GAME AT A GLANCE
MAIN MAN
JOHNNY BYRNE
On his return to the inter-county hurling scene, Coill Dubh centre-forward Johnny Byrne immediately took the game by the scruff of the neck. In addition to registering an impressive final tally of 1-3 from play, he combined to excellent effect throughout with the remainder of the Kildare attack.
SCORE OF THE GAME
There were a number of contenders on a day when Kildare had different 10 scorers, but Conor Dowling’s 63rd-minute major was a standout amongst a packed crowd. Fetching a long delivery close to the opposition goal, he superbly dispatched a powerful strike beyond the reach of Donegal netminder Luke White.
TURNING POINT
As unlikely it may have seemed in the context of this encounter, 10-point interval deficits have been overturned in a plethora of hurling games in the recent past. Having shaken the net off an earlier penalty, James Burke dismissed any notion of a dramatic fightback by bagging his second goal on 37 minutes.
TALKING POINT
As will be the case for the remainder of the season, the new rules that were recently implemented by the GAA came under the microscope. Opinion will be divided on how necessary each of them are, although a cynical foul in first-half stoppage-time did result in a Kildare penalty.