Sport

Potency of Dublin attack the difference as Donegal plod

Dublin's Paul Flynn gets the ball away as Donegal's Paddy McGrath hovers during Sunday's Allianz National Football League semi-final at Croke Park<br/>Picture by Colm O'Reilly &nbsp;
Dublin's Paul Flynn gets the ball away as Donegal's Paddy McGrath hovers during Sunday's Allianz National Football League semi-final at Croke Park
Picture by Colm O'Reilly  
Dublin's Paul Flynn gets the ball away as Donegal's Paddy McGrath hovers during Sunday's Allianz National Football League semi-final at Croke Park
Picture by Colm O'Reilly  

Allianz National Football League Division One semi-final:


Dublin 1-20 Donegal 0-13

THERE was a 60-second period of play in the second-half that summed up the difference between Dublin and Donegal as the All-Ireland champions moved a step closer to a fourth Division One title in-a-row with a comfortable 10-point win on Sunday.

Fifty minutes in and with Donegal trailing by nine points, Tir Chonaill captain Michael Murphy played the ball to Rory Kavanagh, who was eating up the ground to his left. With that familiar loping stride, the St Eunan’s man burst into space. Yet, where once yellow jerseys would have been running off his shoulder, Kavanagh hit a road block as two figures in sky blue loomed large.

He looked left, then right, but nobody was there. Eventually blown for holding on to the ball too long, the Dubs went straight up the field. The ball was worked to Paul Mannion on the right side of the field, and he spun on to his left and arrowed the ball over the bar. It was that simple.

Every time Dublin went on the attack, they had scoring options everywhere. By the close of play, 11 different players had got onto the scoreboard, with 16 of their 20 points coming from play. Dublin’s goal a minute after half-time was another case in point, this time corner-back Philly McMahon turning playmaker as he found ace marksman Bernard Brogan, who made no mistake.

Donegal, once the counter-attacking kings under Jim McGuinness, all too often looked slow and laboured in their build-up, with only four of their points coming from play. The fact that the talismanic Murphy had a rare off day only sought to compound their misery.

And while Jim Gavin’s men head into that decider against old foes Kerry on April 24 on the back of eight straight League wins this year, most utterly convincing, Rory Gallagher must rebuild Donegal’s confidence after five defeats on-the-trot.

The Dubs got off to a flying start, a Dean Rock free two minutes in and points from Ciaran Kilkenny, Paddy Andrews and a Rock effort from play after a clever lay-off from Mannion sending them into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead 11 minutes in.

In contrast to Cluxton, Donegal were playing a dangerous game with their kick-outs, Mark Anthony McGinley often going short into the breeze and, more importantly, into the face of a relentless Dublin pressing game.

Yet Gallagher’s men forced their way back into the reckoning by the 16 minute mark courtesy of two Murphy frees, with placed balls providing the only respite for the Glenswilly man as the tenacious James McCarthy rarely strayed from his side.

Rock was proving equally accurate from frees though and he extended Dublin’s lead before the excellent Ciaran Kilkenny made it three of a difference when he profited from a lucky break to slot over. McElhinney and Rock exchanged scores and a superb Kavanagh block from Brogan’s goal-bound shot should have galvanised a Donegal side who were still in touch at 0-7 to 0-4 behind with just short of half an hour played.

But instead Dublin did what they do best and cranked it up a notch. With McGinley opting to go long from the kick-outs, the Dubs piled on the pressure to rattle off four points to Donegal’s two before half-time - Paddy Andrews, a superb Kilkenny effort from way out on the left, Rock and McCarthy did the damage, with McBrearty and Murphy (free) replying for Donegal. And the Tir Chonaill men were caught sleeping in the minutes after the break as Brogan slid the ball under McGinley to effectively end the game as a contest.

McBrearty struck next following a burst forward by Ciaran Gillespie to close the gap to seven, before the Dubs broke at breakneck speed following a loose pass from Ryan McHugh, the unlikely figure of McMahon on hand to slot over.

Mannion almost scored Dublin’s second goal of the afternoon after 44 minutes but his effort was well saved by McGinley, and four minutes later Eamon McGee was forced to clear off the line to deny John Small a goal. The ball spun off McGee’s boot and over the bar to put the Dubs 1-14 to 0-7 ahead.

With Gavin emptying the Dublin bench, a place in the final in the bag, a Murphy free and two from McBrearty – one after a rare wayward kick-out from Cluxton landed in Karl Lacey’s hands - reduced the deficit to seven with 15 minutes left. As he often does, Jonny Cooper popped up from full-back to get on the scoreboard before leaving the field a minute later after colliding with Donegal substitute Colm McFadden.

Brogan delivered a late masterclass with two dazzling scores to warm the hearts of the Hill 16 faithful on a bitterly cold afternoon – first spinning Eamon McGee before firing over, then exchanging passes with Brian Fenton, Brogan adding the final flourish to put the seal on a job well done.

STAR MAN

Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)


CIARAN KILKENNY was named the official man-of-the-match, and the Castleknock man was superb in the first half, scoring three from play. But, as has so often been the case down the years, it was Stephen Cluxton who provided the platform for yesterday’s comfortable win. In the first half in particular, the Dublin goalkeeper didn’t put a foot wrong. His kick-outs - long, short, left, right, middle, it didn’t matter - often inch-perfect and setting the Dubs on the front foot.

MATCH STATS


Dublin: S Cluxton; P McMahon (0-1), J Cooper (0-1), D Byrne; J McCarthy (0-1), C O’Sullivan, J Small (0-1); B Fenton, D Bastick; P Flynn, P Andrews (0-2), C Kilkenny (0-3); D Rock (0-6, 0-3 frees), P Mannion (0-1), B Brogan (1-2); Subs: C Costello (0-1) for P Andrews (45), E Lowndes (0-1) for D Bastick (49), M Fitzsimons for P McMahon (53), SB Carthy for P Flynn (61), K O’Brien for J Cooper (62), S Carthy for C O’Sullivan (67); Yellow cards: P Flynn (26), J McCarthy (32), J Small (54)


Donegal: MA McGinley; P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee; R McHugh, K Lacey, C Gillespie; R Kavanagh, O Mac Niallais; M O’Reilly, M McElhinney (0-1), F McGlynn; P McBrearty (0-8, 0-5 frees), M Murphy (0-4, frees), L McLoone; Subs: S McBrearty for M O’Reilly (14), C McGonagle for O Mac Niallais (50), C McFadden for M McElhinney (53), E Gallagher for L McLoone (67), C Toye for R Kavanagh (67), J O’Brien for C Gillespie (71); Yellow card: C Gillespie (26)


Referee: M Deegan (Laois)


Attendance: 31,324