Kilkenny leads way as classy Dubs run riot

A DOMINANT first-half display set Dublin on course for a 37-point victory over Carlow at Parnell Park.

The All-Ireland holders raced out of the blocks with early points from Adam Caffrey, Ciaran Kilkenny and Shane Carthy before Kilkenny marked his return to county colours with a fortuitous 11th-minute goal.

Danny Byrne’s point four minutes before the interval meant that all of Dublin’s front-eight had found the target from play as the Dubs turned around leading by 1-16 to 0-1.

The second-half resumed in a similar vein, with Kilkenny, who ended with a personal tally of 2-10, slotting home their second goal after Calvin Keogh had worked wonders to block Glenn Whelan’s close-range effort SCORERS – Dublin: C Kilkenny 2-10 (0-2f), S Carthy 1-2, P Mannion 0-4 (1f), H Dawson 1-0, A Caffrey 0-3, G Whelan, G Ivory 0-2, E Ó Conghaile, M Gibbs, Danny Byrne, P Maguire 0-1 each. Carlow: D Kelly, S McGrath 0-1 each. DUBLIN – L Molloy; M Durcan, David Byrne, N McGovern; E Lowndes, C Mulally, J McCaffrey; E O Conghaile, G Whelan; S Carthy, M Gibbs, Danny Byrne; P Mannion, A Caffrey, C Kilkenny. Subs: J Small for McCaffrey, H Dawson for Mannion and P Maguire for Danny Byrne (h-t), P O’Curry for O Conghaile (38), G ivory for Gibbs (41). CARLOW – C Keogh; L O’Gorman, M Doyle, A Mullins; S Wogan, S Murphy, R Jeffers; M Fitzgerald, S Doyle; D Kelly, D O’Brien, G Power; S McGrath, C Byrne, J Kennedy. Subs: G Owens for Wogan (26), N Lawlor for Mullins, K Curran for Kelly and D Roberts for Byrne (h-t), F Dowling for Doyle (48). REF – F Smith (Offaly)