Sport

Power's goals undo all Dublin's good work

Kilkenny 2-21 Dublin 0-23   SOMETIMES, YOU just need to be a little more streetwise

PHILIP REID At Parnell Park
Mon Mar 22 2010 - 00:00

Kilkenny 2-21 Dublin 0-23  SOMETIMES, YOU just need to be a little more streetwise. Yesterday, the perennial All-Ireland champions rolled into Parnell Park in a luxury coach and brought some hurling savvy to their city cousins.

Although Dublin matched Kilkenny in most departments - including hunger, fitness and physicality - there was one critical element missing from their armoury: the ability to poach goals.

In Richie Power, Kilkenny possessed the difference. In the space of seven minutes towards the backend of the first half, Power - with the stealth and craft of a pickpocket - scored two goals and two points from play, a contribution that effectively turned this contest on its head and ensured the visitors ended their two-game losing streak in the league.

Losing doesn't fit readily with the Kilkenny psyche, and this win brought a return to more accustomed ways.

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The days when Dublin would accept a moral victory or the empty accolades that came their way for at least making a match of it with the hurling kingpins are long gone.

"Silly mistakes cost us, but we never gave up the ghost," said Dublin manager Anthony Daly afterwards.

In truth it was Power's finishing prowess that ultimately proved crucial, his first goal coming after outjumping Ronan Fallon to snatch a high ball from the skies in the 24th minute and, then, taking a 31st minute pass from Eoin Larkin that was dispatched low and hard pass the helpless Gary Maguire to the net.

Before the first goal, Dublin led 0-7 to 0-6 - the minimum their efforts deserved. Having lost tamely to Offaly the previous week, there was a sense Dublin needed to prove a point. So it was they fought as if their lives depended on it for every ball, their enthusiasm probably working against them in instances where players took the wrong options; like a couple of overly elaborate crossfield passes going astray and times where players took on shots with better-positioned team-mates available.

Kilkenny, who'd come into the game nursing back-to-back defeats to Tipperary and Cork, were trailing from the time Alan McCrabbe pointed a free two minutes into the match for Dublin.

They didn't get their noses in front until Power's opening goal; and, although Dublin responded with points from the impressive Maurice O'Brien (who scored four points from play from midfield) and John McCaffrey to draw level, Kilkenny put some daylight between the sides as half-time approached.

Points from Tommy Walsh, whose influence grew as the game developed, aided in no small part by Dublin puck-outs going to his part of the pitch, and Power's second goal, left the home side - who had edged most of the exchanges - wondering how on earth they went into the dressing room at half-time on the wrong end of a 2-9 to 0-12 scoreline.

In fairness to Dublin, they never dropped their heads. In fact, three unanswered McCrabbe points got them back to within a point of Kilkenny at one juncture but the growing impact of half-forward John Mulhall - who contributed four points from play in the second-half - combined with Dublin's inability to find a goal meant the Cats stayed out of reach.

Who knows what would have happened if Peter Kelly's powerful shot on the hour had found the net? Kelly's shot was somehow deflected for a 65 by the wonderful instinctive reaction of Kilkenny's young goalkeeper David Herity. It wasn't meant to be, and Kilkenny - the masters at closing out games - ensured there were no more scares.

Dublin, who have been sucked into the relegation dog-fight, will at least take heart from battling to the death. Kilkenny, meanwhile, are back to winning ways and know that things will only get better as the days get longer.

KILKENNY:D Herity; C Hickey, B Hogan, S Cummins; T Walsh (0-1), J Tyrrell, J Ryall; J Tennyson (0-1), P Hogan (0-3, two 65s); J Mulhall (0-5), D Lyng (0-1), M Rice; R Power (2-7, five frees), E Larkin, A Fogarty (0-3). Subs:E Guinan for Lyng (44 mins), W O'Dwyer for Power (70 mins).

DUBLIN:G Maguire; N Corcoran, R Fallon, O Gough; S Hiney, T Brady, J Boland (0-1); M O'Brien (0-4), J McCaffrey (0-4, three frees, one 65); P Kelly, S Durkin (0-1), L Ryan; D O'Callaghan (0-2), D Treacy (0-1), A McCrabbe (0-9, seven frees, one 65). Subs:S Lambert (0-1) for Ryan (55 mins), D Curtin for Fallon (55mins), K Flynn for Durkin (64 mins).

Referee:D Kirwan (Cork).