Competing in Division 1B didn't provide Dublin with the best of preparation for their semi-final against Tipperary, according to Liam Rushe.

Anthony Daly's side booked their return to the top flight when getting the better of Limerick in the 1B final but were found wanting when they suffered a 15 points reversal at the hands of the Premier County in the last four.

"We were on top of the world after beating Limerick," Rushe said to the Irish Independent. "We achieved our goal, promotion, after getting relegated last year.

"And then, two weeks later, I suppose Tipp just showed the gulf that there is between Division 1A and 1B. They had five or six seriously competitive games in the year, and we probably only had one or two - and I think it just told on the day.

"It's better to fall on our faces at the end of April than to do it at the start of July, like we did last year. It was a bit of a wake-up call.

"There's a lesson to be learned from everything. We were embarrassed really, walking off the pitch. We were humiliated, and nobody wanted to go training at all that week, so maybe it's probably good to get a bit of kick in the a**e before championship starts." Tweet

Most Read Stories