the last few years.

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2020 LEINSTER SHC SEMI-FINAL

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31: Croke Park
KILKENNY 3-20 DUBLIN 2-22

Dublin went close to staging a remarkable winning comeback in this Leinster SHC semi-final at Croke Park.

After trailing by 15 points at half-time, 3-13 to 0-7, and by 16 early in the second half they summoned a fightback in the concluding quarter that brought them level with Daire Gray's point in the 71st minute.

However, the Cats steadied themselves with points from Alan Murphy and Huw Lawlor to edge two points in front before Donal Burke finished the scoring after a bizarre game.

Deep in added time Dublin were awarded a free which though was moved forward Donal Burke's effort from 95 metres fell short and the Cats progressed.

"It wasn’t left behind in the second half – it was probably left behind in the first half. Some of the mistakes we made in the first half were punished hugely by Kilkenny, and that’s what they do," said Dublin manager, Mattie Kenny, afterwards.

“But, in fairness to the guys, they regrouped at half-time and they went out and put in a really, really good performance in the second half. The fight they showed, the character they showed - I think we were 15 points down and it wasn’t a very pleasant situation to be in,” he added.

First half goals from Billy Ryan, the influential TJ Reid and Colin Fennelly had Kilkenny cruising at the break and still by the second half water break it was very hard to see Mattie Kenny's men get into contention despite points from Cian Boland and two from Donal Burke (including one free) as the score stood at 3-15 to 0-11 in Kilkenny's favour.

Kilkenny star TJ Reid has been a scoring thorn in Dublin's side in recent SHC meetings and his first half display was again central to the victory for Brian Cody's men.

However, Dublin kept chipping away and two Burke frees, either side of a TJ Reid score, was followed by a point from impressive sub Eamonn Dillon before Ronan Hayes did well close to goal when fielding a long delivery from Donal Burke before turning on goal and weaving past two defenders to grab Dublin's first goal - 3-16 to 1-14 after 57 minutes.

Further points from Chris Crummey, a fine effort, and Donal Burke (free) closed the gap to two clear goals. With six minutes to play Chris Crummey finished stylishly to the net for Dublin's second goal - batting a rebound past keeper Eoin Murphy after the Cats netminder had parried a drive from Donal Burke - and the Dubs were now on top with scores from Donal Burke (free) and two from Eamonn Dillon before Daire Gray equalised - 3-18 to 2-21 with three more minutes of added time to play.

But that was as good as it got for the Dubs in a frenetic finish with those points from Alan Murphy and Huw Lawlor enough to see Kilkenny into a provincial decider against Galway.

Dublin were transformed in this late spell, at odds with their display in the opening half when anything that could go wrong did.

SCORERS – Kilkenny: TJ Reid 1-10 (0-6f), B Ryan, C Fennelly 1-1 each, J Donnelly, W Walsh 0-2 each, E Cody, C Delaney, A Murphy, H Lawlor 0-1 each. Dublin: D Burke 0-12 (0-10f), E Dillon 0-4, C Crummey 1-1, R Hayes 1-0, C Boland, D Gray 0-2 each, D Sutcliffe 0-1.
KILKENNY: E Murphy; H Lawlor, C Wallace, C Delaney; C Buckley, P Deegan, P Walsh; R Reid, C Fogarty; J Donnelly, E Cody, W Walsh; TJ Reid, B Ryan, C Fennelly. Subs: R Hogan for Ryan (51), M Keoghan for Cody (60), C Browne for Fogarty (64), A Murphy for Donnelly (64), R Leahy for R Reid (68).
DUBLIN: A Nolan; E O’Donnell, C O’Callaghan, J Madden; D Gray, P Smyth, C Burke; S Moran, R McBride; C Boland, D Burke, D Sutcliffe; C Crummey, D Keogh, L Rushe. Subs: E Dillon for Keogh (ht), R Hayes for Rushe (41), J Malone for Moran (50), M Schutte for Boland (59), F Whitely for McBride (70).
REF: J Murphy (Limerick).

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2020 HL DIVISION 1 GROUP B

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26: Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
KILKENNY 3-21 DUBLIN 0-18

Two first half goals from Kilkenny left Dublin always chasing this HL Division 1 Group B opener against the Cats in Nowlan Park.

Dublin led 0-2 to 0-1 early on, courtesy of two Oisín O’Rorke frees, before Ger Aylward struck for Kilkenny’s first goal in the tenth minute in front of an attendance of 5,605.

That goal still separated the counties heading towards the last ten minutes of the half when Billy Ryan hit the first of his two goals to put Kilkenny 2-6 to 0-6 clear.

Despite a red card to Kilkenny’s Richie Leahy, Dublin were still two clear goals adrift at the break, 2-10 to 0-10, with scores late in the half from Riain McBride, Seán Moran (a long-range free) and Ronan Hayes.

Dublin restarted well with another long-range Seán Moran free and fine point from play by Eamonn Dillon to reduce the gap to four points.

However, Kilkenny responded strongly with scores from Niall Brassil, John Donnelly and an Alan Murphy free to move seven points ahead, 2-13 to 0-12 by the 44th minute.

Before the 50th minute Seán Moran had added two points (including one free) with Eamonn Dillon on target for the second time to leave five between the sides with 20 minutes to play.

But Dublin really needed a goal to ignite a comeback which materialised with Kilkenny’s third goal coming in the 60th minute, Billy Ryan again the scorer, to send the Cats on their way to a comfortable 12-point victory.

"We introduced a few new players today and I suppose last year we worked hard early on in the league and, as the championship went on, we seemed to lose our form a little bit. Having said that, we still would have liked a better performance today,” said Dublin manager Mattie Kenny.

SCORERS - Kilkenny: A Murphy 0-8 (0-6f, 0-1 '65'), B Ryan 2-0, G Aylward 1-0, P Deegan, C Fogarty, W Walsh, N Brassil 0-2 each, J Donnelly, M Keoghan, L Scanlon, M Carey, B Sheehan 0-1 each. Dublin: O O’Rorke 0-6 (0-4f), S Moran 0-4 (0-3f), R Hayes (0-1f), E Dillon 0-2 each, D Sutcliffe, C Crummey, R McBride, T Connolly (0-1 each.

KILKENNY: E Murphy; C Wallace, H Lawlor, C Delaney; M Cody, P Deegan, M Carey; C Fogarty, A Murphy; J Donnelly, W Walsh, R Leahy; B Ryan, G Aylward, N Brassil. Subs: M Keoghan for Aylward (45), J Maher for A Murphy (52), T Walsh for Cody (56), B Sheehan for Ryan (60).
DUBLIN: A Nolan; P Smyth, Eoghan O’Donnell, J Madden; C Crummey, D Gray, C O’Callaghan; F Whitely, R McBride; T Connolly, D Sutcliffe, R Hayes; C Boland, O O’Rorke, E Dillon. Subs: S Moran for Whitely (31), M Schutte for Boland (40), L McMullan for Connolly (57), J Hetherton for McBride (65).
REF: P O’Dwyer (Carlow).

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2017 HL DIVISION 1A
SUNDAY, MARCH 26: Parnell Park
DUBLIN 1-16 KILKENNY 2-20

Dublin went on to face Clare in a relegation play-off after losing to Kilkenny in this HL Division 1A encounter at Parnell Park.

The Dubs played for 40 minutes with 14 men after goalkeeper Gary Maguire was sent off (straight red card) in the 31st minute for a foul on Liam Blanchfield as he fired to the net.

It was a real turning point in the game as the Dubs had contested very well and led 0-9 to 1-3 after 30 minutes. Sub keeper Conor Dooley had to be introduced forcing the substitution of Eoghan Conroy as the Cats progressed to hold a 2-5 to 0-10 lead at the interval.

Kilkenny's opening goal arrived in the seventh minute when the influential Conor Martin was in the right spot to finish to the net past Maguire following terrific build-up play by Colin Fennelly.

Dublin had been backed by the wind in the opening half and carried the battle to the Cats.

Donal Burke, a year out of the minor grade, showed several glimpses of his class with one superb first half fetch and long-range angled free as well as a stylish point from play from a difficult angle.

Kilkenny with the advantage of the wind and the extra man restarted the better with points from Liam Blanchfield and Colin Fennelly.

However, Dublin responded brilliantly with a Donal Burke goal after Ryan O'Dwyer's initial effort was parried by keeper Eoin Murphy to bring the sides level.

It was nip and tuck for the following ten minutes before Brian Cody's men began to put distance between the counties on the scoreboard.

Two excellent points from Chris Crummey and Ben Quinn had the Dubs trailing by the minimum, 1-14 to 2-12, with 20 minutes remaining.

But Kilkenny then hit a flurry of points with TJ Reid and Conor Martin to the fore to help their side eventually ease to victory.

Dublin had one late goal sighting but Rian McBride's well struck effort was matched by the athleticism of Murphy in goals to deny the St Vincent's clubman.

SCORERS - Kilkenny: TJ Reid 0-10 (0-6f), C Martin 1-5, L Blanchfield 1-2, C Fogarty, W Walsh, R Hogan 0-1 each. Dublin: D Burke 1-9 (0-7), C Crummey 0-3, B Quinn, R O'Dwyer, C Boland, N McMorrow 0-1 each.
KILKENNY: E Murphy; P Murphy, P Walsh, C O'Shea; C Fogarty, J Cleere, S Prendergast; P Deegan, C Buckley; C Fennelly, W Walsh, TJ Reid; L Blanchfield, R Hogan, C Martin. Subs: J Holden for P Walsh (ht), P Lyng for Hogan (52), K Joyce for O'Shea (61).
DUBLIN: G Maguire; F O Riain Broin, E O'Donnell, S Barrett; C Crummey, L Rushe, C Mac Gabhann; B Quinn, D Fox; E Conroy, N McMorrow, R O'Dwyer; C Boland, D Burke, E Dillon. Subs: C Dooley for Conroy (31), R McBride for Mac Gabhann (52), C O'Sullivan for Boland (58), F Whitely for Fox (65).
REF: P O'Dwyer (Carlow).

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2016 NHL DIVISION 1A
SUNDAY, MARCH 20: Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
KILKENNY 0-23 DUBLIN 1-14

Kilkenny saw off the Dublin challenge in this HL Division 1A clash at Nowlan Park in front of a crowd of 8,871.

With both sides already qualified for the quarter-finals this tie lacked a real 'bite' with the Cats always held the upperhand and led 0-7 to 0-1 inside 19 minutes.

By the break they were 0-14 to 1-3 clear with Fionntán Mac Gibb, who started instead of David O’Callaghan, grabbing the Dublin goal to temporarily arrest Kilkenny’s momentum.

However, with TJ Reid to the fore from frees and open play Kilkenny reeled off six unanswered points to establish an eight-point interval advantage.

Dublin rallied in the second half with Eamonn Dillon and Mac Gibb causing problems for the Kilkenny rearguard.

Late on Dillon did have a goal chance but was denied by Richie Reid in the 70th minute.

SCORERS - Kilkenny: TJ Reid 0-11 (0-6f), W Walsh, R Hogan 0-3 each, P Walsh, L Ryan 0-2 each, J Power, K Joyce (0-1f) 0-1 each. Dublin: D Treacy 0-5 (0-4f), F Mac Gibb 1-1, E Dillon 0-3, N McMorrow 0-2, M Schutte, L Rushe, 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 (61), S Prendergast for Tyrrell (61), K Kelly for Malone (72).
DUBLIN: G Maguire; E O'Donnell, C O'Callaghan, O Gough; C Crummey, L Rushe, S Barrett; D O'Connell, G Whelan; C Cronin, N McMorrow, D Treacy; F Mac Gibb, E Dillon, M Schutte. Subs: J McCaffrey for Whelan (28), S McGrath for Cronin (46), S Treacy for O'Connell (61).
REF: J Keenan (Wicklow).

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2015 HL DIVISION 1A
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22: Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
DUBLIN 0-25 KILKENNY 3-11

Dublin's hurlers maintained their early season momentum when defeating Kilkenny in this HL Division 1A clash at Nowlan Park.

This win was Dublin's first victory against the Cats in Nowlan Park since 1964 (Walsh Cup match). Dublin did beat Kilkenny in November 1989 in NHL action in Callan while the previous NHL victory in Nowlan Park was in March 1961.

While there was five points between the sides at the finish Dublin were by far the better side and led by 14 points, 0-24 to 1-7, with 15 minutes remaining.

Dublin's cause was greatly helped by the sending off of two Kilkenny players (both straight reds) with Jonjo Farrell controversially sent off in the 24th minute and sub Joe Lyng in the 55th minute following a high pull on Cian Boland.

However, Dublin played some excellent hurling showing great composure and precision in their play as they hit the ground running from the first whistle to put the Cats on the back foot.

A superb Peter Kelly point on the run in the opening minute set the early tone and by the 11th minute Ger Cunningham's men were 0-7 to 0-1 to the good.

Danny Sutcliffe's power in the air and over the ground were to the fore as the St Jude's man clipped two stylish points while David Treacy was excellent form play and placed balls.

One of the best points of the game arrived in the 11th minute when Shane Durkin showed good vision and timing to reverse the ball to Kelly who split the post form the halfway line.

However, Dublin were punished in the 16th minute when Matthew Ruth was rewarded for his persistence when he first blocked a Paul Schutte attempted clearance before reacting quickest to steer the sliotar past Alan Nolan and then tap into an empty net.

Crucially though Dublin reacted with a Simon Lambert point. There was just the minimum, 0-8 to 1-4, between the sides when full-forward Farrell was red-carded and it had a telling effect on the game.

Dublin quickly upped the tempo and points from Eamonn Dillon and two Treacy scores (one '65') settled the Dubs.

The Dubs also finished the half in a blitz of scores with Treacy scoring the concluding four points of the half to enter the break 0-15 to 1-5 to the good.

Early points in the second half from Mark Schutte and Sutcliffe strengthened Dublin's position and with Peter Kelly operating as the free man at the back the Dublin defence found itself under little concerted pressure.

Dublin's work-rate didn't drop with the likes of Chris Crummey getting through a mountain of work and Shane Durkin's fine 54th minute points had Dublin 0-24 to 1-7 clear.

However, Dublin were punished in the final ten minutes of the game when Richie Hogan blasted a 23-metre free to the net and four minutes from time Ruth whipped to the net from close range to close the gap. As the game ticked into added time Danny Sutcliffe was sent off on a second yellow card.

SCORERS - Dublin: D Treacy 0-11 (0-4f, 0-3 '65'), D Sutcliffe 0-4, M Schutte, E Dillon 0-3 each, P Kelly 0-2, S Lambert, S Durkin 0-1 each. Kilkenny: R Hogan 1-7 (1-5f, 0-1 '65'), M Ruth 2-0, JJ Farrell, P Walsh, W Walsh, M Kelly 0-1 each.
DUBLIN: A Nolan; C O’Callaghan, M Carton, P Schutte; C Crummey, P Kelly, C Keaney; S Durkin, S Lambert; C Cronin, E Dillon, D Sutcliffe; D Treacy, L Rushe, M Schutte. Subs: C Boland for Cronin (53), P Ryan for Treacy (65).
KILKENNY: E Murphy; T Keogh, P Murphy, J Tyrrell; B Kennedy, K Joyce, C Buckley; G Brennan, L Ryan; P Walsh, W Walsh, M Ruth; M Kelly, J Farrell, R Hogan. Subs: J Power for Brennan (43), J Lyng for Kennedy (43).
REF: C Lyons (Cork).