Billy Ryan of Kilkenny celebrates after scoring his side's fifth goal during the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 4 match between Kilkenny and Dublin at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Leinster SHC Round Four
Kilkenny 5-19 Dublin 3-21
By Paul Keane at UPMC Nowlan Park
They needed five goals, and were made to fight all the way in an epic encounter, but holders Kilkenny are through to the Leinster SHC final.
There were audible sounds of relief among the home supporters at UPMC Nowlan Park when the full-time whistle sounded as Derek Lyng's side conjured a 69th minute goal from Billy Ryan, his second of the game, to set the seal on victory.
Leading by 14 points at half-time, and by 16 at one stage early in the second-half, the Cats were powerless to prevent resurgent Dublin from whittling the giant gap down to just two points.
Dublin reeled off 2-4 without response at one stage midway through the second-half to make a game of it and thought they might even pinch a result late on.
Dublin were just two points down in the 69th minute but Ryan ultimately made it four wins on the trot for Kilkenny when he struck their fifth goal in the 70th minute.
Ryan finished with 2-2 in all while veteran TJ Reid scored 1-9. Martin Keoghan and Adrian Mullen hit the net too on a thrilling day for hurling fans in Kilkenny.
Maintaining their 100 percent record this season means that Kilkenny are through to the provincial final with a game to spare. They will play Wexford in their final group game next weekend.
As for Dublin, all is not lost. They have what is effectively now a Leinster semi-final clash with Galway at Parnell Park next Sunday.
And they will face Galway with momentum on their side after this dramatic second-half performance.
Dublin knew this would be a step up in class after wins over Offaly, Wexford and Antrim though couldn't have expected to be 14 points down at half-time.
The sides were level four times up to 0-5 apiece in the opening 15 minutes or so but when Mullen struck Kilkenny's first goal in the 16th minute, it opened the floodgates.
Ryan added the hosts' second goal two minutes later and Reid got in on the goalscoring act in the 29th minute.
Three minutes later, Keoghan grabbed Kilkenny's fourth goal to leave the holders sitting pretty with a 4-12 to 0-10 half-time advantage.
Mullen and Keoghan both struck their goals from close range after long deliveries into the danger area broke kindly.
The Ryan and Reid goals were more to do with individual excellence as both players burst in from the wings before unleashing shots that beat Eddie Gibbons.
Cian O'Sullivan was Dublin's most potent attacker and hit five first-half points from play.
But the 2013 champions got little joy out of long deliveries towards towering targetman John Hetherton and were unable to get their precise passing game going either.
Kilkenny exerted a tight grip all in most areas of the pitch with Cian Kenny and Jordan Molloy holding their own against Dublin's in-form midfield of Conor Burke and Conor Donohoe.
Reid started at full-forward for Kilkenny but dropped deep at times too and had 1-6 racked up by half-time, all of his points coming from frees.
Dublin had the slight wind advantage after the break but were better anyhow, gaining an advantage at midfield where Donohoe really came into his own.
He shot three second-half points while Sean Currie gave Dublin fans hope with a 39th minute goal.
But it wasn't until their second and third goals, in the 53rd and 54th minutes, by Currie again and O'Sullivan, that Dublin looked like potentially getting something from this game.
They fought brilliantly in the final 20 minutes or so and AJ Murphy sniped back to back points after coming on, leaving two in it.
But Kilkenny aren't chasing a six-in-a-row of provincial titles for nothing and duly killed off the Metropolitans with that late Ryan goal. Jordan Molloy did the spadework with a run through the centre before offloading to Ryan on the right.
Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 1-9 (9fs), Billy Ryan 2-2, Martin Keoghan 1-3, Adrian Mullen 1-0, Stephen Donnelly 0-1, Billy Ryan 0-1, Killian Doyle 0-1, Jordan Molloy 0-1, Luke Hogan 0-1.
Scorers for Dublin: Sean Currie 2-6 (1-4fs, 1 65), Cian O'Sullivan 1-5, Conor Donohoe 0-4, Andrew Jamieson-Murphy 0-2, Darragh Power 0-1, Rian McBride 0-1, Chris Crummey 0-1, Fergal Whitely 0-1.
Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Paddy Deegan; David Blanchfield, Richie Reid, Mikey Carey; Cian Kenny, Jordan Molloy; Adrian Mullen, John Donnelly, Billy Ryan; Martin Keoghan, TJ Reid, Stephen Donnelly.
Subs: Killian Doyle for Blanchfield 24-25, blood, Luke Hogan for Mullen 45, Doyle for Kenny 48, Fionan Mackessy for Hogan 59, Luke Connellan for S Donnelly 71, Tommy Walsh for Blanchfield 72.
Dublin: Eddie Gibbons; Conor McHugh, Paddy Smyth, John Bellew; Paddy Doyle, Chris Crummey, Paddy Dunleavy; Conor Burke, Conor Donohoe; Cian O'Sullivan, Brian Hayes, Darragh Power; Sean Currie, John Hetherton, Colin Currie.
Subs: Fergal Whitely for Dunleavy h/t, Ronan Hayes for Colin Currie h/t, Rian McBride for Burke 49, Andrew Jamieson-Murphy for Power 65.
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary).
