It’s been a long winter punctuated by storms and lots of snow, but with today’s hurling on the hard sod at Parnell Park, summer is here.

Dublin v Kilkenny throws in at 2pm and we’ll have live updates throughout. How do you see this one going?

Lots of sports fans throughout the country will be trying today to get their heads around the new hurling championship structure; here’s how RTE break it down:

Panellist Anthony Daly enjoyed watching footage of the 2013 win for the Dubs over his colleague Henry Shefflin and Kilkenny.

We were treated to a nicely edited package of that historic victory over the NFL America’s Game theme.

“I don’t have to be here. There’s no-one putting a gun to my head,” Brian Cody tells Michael Lyster. He’s ready for road.

This is worth a read before throw in; former Dublin star Peter Kelly on the lessons of 2013 and what Dublin need to bring to challenge The Cats this weekend by Gavin Quinn.

Here’s how the teams will line out, according to the programme:

We’re up and running in Parnell with Dublin hitting their first wide through Paul Ryan.

Kilkenny 0-1 Dublin 0-0 Eoin Murphy nails a massive free for the Cats.

GOAL! Dublin 1-0 Kilkenny 0-1 Paul ryan raises a green flag after a pass from Liam Rushe who sailed through the centre. Where was the defence?

Dublin 1-0 Kilkenny 0-2 TJ Reid opens his account with a straightforward-looking free.

Dublin 1-1 Kilkenny 0-2 Paul Ryan sends over a free to add to his tally for Dublin.

Walter Walsh hits the Cats’ first wide of the afternoon after a couple of big tackles flew in out the field.

‘Kilkenny are a little bit shell-shocked’ says Michael Duignan.

Dublin 1-2 Kilkenny 0-2 Another free from Ryan sees the gap stretch to three points after 12 minutes. As I type, Danny Sutcliffe builds up a head of steam and shoots on the run but it drifts wide.

Great play from the Dubs though.

Dublin 1-2 Kilkenny 0-4 What a stop from Aaron Nolan with his right boot! Ger Aylward’s shot was saved and flicked away from danger.

Walter Walsh Zidane-turned away from two defenders, rode a big challenge and picked out Aylward to set that up.

TJ Reid sends the 65 over.

Dublin 1-3 Kilkenny 0-4 Paul Ryan converts another free. We’ve had one score from play so far.

Dublin 1-4 Kilkenny 0-4 Conal Keaney flicks an opportunistic point over. Paul Ryan mis-hit a long range free, Joey Holden was caught napping and possibly fouled in the build up.

Paul Ryan’s missed another free and it looks like his confidence over the set piece was shaken by that earlier mis-cue.  This is very stop-start.

Dublin 1-4 Kilkenny 0-5 Midfielder James Maher lofts over the Cats’ first point from play.

Dublin 1-5 Kilkenny 0-5 Free in to Dublin and its moved in because of dissent. Paul Ryan surely considers a shot under the crossbar but he ultimately takes his point.

Young Fergal Whitely hits Dublin’s eighth wide of the day. Wasteful.

Dublin 1-6 Kilkenny 0-5 Eoghan O’Donnell has picked himself up after an awkward fall behind the post. He seems okay to continue.

Conal Keaney sends over a good point in the meantime.

Dublin 1-6 Kilkenny 0-6 ‘TJ Reid doesn’t miss those,’ says Darragh Maloney. He slots another free.

Dublin 1-6 Kilkenny 0-8 Eoin Murphy sends over a huge free again. That’s two points for the goalkeeper in this half.

Colin Fennelly is on for Bill Sheehan.

Walter Walsh tacks on another good score as I write.

GOAL! Dublin 2-6 Kilkenny 0-8 Fergal Whitely raises the green flag!

What a goal. Keaney’s shot was saved brilliantly by Eoin Murphy but Whitely swept in a ground stroke. Brilliant, old school stuff.

Dublin 2-7 Kilkenny 0-9 TJ with another and then Paul Ryan adds one for Dublin.

Halftime: Dublin 2-7 Kilkenny 0-9

Phew! What about that then?

Liam Sheedy says Kilkenny should be concerned and Dublin are good value for their lead.

Dublin 2-7 Kilkenny 0-10 TJ Reid gets us up and running for the second half with a good 65.

Dublin 2-8 Kilkenny 0-10 Paul Ryan was working against a strong breeze there but he sent over his sixth point. Conal Keaney’s sent over another one meanwhile.

Great play from Liam Rushe and Dublin.

Dublin 2-9 Kilkenny 0-11 John Donnelly shortens the grip to point from in front of the posts. This is a lot more open since the break.

Dublin 2-9 Kilkenny 0-12 James Maher points for Kilkenny and this is going at a fair tip now.

Dublin 2-9 Kilkenny 0-13 Walter Walsh sweeps up a loose ball that seemed to roll out of a bit of a ruck and he made no mistake from the sideline.

Conal Keaney drew a foul but Paul Ryan misfires on the free again. Bad one.

GOAL! Dublin 3-9 Kilkenny 0-13, Jake Malone scores 

Dublin 3-9 Kilkenny 0-14 Dublin almost walked that on in. Liam Rushe caused havoc and a couple of hand passes later, Malone was on the deck but managed to nudge the ball over the line.

The Cats respond with a point and then Paul Winters raises a white flag for Dublin. He’s on for Paul Ryan.

Dublin 3-11 Kilkenny 0-14 Paul Winters has hit the ground running since coming on and he’s added a monster point to his tally.

Dublin 3-11 Kilkenny 0-15 TJ Reid makes no mistake from another free.

Dublin 3-12 Kilkenny 0-16 Joey Holden scores for Kilkenny before Tomás Connolly comes on in place of Rian McBride for Dublin.

And Diarmuid’s younger brother has raised a white flag already.

Dublin 3-12 Kilkenny 0-17 Another free form TJ and then Richie Leahy heads off to be replaced by Liam Blanchfield.

Dublin 3-12 Kilkenny 0-18 Colin Fennelly gets motoring down the pitch and knocks over a point off his left. A score in it again.

Dublin 3-14 Kilkenny 0-18 Conal Keaney is some man – the 35-year-old is still going at centre forward and has added another point from play.

Moments later Fiontán McGibb manages to squeeze over another.

Keaney looks to be hurt after an awkward fall as he tried to gather a loose ball.

Kilmacud’s Ryan O’Dwyer is on for Keaney after a very good hour’s work for the veteran.

Dublin 3-15 Kilkenny 0-19 TJ Reid looked to get a sight of the goal there but he took his point on the turn.

Chris Crummey responds with a big, big point though.

Dublin 3-15 Kilkenny 0-20 TJ Reid, a free, you know the rest.

The Cats are still in this with four points in it and seven minutes or so to go.

Dublin 3-15 Kilkenny 0-21 All of a sudden, thanks to another huge Eoin Murphy effort, we’re down to the puck of a ball.

Scenes! Paul Murphy’s ball drops under the crossbar, Alam Nolan catches it but is bundled across the line thanks to Walter Walsh largely.

Nolan hops up, whips off his helmet and squares up. Free out.

Dublin 3-15 Kilkenny 0-22 Colin Fennelly scores a point and we have four additional minutes. Two points in it.

GOAL! Kilkenny 1-23 Dublin 3-15 Blanchfield scores for Kilkenny!

Unreal stuff. Liam Blanchfield steamed through the middle, was almost tripped but drove on to bat it home.

Kilkenny 1-24 Dublin 3-16 Winters scores for Dublin and then Walter Walsh responds. Two in it.

Kilkenny 1-25 Dublin 3-16 TJ Reid adds another score with a free.

Full time: Kilkenny 1-25 Dublin 3-16

That was some second half.

Dublin will be gutted you’d imagine after they left that one behind them with a wide count in double figures. Conal Keaney’s injury seems to have been a turning point.

Kilkenny are up and running and got the job done in the end.

What did you make of that?