Kilkenny 2-23 Dublin 0-16

Anthony Daly questioned referee Paud O’Dwyer when he pulled Donal Burke and then Padraig Walsh for throwing the ball.

But then, as he watched the replay, Dalo himself wasn’t sure if they’d thrown or hand-passed the ball. Which proves Paud O’Dwyer’s point. The rule states that, when hand-passing the ball, there must be a “clear striking action” and, with neither of the boys letting day-light in, the referee was left with no choice.

In the commentary box, Daly said he hopes we don’t have to put up with this stop-start side-show for the summer but maybe that’s what it’s going to take. Hurling has a hand-pass problem and there’s no point in saying otherwise. With the game becoming more and more focused on short, sharp and most importantly fast passing, particularly over the last few years, players have begun to take liberties.

And that’s where the problem starts.

They know they can get away with it so, whenever a team-mate sprints by calling for a lay-off, a lay-off is exactly what they get. The ball is transferred so fast that they couldn’t possibly have hand-passed it and usually, referees play away.

But that’s all changing now.

Referees have been notably stricter in this year’s league and while there will be teething problems, groans and dissenting voices – it will take a bit of getting used to – it will be worth it in the long run. Because hand-passing is a brilliant skill that has been abused in recent times.

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The reason we’re talking so much about hand-passing is because there wasn’t much of a game in Donnycarney. Dublin started well and with the partisan Parnell Park crowd making their voices heard, it felt like a thriller was brewing in the cauldron. But then, in a manner that explains why they’ve only beaten Kilkenny three times in their last 14 meetings, they began to shoot themselves in the foot.

Their passing game broke down. They carried into contact when the pass should have been given and, as has been their achilles heel for what feels like forever, they hit wide after wide after wide. In fairness, Kilkenny weren’t much better in this department in the early stages and the cross-wind won’t have helped either side, but Walter Walsh soon found his radar and the Cats were away.

Dublin had no such game-changer. Wally hit 1-3, Padraig Walsh knocked over three beauties and Mossy Keoghan scored a goal of his own and while, at the other end, Aidan Mellett and Ronan Hayes looked dangerous early on, Huw Lawlor soon settled and he was deservedly named man-of-the-match.

There has been plenty of optimism about Dublin’s unbeaten start to the season but this was sobering. They have six weeks to improve. Meanwhile, apart from the hamstring injuries to Tom Phelan and Cian Kenny (his seemed less severe,) Cody will be happy, especially with the impressive young David Blanchfield.

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