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Clinical Kilkenny have too much firepower for Dublin

LEINSTER MHC FINAL: Kilkenny 1-20 Dublin 0-10  KILKENNY HAD far too much firepower for Dublin to claim their 53rd Leinster minor…

Mon Jul 05 2010 - 01:00

LEINSTER MHC FINAL: Kilkenny 1-20 Dublin 0-10 KILKENNY HAD far too much firepower for Dublin to claim their 53rd Leinster minor title at a blustery Croke Park yesterday.

Outstanding midfielder Kevin Kelly got them under way with a point after just 19 seconds and the equally-impressive Ger Aylward added another score before Glenn Whelan got the Dubs off the mark in the eighth minute. Dual player Ciarán Kilkenny might have had a goal from that attack but having rounded Kilkenny goalkeeper Dylan Walsh he was unable to put his football skills to good use after losing his hurley.

Kilkenny had a clear superiority in terms of touch and ability though, and were full value for their 1-11 to 0-4 interval lead.

Thomas O’Hanrahan finished clinically to the Dublin net in the 18th minute and Kelly slotted two more points from distance. Matters could have been worse for Dublin but for two saves by goalkeeper Eamon Dillon from John Power, and he also did well to stop a shot from Aylward in the second half.

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There was no change to the trend in the second half, where Aylward profited from the switch to full-forward and the quality of ball coming in his direction.

Power converted a brace of frees in response to a pointed free by John Hetherton and when Aylward hit the target, there were 12 points between the sides.

Hetherton slotted three frees in succession to cut that margin to nine but Kilkenny opened the throttle just a little bit to pull away again.

John Power brought his tally to eight points, while Aylward was a constant threat, his adroit finish after rounding Emmet McKenna just a sample of the work that yielded five from play.

Dublin never stopped putting in the hard yards, with Darren Kelly amongst the most visible at the coalface, but they lacked a cutting edge up front. Dean Flood had a late chance of a goal when sneaking in behind the defence and though his shot beat Kilkenny custodian Dylan Walsh there wasn’t enough on it to evade the retreating Jason Corcoran. Aylward and Power landed two points to seal on another success for the latest breed of Kilkenny hurlers.

KILKENNY:D Walsh; J Corcoran, W Phelan, B Kennedy; P O'Carroll, L Harney, E McGrath (0-1); K Kelly (0-3), O Walsh (0-1); C Buckley (0-1), G Aylward (0-5), P Walsh (0-1); M Brennan, J Power (0-8, five frees, two 65s), T O'Hanrahan (1-0). Subs: P Delaney for Brennan (26 mins), P Vickery for O'Hanrahan (40 mins), D Waugh for P Walsh (53 mins).

DUBLIN:E Dillon; C Murphy, E McKenna, S McClelland; C Crumney, D Sutcliffe, B Quinn; D Kelly, F Heavey; G Whelan (0-1), N Maguire, D Forde (0-1); D Flood (0-1), C Kilkenny (0-2), J Hetherton (0-5, frees). Subs: C Moffat for Quinn (20 mins), C Costello for Heavey (44 mins), B McCarthy for Murphy (44 mins), D Mulligan for Kilkenny (58 mins).

Referee:A Lagrue (Kildare).