Last June, just six days after they broke new ground by claiming the Joe McDonagh Cup with a sublime display of shooting, Kildare fell to Dublin by 21 points in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final.
Weary from their labour-intensive, high-octane display against Laois the weekend before, Kildare were on the ropes from the off against the Dubs.
First-half goals from Ronan Hayes and Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing were among the early flurry of punches that left them gasping for air and Dublin's speed, intensity and physicality absolutely blew Kildare away.
Context was needed, though. That game came so soon after that historic MacDonagh Cup win. Players rightly celebrated a significant achievement, key players were injured, and it was going to be next to impossible to peak again six days on against an experienced Liam MacCarthy Cup team.
Tonight, they meet again in Division 1B.
It is 46 years since Kildare last appeared in first division hurling (even if Division 1B's top-flight status is debatable), and it is only the eighth time the teams meet in competitive league action. The Lilywhites have only savoured victory once and that came in 1972 in a game played at Naas.
As they travel to Parnell Park, Brian Dowling's side still have talismanic players like James Burke, Simon Leacy, Cathal Dowling and David Qualter on the injury list.
On the plus side, Conan Boran, who ruptured his ACL against St Martin’s over a year ago, did get back on the field late on in pre-season against Kilkenny and that’s a welcome sight for all involved with the team.
Home games against Antrim and Carlow will play a big part in determining Kildare’s fate at this level, but this weekend’s opener – they had a bye in round one – could determine exactly where they stand ahead of the season unfolding.
For instance, will Kildare in any way have closed that gap between the teams in physicality?
Will their stickwork have quickened or their touch sharpened sufficiently to ensure they retain more ball and create more attacking plays?
A win over Antrim in the Walsh Shield and a fine showing against Kilkenny in the Walsh Shield final, where the Cats finished with nine of their 2025 All-Ireland semi-final team, bodes well for the side.
In both of those games the players showed a massive work-rate.
The gospel is spreading in Kildare. And the flock is attentive and increasing in numbers.
It was clear to see that despite the soft underfoot conditions their speed of play had increased and they played to a good tempo with ball in hand.
Liam O'Reilly, Rian Boran and Dan O'Meara form a strong last line of defence, but the truth is they will be seriously tested again against the Dubs.
"In the grand scheme of things this is a very interesting game," says Humphrey Kelleher, a member of the GAA’s Hurling Development Committee and former Dublin hurling manager.
"Kildare are developing at pace now just like Dublin were some years ago.
"I would feel that Dublin have fared quite well at underage in recent seasons, at Under-20 level anyway, but my main positive is that our club championship is intense, it has improved big time and the quality from that competition is driving the county team.
"There really isn’t all that much between Na Fianna, Lucan, Kilmacud Crokes and Ballyboden.
"Na Fianna won an All-Ireland last year – and reached a Leinster final that they could have won the year before that. So, if that is a barometer, Dublin hurling is going OK."
That intensity and competitiveness is not yet there in Kildare where the club championship has been dominated by Naas who have won seven county titles on the trot.
Last year Maynooth worked tirelessly to try and disrupt Naas; to limit space for their attack and they targeted the middle third with a savage work-rate and tempo to close Naas down.
But they still lost by eight points.
Still, the gospel is spreading in Kildare. And the flock is attentive and increasing in numbers.
Go Games numbers are up, certain clubs are now fielding three adult teams whereas they would only have managed two in the past. There are underage amalgamations and since that MacDonagh Cup win the sport has enjoyed huge prominence and visibility within the county.
"And the great thing is that the Kildare footballers won the Tailteann Cup too in tandem," Kelleher says.
"And while Naas hurlers have been dominant, Naas footballers have also enjoyed a lot of success in recent years too.
"My point being that Kildare is big enough and well populated enough to have strong teams in both codes and there should be no conflict whatsoever."
The quest to keep developing and closing the gap continues.
Just as Kildare had to learn lessons in terms of physicality, speed, and intensity on the ball after losing to Dublin last year, the Dubs too have been navigating their own learning curve for the past few months.
After they beat Brian Dowling’s side, they continued apace to cause one of the biggest shocks of the hurling year by beating Limerick 2-24 to 0-28 in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final proper.
But the gloss was taken off that victory after they subsequently lost to Cork by 20 points in the semi-final.
The Rebels hit them for seven goals as Dublin went man for man and didn’t protect their full-back line to the necessary degree with Cork’s outfield players able to exploit the last line of Dublin’s defence time and again.
Last weekend against Clare in the league Tony Kelly also found himself with lots of room and time to fire a late winning goal but up to that point Dublin played with huge energy, closed their opponents down and actually had six more shots on goal than Clare in the second half.
So, Dublin have their own goals and targets in terms of closing their gap to the cream of the crop.
It will be interesting to see how they evolve in year two of Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s management. After losing to Clare, they will be intent on getting points on the board tonight and while Brian Dowling’s men could be down as many as six of the team that started that McDonagh Cup final, they should perform much better than in last year’s encounter.
The contrast is there. Dublin trying to make the most of their structures and develop that steely resolve to reach the very top level against a team determined to push on.
It’s a rare rivalry at Parnell Park, tonight.
But maybe one we might see more often in the future.
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