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Kilkenny 1-20 Dublin 0-18
The absence of supporters meant Brian Cody’s voice boomed throughout Parnell Park when he ordered his players to up the intensity for the final quarter of their Allianz League opener.
A resurgent Dublin had just struck four points in a row and the second water break couldn’t have come at a better time from Kilkenny’s perspective with the scores now level at 0-16 apiee.
Cody’s message in his 23rd season in charge of Kilkenny clearly isn’t getting stale because the players followed his instructions to the letter, upping the ante to a level Dublin couldn’t handle.
The Leinster champions scored 1-4 in the final quarter to Dublin’s 0-2, both of which were David Treacy pointed frees, and that was that.
Martin Keoghan’s 61st minute goal and 1-4 haul overall was decisive for Kilkenny while TJ Reid hit 0-7 and Padraig Walsh impressed too as the Cats got their Division 1B campaign off to a winning start.
It wasn’t a classic encounter, and certainly not as memorable as last Halloween’s Championship epic at Croke Park, but for the first weekend of the year the fare more than sufficed.
Notably, it was Adrian Mullen’s first game for Kilkenny in 15 months having suffered cruciate knee ligament damage against Clare in early 2020.
The new team captain showed plenty of energy, setting up Keoghan for one neat score before being rested at half-time.
Mullen’s Shamrocks clubmate Darragh Corcoran made his debut and needed just 10 minutes to split the posts with a long range score.
In all, Kilkenny went with 10 of the team that lined out against Waterford in last winter’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat.
They lost Richie Leahy to what appeared to be an early hamstring injury.
Dublin persisted with ex-captain Chris Crummey, best known as a half-back, at centre-forward and he figured prominently.
Rushe manned the number six position and was a steadying influence for Dublin while Walsh impressed in the same role for Kilkenny.

Dublin’s Chris Crummey and Kilkenny’s TJ Reid get acquainted at Parnell Park. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho


Cats goalkeeper Eoin Murphy alternated between short and long puck-outs though Dublin stopper Sean Brennan went long to a towering half-forward line containing the towering Crummey and a lively Danny Sutcliffe.
Kilkenny were caught out two minutes before half-time when Ciaran Wallace was pulled for over-carrying after another short puck-out, Donal Burke converting the free.
That was Burke’s fourth point of an evenly contested half and left Dublin 0-9 to 0-8 ahead having been tied on five occasions.
They were tied again at 0-9 apiece when Cillian Buckley levelled with a long range score for Kilkenny before points from Walsh and James Bergin, his second.
That rapid fire three-in-a-row of scores left Kilkenny 0-11 to 0-9 ahead at half-time in a game buffeted by a stiff crossfield breeze.
With 17 first-half wides between the teams and 27 in total, it wasn’t always easy on the eye and the teams remained deadlocked at the end of the third quarter.
Kilkenny had moved four points clear at one stage but Dublin scores from Burke, Sutcliffe and Cian Boland levelled it up at 0-16 apiece.
It looked like an intriguing finale was in store but Kilkenny responded as Kilkenny generally do, upping the intensity to a level that Dublin couldn’t live with and Keoghan’s goal was decisive.
Kilkenny: E Murphy; C Wallace, H Lawlor, P Deegan; D Corcoran (0-1), P Walsh (0-2), C Browne; C Buckley (0-1), R Leahy; J Donnelly (0-2), A Mullen, M Keoghan (1-4); J Bergin (0-2), TJ Reid (0-7, six frees, one 65), E Cody. Subs: R Reid for Leahy (11 min), J Maher for Mullen (ht), M Carey for Buckley (56 min), A Murphy (0-1) for Bergin 60.
Dublin: S Brennan; A Dunphy (0-1), E O’Donnell, P Smyth; S Moran, L Rushe, D Gray (0-1); C Burke, J Madden; D Sutcliffe (0-2), C Crummey (0-2), R Hayes; D Burke (0-7, 5f, 1 65), E Dillon (0-1), D Keogh (0-1). Subs: R McBride for Moran (42 min), C Boland (0-1) for Keogh (45), C O’Sullivan for D Burke (61), J Malone for C Burke (64), D Treacy (0-2, two frees) for Hayes (71), P O’Dea for Madden (71), O O’Rorke for Dillon (73).
Referee: J Keenan (Wicklow).