Chris Crummey of Dublin gets away from Cathal McCabe of Kildare. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
All-Ireland senior hurling championship preliminary quarter-final
Dublin 3-25 Kildare 0-13
By Paul Keane at Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge
Defeat for Kildare, and the end of their hurling season, but what a year it has been for Brian Dowling's crew.
Six days after capturing the Joe McDonagh Cup title at Croke Park, securing their return to the Leinster SHC next season, the Lilywhites were unable to summon a similar performance in front of their home supporters in Newbridge.
Dublin came, saw and pretty much conquered with first-half goals from Ronan Hayes and Diarmaid O'Dulaing laying the platform for their 21-point win. Fergal Whitely added their third goal late in the second-half as they careered through to a glamour All-Ireland SHC quarter-final clash with Limerick next weekend.
Sean Currie, who shot 0-8, finished as top scorer for the Dubs who were sent down the preliminary quarter-final route as a result of their third placed finish in Leinster behind Galway and Kilkenny.
While the jump in standard, so soon after the Croke Park triumph, was too great for Kildare, they were still cheered off the pitch by their fans at the end of a terrific year.
Kildare hoped to carry the momentum from their breakthrough triumph last weekend through to this game, their seventh of the year in Newbridge.
They'd won five of their previous six outings at home, only slipping up to Kerry in Round 1 of the Joe McDonagh Cup, and were tied with Dublin after 10 minutes.
But when Hayes struck Dublin's first goal in the 10th minute, it created a blue wave that washed over the overwhelmed hosts.
By half-time Dublin had put 2-14 on the board to Kildare's 0-5 with the Lilywhites managing just two points from play in that period.
The loss of James Burke from the team to injury hardly helped Kildare.
But Dublin were still without Donal Burke while former All-Star Danny Sutcliffe was absent too through injury.
Burke was at least togged out and, in a positive development ahead of next weekend, got through a light warm up along the sideline in the closing minutes of the game.
John Hetherton was a late addition to the Dublin lineup and the big St Vincent's man made two great first-half fetches, laying on points for Currie and O'Dulaing.
Rising star O Dulaing was the other late addition to the Dublin's team and filled his boots, striking 1-4 in the first-half alone.
The Commercials attacker was a constant threat, jinking this way and that and contorting his body to clip some terrific scores.
He grabbed his goal in the 17th minute after a powerful run in from the right wing that left Dublin 2-6 to 0-4 up and already in the clear.
In all, between the 14th minute and half-time, Dublin outscored a stunned Kildare by 1-10 to 0-1 to open up that giant 15-point half-time lead.
Hayes almost sniped a third goal for Dublin in the 43rd minute but blasted wide when he had Currie free on his left.
It wasn't a fatal error because while Dublin weren't as prolific in the second-half, Kildare never looked like making it a contest again.
The one time Kildare did get in on goal, Cathal Dowling was thwarted by Dublin goalkeeper Sean Brennan who pulled off a great save in the 49th minute.
Both sides rolled in their full allocation of substitutes in the closing minutes as the game petered out towards its inevitable conclusion.
Whitely registered Dublin's third goal and finished with 1-1, beating the Kildare goalkeeper at his near post following a run in from the left wing for his 65th minute goal.
Scorers for Dublin: Sean Currie 0-8 (5fs), Diarmaid O Dulaing 1-4, Fergal Whitely 1-1, Ronan Hayes 1-1, Rian McBride 0-3, Brian Hayes 0-3, Cian O'Sullivan 0-2, Chris Crummey 0-2, Conor Burke 0-1.
Scorers for Kildare: David Qualter 0-8 (6fs, 1 65), Gerry Keegan 0-2, Jack Sheridan 0-1, Cian Boran 0-1, Jack Travers 0-1.
Dublin: Sean Brennan; John Bellew, Paddy Smyth, Conor McHugh; Paddy Doyle, Chris Crummey, Paddy Dunleavy; Brian Hayes, Fergal Whitely; Sean Currie, Ronan Hayes, Rian McBride; John Hetherton, Diarmaid O'Dulaing, Cian O'Sullivan.
Subs: Conor Burke for Whitely 28-29, blood, Burke for McBride 45, Conal O Riain for O'Sullivan 50, Andrew Dunphy for Dunleavy 51, Sean Gallagher for Brian Hayes 59, Darragh Power for Ronan Hayes 65.
Kildare: Paddy McKenna; Dan O'Meara, Rian Boran, Richy Hogan; Paul Dolan, Liam O'Reilly, Cian Boran; Daire Guerin, Simon Leacy; Cathal McCabe, Gerry Keegan, David Qualter; Darragh Melville, Cathal Dowling, Jack Sheridan.
Subs: Jack Travers for McCabe 45, Harry Carroll for O'Reilly 50, Muiris Curtin for Sheridan 58, Killian Harrington for Dowling 60, Oisin Lynam for Qualter 67.
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
