DUBLIN’S RECENT RECORD against Kilkenny makes for rather grim reading.
The Cats have won each of the last 12 matches between the counties, with Dublin toppling them just once in the Championship in the last 80 years. That was in the 2013 Leinster semi-final replay, and the Dubs went on to end a 52-year wait for provincial glory.
The most recent meeting of this one-sided rivalry? March’s Allianz League clash at Nowlan Park, which finished 2-25 to 1-17 in favour of the hosts. The Noresiders triumphed by an average of 13 points in their 2021 and 2022 championship meetings.
“I think it’s a mental thing, rather than physical or hurling-wise against them,” Dublin defender Paddy Smyth said last year, reflecting on the 0-17 to 3-25 Leinster landslide at Parnell Park.
Their manager, Michéal Donoghue, is one man who knows a thing or two about challenging Kilkenny.
His time at the Galway helm yielded just one defeat to the Cats across five Championship meetings. In 2019, he became the first manager to secure three victories over Brian Cody’s heavyweights in the championship.
With Derek Lyng in the hot-seat now, can Donoghue work the oracle once more?
Donoghue took charge of Galway in the wake of two All-Ireland final defeats to Kilkenny in 2012 and 2015.
Having previously managed Clarinbridge to the 2011 All-Ireland club title win over O’Loughlin Gaels, his first meeting with the Cats on the inter-county stage arrived in the 2016 League. It finished in a 0-21 to 1-14 Nowlan Park loss.
They locked horns again that season in the Leinster final, Kilkenny lifting the Bob O’Keeffe Cup after a 0-22 to 1-26 victory at Croke Park.
Tipperary beat Cody’s men by nine points — 2-29 to 2-20 — in the All-Ireland decider, having overcome Galway by the minimum in their semi-final.
While Donoghue delivered Liam MacCarthy success in 2017, bridging a 29-year gap in the process, Galway and Kilkenny did not cross paths.
The Tribe saw off Wexford in the Leinster final, with the Yellowbellies stunning Kilkenny en route to the showpiece. They were knocked out in the qualifiers for the first time ever by Waterford, who Galway beat on a scoreline of 0-26 to 2-17 in the All-Ireland final.
In 2018, Galway reigned supreme in provincial fare once more after winning two of three meetings with the Cats.
Playing their first home Leinster match in Salthill, the hosts won the round-robin encounter 1-22 to 2-11 on way their way to topping the group. A first win over Kilkenny in this period, a huge notch on Donoghue’s belt.
He then masterminded a 1-28 to 3-15 victory in the provincial final replay (the first act finished 0-18 apiece) as Galway secured a second consecutive — and third-ever — Leinster title.
They were beaten by Limerick in the All-Ireland final, the Treaty having defeated Kilkenny in the quarter-final.
In 2019, Donoghue’s final season as manager, Galway scored another big win over Kilkenny. This time at Nowlan Park: it was Kilkenny’s first home championship defeat in 70 years.
Donoghue became the first manager to secure three championship victories over the Cats and the 2-22 to 3-20 Round Four Leinster success appeared hugely significant.
But the defending champions were eliminated the following week, however, their summer coming to a premature end after a 3-19 to 0-24 defeat to. . . Dublin.
In that same period of time (2016-2019), the Dubs lost by 12, two and five points respectively to Kilkenny in the Leinster Championship, and twice in the league.
In the years since, it’s been defeat after defeat too, including the 2021 provincial final:
Dublin-Kilkenny championship games
- 2020: Kilkenny 3-20 Dublin 2-22
- 2021: Kilkenny 1-25 Dublin 0-19
- 2022: Dublin 0-17 Kilkenny 3-25
Dublin-Kilkenny league games
- 2020: Kilkenny 3-21 Dublin 0-18
- 2021: Dublin 0-18 Kilkenny 1-20
- 2022: Dublin 0-16 Kilkenny 2-23
- 2023: Kilkenny 2-25 Dublin 1-17
Last May’s collapse against the Cats derailed Dublin’s season, while March’s trimming on Noreside was another sucker-punch for the Sky Blues.
But with more time with Dononghue under their belt and after a pretty positive few weeks, they’ll be hoping to overturn this one-sided rivalry.
Both sides are on five points after three rounds. Dublin have beaten Westmeath and Wexford and drawn with Antrim, while Kilkenny overcame Westmeath and Antrim and shared the spoils with Galway.
This is a big one, with Kilkenny travelling to Wexford and Donoghue welcoming his former side to Croke Park to conclude the group games.
What better way to go into that one, than having worked his oracle and toppled the Cats once more?
- Kilkenny v Dublin, Leinster SHC Round 4 — Saturday, Nowlan Park, throw-in 6pm
