Since this game the tide has definitely turned but this was a hell of a day for the men in blue.
A quick look at the odds for this weekend’s Leinster semi-final between Kilkenny and Dublin makes for grim reading if you’re a Metropolitan. The reigning All-Ireland champs are priced at the crazy odds of 1/20 while Anthony Daly’s men are 10/1 to cause the upset.
Looking at the last two years in the Championship, those odds make sense. In two games between the sides over the last two summers the combined score is Kilkenny 6-38, Dublin 1-24. With that in mind the handicap odds of -9 don’t look to bad.
But just over two years ago it was hoped that Dublin had made the step up to the top tier of hurling and it was because of this match, the 2011 League final against Kilkenny. On a brilliant day in Croke Park for the Dubs they landed their first League title since 1939.
Kilkenny were poor, only scoring 1-2 in the first 35, as well as seeing Eoin Larkin get the line after 25 minutes, and they never really staged much of a second-half fightback, losing by 0-22 to 1-7 as Dublin were rampant.
At the time we thought perhaps Kilkenny were on the slide and that Dublin were the coming team. 25 months on we know different but if Anthony Daly is looking for something to inspire his men before Sunday’s game, he could do worse than throw on the DVD of this one.
