Dublin 1-22 Kilkenny 3-13
DUBLIN HAULED THEMSELVES out of the Division 1A drop zone with a three-point win over Kilkenny this evening.
Danny Sutcliffe hit 1-5 in a man of the match performance but goals from John Power, Colin Fennelly and TJ Reid ensured that the Cats were never too far away and set up a nervy finish in Parnell Park.
But Anthony Daly’s side prevailed for their second win of the season, joining Kilkenny on four points ahead of the final round of games next week.
It was the visitors who got the opening goal when Power, a late inclusion at full-forward, fired past Gary Maguire in the ninth minute.
But Dublin kept the scoreboard ticking over in the opening quarter before blitzing Kilkenny in a brilliant finish to the first half.
They scored 1-8 to Kilkenny’s 0-2 in that period, including a rather fortuitous goal in the 31st minute when Sutcliffe’s long shot dropped under the crossbar and goalkeeper David Herity fumbled it into his own net.
That opened up a 10-point margin at the break, 1-16 to 1-6, but Kilkenny responded immediately with two quick goals after the restart.
First Fennelly blasted past Maguire and then substitute Reid rocketed home a penalty after Dublin’s Jack Dougan was penalised for a tangle in the box.
Jonjo Farrell immediately tacked on another point to bring Kilkenny back within three and ominously for the home support, that was the signal for Brian Cody to bring Henry Shefflin off the bench.
But Kilkenny never got closer and although they pressed forward in search of a goal late on, it never came.
Scorers for Dublin: Danny Sutcliffe 1-5, Alan McCrabbe 0-6 (3fs, 1 65, 1 sideline), Joey Boland, Conal Keaney (1f) both 0-3; Colm Cronin, David O’Callaghan, Johnny McCaffrey, Mark Schutte, Ryan O’Dwyer all 0-1.
Scorers for Kilkenny: John Power 1-1; TJ Reid (pen), Colin Fennelly both 1-0; Eoin Larkin 0-4 (3fs, 1 65); Padraig Walsh 0-2; Walter Walsh, Aidan Fogarty, Jonjo Farrell, Cillian Buckley, Richie Power, Richie Hogan (1f) all 0-1.
Dublin: Gary Maguire; Niall Corcoran, Peter Kelly, Cian O’Callaghan; Shane Durkin, Liam Rushe, Michael Carton; Joey Boland, Johnny McCaffrey (c); Colm Cronin, Alan McCrabbe, Danny Sutcliffe; David O’Callaghan, Conal Keaney, Ryan O’Dwyer.
Kilkenny: David Herity; Paul Murphy, Brian Hogan, Tómas Keogh; Tommy Walsh, Lester Ryan, Joey Holden, Richie Hogan; Cillian Buckley, Walter Walsh; Colin Fennelly, Eoin Larkin; Jonjo Farrell, John Power, Aidan Fogarty.
