Shane Dowling: Tipp-Kilkenny was like 'a poor training match'

Former Limerick attacker Shane Dowling offered a scathing verdict on the Tipperary-Kilkenny league encounter in Thurles, describing it as "one of the worst games of hurling" he'd seen in a long time.

Colm Bonnar's side scrambled out with the two points eventually, Jason Forde whipping over a free to leave the hosts a nose in front at the end, having withstood a second half Kilkenny fightback.

However, Dowling was deeply unimpressed with the fare on show, characterising it as being akin to a "poor training match" and comparing it unfavourably to the game between Limerick and Galway on Saturday night.

"It was one of the worst games of hurling I've seen in a long time," Dowling said on the RTÉ GAA podcast.

"That may be an unpopular opinion. But if you saw some of the shots that players got off yesterday... it was a training match and I was over them, I'd be pulling them in after 15 or 20 minutes.

"You look at the Limerick-Galway game, how much of that match was down to quality players or great hurling? Yeah, bits of it were. But a huge amount was down to effort and workrate and tackles and hits and intensity.

"There was none of that in the Tipperary-Kilkenny game, in my opinion. Jason Forde was exceptional, he's a really good hurler.

"I'm not being smart, but if you're an inter-county player and you're getting that space, you should be putting the ball over the bar.

"I just thought the quality on show, more so from Kilkenny, was really poor. I thought Kilkenny would win the game, I still think they should have won the game if you look at the couple of mistakes that were made.

"I think both teams are a long, long way off what's going to be required to win an All-Ireland. I could be eating humble pie but I was very disappointed with