Leinster SHC: Dublin 1-26 Kilkenny 0-22These days don’t really sneak up on you. They unfold. Dublin, at times down the decades apparently cursed not to beat Kilkenny, had to confront a monumental psychological block in Parnell Park in the giddy sunshine of summer’s first blast.Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s team eyeballed the historic rarity of beating their rivals with unblinking focus and made it happen. Just one championship win in 84 years and being beaten in 11 championship matches since that breakthrough in 2013, made for a record that made doubting Thomas’s out of even their most fervent supporters.“For this group, we’re only in there since last year,” said the manager. “We played them once last year and lost the game. For lads in that dressing room, when we came in last year, I didn’t know what this group was like coming in.“But genuinely, the character in that dressing room and those lads have never beaten Kilkenny, and I’m really pleased for the likes of Paddy Smyth, the likes of Conor Burke, the likes of Chris Crummey, these lads. Apart from Liam Rushe, who didn’t actually start the game – nobody else in our dressing room had beaten Kilkenny.”For his Kilkenny counterpart Derek Lyng, the outcome came as an apprehension materialised.“The one thing I will say, I probably had an idea it was going to be a tough year if I’m honest. We’ve obviously lost a good bit of experience and we’ve had a few players from the start of the year coming back from injuries as well that we could have done with.“But we introduced a lot of younger players and I have no doubt that there’s a big future ahead of a lot of those players inside.”Dublin's Chris Crummey celebrates after the game with fans. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho In the fervid endgame, Dublin were unleashed, their driven defence dominating exchanges and the forwards - if not always models of economy - determined and skilful enough to eke out points that landed like hammer blows on the fingers of Kilkenny, as they tried to hang on to the contest and almost unbelievably, their championship status.Leinster champions for the past six years, they hadn’t failed to reach the All-Ireland stages since Wexford beat them in Leinster exactly 30 years ago this week.During the warm-up, Eoghan O’Donnell was noticed taking his seat in the stand and clearly not getting ready for the fray. Liam Rushe, back in the team after a few years out and lending authority and stability to the defence, signalled his discomfort to the management and he too had to be replaced.Missing two significant bulwarks, Dublin dug in and as Ó Ceallacháin pointed out afterwards, did not concede a goal for the third match running. Paddy Smyth had a huge afternoon at full back, curbing first TJ Reid and, when the veteran captain switched to the wing, Eoin Cody.There was excellent support from his colleagues. Paddy Doyle got in a great block on namesake Killian and the full-back line was monolithic in its refusal to crack.Kilkenny's Cian Kenny is dejected at the final whistle. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Brian Hayes lent a hand as a sweeper and still had the gas to make searing runs at Kilkenny that lifted sieges and drew fouls.Given the history of the fixture and the CV of the Kilkenny forwards, the home crowd stressed and sighed in the closing phases, the spectre of late goals – a familiar resolution in the circumstances – haunting everyone in the packed home support until the exorcism.It’s a demanding protocol but when Dónal Burke – nearly flawless all day, just one dead-ball wide and 1-11 registered, five from play – pinged over a 65, any lingering fears were banished by the seven-point lead going into injury-time.Burke had created the 65 in an encapsulation of Kilkenny’s day: a shot from play that fell to Eoin Murphy but the much-decorated goalkeeper spilled it over his own endline.Kilkenny had threatened earlier goals but Reid, having picked Dublin ‘keeper Eddie Gibbons’s pocket, was hounded in possession and settled for a point in the 18th minute. He also got the last score before half-time, converting a 65 after Gibbons had saved well from Harry Shine.At the break, Dublin were four ahead, 0-15 to 0-11 after playing with a breeze that those expert in the GAA metrics for such things, agreed was a break-even lead.Dublin's Donal Burke scores a penalty against Kilkenny. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Against Kilkenny, the danger is that teams are almost waiting for them to punish rebellion, but Dublin continued to exert pressure on the resumption. The pre-match introduction of John Hetherton, one of the super subs in the defeat of Galway in Salthill, was significant as his physical energy pulled down three balls that he dispatched for points.Shortly after the break, his fellow twin tower Ronan Hayes came on for David Purcell and began to cause chaos. A high-tempo break by his brother Brian was nursed along in 1-2s between them until Ronan was deemed by referee Thomas Walsh’s exacting standards to have been fouled for a 51st minute penalty, which Burke thrust past Murphy for the most telling score of the half.Kilkenny simply couldn’t get back into the match so suffocating was the Dublin defence and so energetic were they on any loose ball that looked remotely contestable.The scoring ended with Ronan Hayes combining his leviathan strength with ballet spins to rotate into position for Dublin’s 26th point. History was over.Dublin: E Gibbons; P Doyle, P Smyth, C McHugh; C Crummey (capt), J Bellew (0-2), C Burke; B Hayes (0-1), C Donohoe (0-1); F Whiteley, D Burke (1-11, 1-0p, 0-6f), C O’Sullivan (0-2); D Purcell, J Hetherton (0-3), C Ó Riain. Subs: R Hayes (0-1) for Purcell (40 mins), D Power for Donohoe (50 mins), D Ó Dúlaing (0-1) for O’Sullivan (52 mins), C Groarke for Whitely (70 mins), P Dunleavy for Crummey (73 mins).Kilkenny: E Murphy; I Bolger, M Carey, M Butler; D Blanchfield (0-1), D Corcoran, P Deegan; K Doyle (0-2), C Kenny (0-4); L Moore, H Shine, T Phelan (0-2); M Keoghan (0-1), TJ Reid (capt; 0-7, 4f, 1 65), E Cody (0-5). Subs: J Donnelly for Moore (32 mins), A Mullen for Shine (50 mins), R Reid for Bolger (51 mins), Timmy Clifford for Doyle (54 mins), S Donnelly for Keoghan (65 mins).Referee: T Walsh (Waterford).