Sutcliffe’s return to form a huge boost for Dublin hurling

It's been a long time coming for the Dublin hurlers.

The Dublin hurlers were competitive in 2018 under Pat Gilroy, without really beating anybody. Okay, so they defeated Laois and Antrim in the League but that's hardly enough to set pulses amongst the capital city's hurling following racing. Their performances improved in the championship, where they ran Galway, Kilkenny and Wexford close earned them moral victories of sorts - but this is a results business and the only team they ended up beating in Leinster was lowly Offaly. That's not good enough for a county like Dublin. And the 2019 League began in a similar fashion. Seeing as they're in Division 1B again, they don't have as many opportunities to test themselves against the very top teams but it looked a case of Deja vu when after beating Carlow and Offaly, they were comfortably outhurled by Galway in Parnell Park a fortnight ago. The Dubs didn't really show up that day and that's why Sunday's meeting with Waterford was a big one for them. About time they took something off one of the big boys. Alright, Waterford aren't up there with the likes of Limerick and Cork but they were All-Ireland finalists two years ago and they were going well in the league up to Sunday. But Dublin got the better of them in their finest 70 minutes of hurling since Mattie Kenny got the job. They beat Waterford by two points but they outscored them by 27 scores to 16. Now we're talking. All over the field, Dublin men stood up. Eoghan O'Donnell and Paddy Smyth patrolled the last line of defence with bite and authority while the majestic Chris Crummie chipped in with two trademark points from half back. The undoubtedly talented Eamonn Dillon delivered with four from play while Liam Rushe and Oisín O'Rourke were dangerous inside. But leaving Parnell Park, the talk of Dublin city was the performance of their blue eyed boy Danny Sutcliffe. Ever since he gave the great Tommy Walsh the runaround - on more than one occasion in the 2013 season - there's been something special about Danny. The sidestep that left Tommy for dead and set him up for that famous goal, had them salivating. https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/994649018490937344 Dublin have had a number of class hurlers down through the years but the precarious St Jude's talent had the potential to be even better. He had the potential, with his height, pace, strength, skill and aggression - to become one of the game's finest. And even though that season ended well, with a watershed Leinster championship win, Sutcliffe has been off the radar ever since. He left the panel at the beginning of the 2016 season to travel to America, staying away for the whole of the Ger Cunningham era. He finally returned last year but he didn't set the world alight like he had a couple of years previously. As Brian Carroll said on Monday's GAA Hour podcast, it can be tough to pick up where you left off.

"Sutcliffe is class in fairness to him...When you do walk away from the county game, I'm sure it's hard enough to get back into it," he said.

But Sutcliffe was back on it in Donnycarney on Sunday, hitting 0-4 from play while setting up a number of scores as well. Watch the highlights of the game here, with his performance on show from 0.51, from 1.02 and from 1,43. The dummy certainly looks back. https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1100353280465547264 And another deceptive dummy here. https://twitter.com/GAA__JOE/status/1100354542531760129 That's what Dublin hurling folk want to see.