Dublin 5-18; Tyrone 0-12
As public humiliations go in sport, this was about as bad as you could get from a Tyrone point of view as they left Croke Park with their tails firmly between their legs following this 21-point thumping by the All Ireland champions.
There were no crumbs of comfort to be had from the Red Hand side after this display - Dublin tore through them from first minutes until last, resulting in a hurling-like scoreline by the end of the 70 minutes plus stoppages.
The only problem Dublin manager Dessie Farrell might have with his side completing their fifth success victory is that things are going too well for this time of year.
Still if the name of the game is to win matches, that is all his side are doing and they now face Derry- in the 2024 Division 1 final — incidentally these two met 12 months ago in the Division 2 final
Derry themselves got something of a trimming in their own backyard a few weeks ago against the same Dublin outfit but Mickey Harte used the occasion to rest players and it will be interesting to see if he puts all the big guns on display when the two go head-to-head next Sunday in Croker.
This year the Dubs have sought improvement by seeking to bury teams with goals and newly returned Colm Basquel got in on the act big time on Sunday by helping himself to 2-3 in a one-sided contest.
The current All Star was magnificent and Farrell will be delighted to see his strong man Lorcan O’Dell play so well as he garnered 1-2 for his own personal scoring stakes as well.
The ubiquitous Niall Scully and fast-improving Cian Murphy also got in on the fun of goal scoring while also being part of a team which ran out 18 points while their opponents could only muster 12 scores in the course of the 75 or so minutes played in this game.
Manager Brian Dooher opted to rest some established players but this game showed he doesn’t have real depth in his panel to try such a ploy against the like of the All Ireland champions.
Indeed it may backfire on him that he did this because Tyrone face their first game on April 21 in the Ulster championship where they come up against either Cavan or Monaghan.
Times could hardly be better for the Dubs who will face a serious match against Derry and then relax their way through Leinster where the idea of finding a worthy opponent becomes more preposterous by the year.
Consider they did all this damage with looking for the service of Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, John Small, James McCarthy, Jack McCaffrey while Paul Mannion only came on for a cameo appearance and you see what powder is being kept dry by the Dublin management for later championship fare.
Derry 2-19; Roscommon 1-9
D-Day on Sunday will see Derry meet Dublin in the National league Division One with the Oak Leaf brigade finishing off their domestic league encounters with a 16-point walloping of a game but outclassed Roscommon side at Celtic Park on Sunday.
Derry were already qualified for the final before this game while Roscommon had an unlikely scenario of staying up if they could beat Mickey Harte’s side on the road and bank on Kerry beating Galway.
Neither results were to b
Roscommon’s Enda Smith is challenged by Eoin McEvoy and Donncha Gilmore. [Inpho/Lorcan Doherty]
e expected though it must be said that Roscommon fought tooth and nail to make such an outcome possible before Derry pressed a fifth gear and left the claret and blue brigade stranded in the final quarter.
Dublin aside, Derry are the form side in this league and it will be music to followers to see that all but one point of their total score was created from play. What was also commendable about the home side was their reaction to the gauntlet the Rossies threw down early in the second half when they managed to draw level in the encounter.
The winners took stock and hit the accelerator so hard that they left the Connacht men gasping for breath in their wake as they scored 1-11 to a solitary Roscommon point in the remaining time on the clock.
That is the sort of capability they will need from now on as every match becomes a final of sorts. First up they face Dublin with league silverware on offer and then it is their journey to make it three Ulster final wins on the bounce. Achieving that with a first game against Jim McGuinness’s high-riding Donegal will be no piece of cake and after that, it is in the lap of the gods who they will face, though expect Harte’s Tyrone to be an opponent for what should be a match of the season for the Tyrone man and his Derry squad.
NFL results and outcomes
Div 1
Mayo 2-13; Monaghan 1-14
Kerry 0-15; Galway 1-10
Dublin 5-18; Tyrone 0-12
Derry 2-19; Roscommon 1-9
Div 1 Final on Sunday between Derry and Dublin
Demoted - Roscommon and Monaghan
Div 2
Fermanagh 2-14; Cavan 1-13
Donegal 1-18; Meath 1-10
Louth 1-12; Kildare 0-12
Cork 2-16; Armagh 2-16
Div 2 Final on Sunday between Donegal and Armagh (both promoted)
Demoted - Kildare and Fermanagh
Div 3
Antrim 1-14; Wicklow 0-14
Offaly 1-10; Limerick 0-12
Sligo 1-14; Westmeath 0-11
Down 3-15; Clare 1-10
Div 3 Final on Saturday between Westmeath and Down (both promoted)
Demoted - Limerick and Wicklow
Div 4
Wexford 2-18; Longford 2-9
Laois 5-19; Waterford 0-9
Carlow 1-17; London 1-10
Leitrim 0-15; Tipperary 0-9
Div 4 Final on Saturday between Laois and Leitrim (both promoted)
