WALT'S WILY DUBS WILT

Walsh puts in another brilliant show as Blues suffer first 2022 loss

- PAUL KEANE

A DECADE after bursting onto the scene with a memorable 1-3 haul for Kilkenny in 2012, Walter Walsh was up to his old tricks again.

The experienced attacker helped himself to another 1-3, this time at Parnell Park, to end Dublin's unbeaten start to 2022 and send Kilkenny top of Division 1B.

In what amounted to a repeat of last July's Kilkenny win over Dublin at nearby Croke Park in the Leinster final, Brian Cody's side led virtually from pillar to post.

Kilkenny went from good in the first half to excellent after the break though Dublin were a pale shadow of the side that dug so deep to beat Tipperary at Semple Stadium last weekend.

It was a third quarter burst of Kilkenny scoring that did the trick for the Cats, an unanswered 2-3 blitz silencing Dublin.

Walsh, who memorably fired 1-3 on his debut in the 2012 All-Ireland final Roger replay defeat of Galway, scored the first of those Kilkenny goals and Martin Keoghan grabbed the second.