Dublin 1-16; Derry 1-11
Almost certainly this Celtic Park clash on Saturday was not only a dress rehearsal for the Div1 League final but also a possible preview of a clash of Titans in the quest for Sam Maguire later this summer.
Aside from the fact that statistically it marked Mickey Harte’s first loss since crossing the county boundary from Tyrone to Derry, neither side will be unduly influenced by Dublin’s five-point winning margin.
What it shows though is that Dublin are still the team to beat and if they can travel north and bring home two points, then they will be that much more formidable when they trot out to face anyone in Croke Park in the coming weeks and months.
Derry made sure that they had room to write a counter narrative to a cruising defeat by omitting a number of their star players from the start. While Dublin also started without half a dozen you might expect to be on duty down the line, it means that we can’t tell for sure who to favor in future meetings.
Harte named a starting 15 with the likes of Ethan Doherty, Padraig McGrogan, Eoin McEvoy, Niall Loughlin and Paul Cassidy viewing the first half from the bench while two key figures Conor Glass and Conor Doherty took no part in the evening’s proceedings. Making seven changes and with eight points from four games already in the bag, he was probably right to use this as a learning exercise both about what the Dubs had to offer and what his non-starting players were like in the white heat of battle.
Dublin got a boost from the bench when Cormac Costello came on to pilfer a poacher’s goal in the second half but there was no sign of skipper James McCarthy, Stephen Cluxton, Paul Mannion, Mick Fitzsimons, Jack McCaffrey and Colm Basquel to name but half a dozen.
The magnetism of the Dubs drew a full house of over 13,000 to Foyleside and while the majority were disappointed going home, they saw enough to know that Derry are not a million miles away any longer.
While Dublin were always the more dominant force, it was Costello’s goal shortly after he came on which ended the contest though Derr kept nibbling at the scoreboard and by game’s end had the deficit down to a respectable enough five points.
Arguably the best outcome for Dubs Boss Dessie Farrell was the successful return of Brian Howard who played as a link man between defense and attack with aplomb.
As he showed in last year’s All Ireland, he is a class act who has perfected how to win restarts for the Metropolitan outfit. Another Dub Lee Gannon has become a mainstay in defense but his late injury with what looked like a serious hamstring could curtail his future involvement until the Leinster championship.
Farrell will have noticed on the opposition side how huge a threat Shane McGuigan has become both as a ball winner and score-taker. He caught the ball effortlessly over Eoin Murchan’s head and scored some delightful points from distance as he amassed a personal total of 0-7, three only from frees, over the 70 minutes.
One of the highlights of the game was his effort to score a goal from distance after Dublin had been turned over in midfield. His audacious effort from fully 60 meters appeared to be heading to an empty net before Dublin netminder David O'Hanlon made a salmon-like leap to divert the ball away some 20 meters from the goal.
That goal would have levelled the game and put the outcome into the melting pot. Then less than two minutes later, Costello showed the eye of an assassin to take a batted out ball, turn and slam home.. That in effect was a six-point swing and shows how close the game was in many facets.
With talisman duo Brian Fenton and Ciaran Kilkenny the most influential players on view in the first half, with five points between them, Mickey Harte introduced some of his big guns at the break and they looked more competitive from the restart.
Farrell too decided to spruce up his team and when Tom Lahiff and Costello came on, they started to motor forward with greater intent. Once Costello goaled to put his side 1-12 to 1-6 ahead, the game was over and when Lee Gannon and sub Lorcan O’Dell put them eight to the good, it looked like a rout might be on the cards.
Derry knuckled down though and further points from McGuigan reduced the arrears but a shock comeback was never part of the equation.
Dublin: D O'Hanlon; S McMahon, B Howard, E Murchan; C Murphy, J Small, L Gannon (0-1); B Fenton (0-3), P Ó Cofaigh Byrne; R McGarry (0-2), S Bugler (0-1), C Kilkenny (0-4); P Small (0-1), C O'Callaghan (0-3, 0-2f), N Scully Subs: T Lahiff for Ó Cofaigh Byrne, HT; C Costello (1-0) for P Small, (50); L O'Dell (0-1) for McGarry (55); G McEnaney for Gannon, 68 mins; K McGinnis for Scully, (72).
Derry: R Scullion; C McCluskey (1-0), C McKaigue, D Baker; S Downey, D Gilmore, E Mulholland; E Bradley (0-1), B Rogers; D Cassidy, C McFaul, N Toner; L Murray (0-1), S McGuigan (0-7, 0-3f), C Murphy Subs: E Doherty for E Mulholland, HT; E McEvoy (0-1) for McKaigue, HT; P McGrogan for Downey, HT; P Cassidy (0-1) for Murphy (46); C McGuckian for Murray (58).
Ref: M McNally (Monaghan).
Kerry 0-18; Tyrone 1-11
Kerry showed no Dublin hangover by easily accounting for a rather out-of-sorts Tyrone outfit at Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday.
After their 10-point drubbing in Croker the previous week, Manager Jack O’Connor made four changes and they worked as the Kingdom dominated the game and it took a late Ciaran Daly goal five minutes from the end to put a respectable look on the scoreboard.
Leading 0-11 to 0-6 at half-time Kerry found their swagger with some great scores as David Clifford led from the front with an eight-point haul, six from placed balls.
It was noticeable once again that himself, his brother Paudie with 0-3 and Sean O’Shea with 0-4 accounted for all but three of the winner’s 18-point tally - something that may prove an achilles heel should one or other of them be held on a given day.
Indeed Daly’s goal put the cat among the pigeons somewhat as it led to a nervy finish for the hosts though once again Clifford the younger helped assuage home supporters by slotting over his eighth point of the afternoon.
Kerry: S Ryan; G O’Sullivan, J Foley, P Murphy; S O’Brien (0-1), T Morley, G White; D O’Connor, J O’Connor; A Spillane (0-1), P Clifford (0-3), C Geaney; D Clifford (0-8, 0-6f), S O’Shea (0-4, 0-1f), D Moynihan (0-1) Subs: T Brosnan for Geaney (HT), R Buckley for Spillane (52), S Okunbar for O’Brien (61), S O’Brien for Moynihan (63), D Roche for PClifford (67) D Casey for Foley (70, temp sub)
Tyrone: N Morgan (0-1 ’45); C Devlin, P Hampsey, C Quinn; B Cullen (0-1), P Harte, N Devlin; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick (0-1); C Daly (1-1), D Mulgrew, J Oguz; D McCurry (0-2, 0-1f), D Canavan (0-3), S O’Donnell (0-1) Subs R Canavan (0-1) for Harte (21), K McGeary for Mulgrew (39, inj), A Donaghy for Kilpatrick (42), Cl McShane for D Canavan (62), L McGarrity for McCurry (67)
Ref: D Coldrick (Meath).
Mayo 0-15; Roscommon 0-9
Mayo got back to winning ways with a facile win over neighbors Roscommon but don’t expect either of these to contest any major championship beyond Connacht this year.
They are both decent teams on their day but lack the depth to really bother the big guns when it matters most on the broad expanses of Croke Park.
At MacHale Park in Castlebar, Kevin McStay's league champions were always on the ascendancy in front of over 9,000 spectators. After losses to Tyrone and Kerry, Mayo used the important third quarter of this game to pull away by scoring seven points without reply to kill the game off as a spectacle.
Roscommon Manager Davy Burke, who was happy with their win over Monaghan the previous week, must have despaired as his side looked like rabbits in headlights.
Mayo’s third win means they could qualify for a final if they account for Derry in Castlebar while Roscommon know they could be on the trap door unless they shock Kerry at Dr Hyde Park on St. Patrick’s Day.
Mayo: C Reape (0-1); J Coyne, R Brickenden, S Callinan; D McHugh (0-2), S Coen (0-1), E Hession (0-1m); B Tuohy, J Carney; E McLaughlin, F Boland (0-2), J Flynn; A O’Shea (0-1), P Towey, R O’Donoghue (0-6, 0-3f) Subs: T Conroy for Towey (38); D McHale for Tuohy (51); C O’Connor (0-1) for O’Shea (50); M Ruane for Flynn (61); C Loftus for McLaughlin (67).
Roscommon: C Carroll (0-1f); D Murray, B Stack, N Higgins; T O’Rourke, E McMcCormack, D Ruane; E Smith, S Cunnane; R Dolan, D Murtagh (0-4, 0-1f), R Fallon; D Smith (0-1), D Cregg, J Fitzpatrick Subs: N Daly for Cunnane (21); C Cox (0-2, 0-1f) for Fitzpatrick (HT); A Glennon for D Smith (46); R Daly for Fallon (53); U Harney for O’Rourke (61).Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).
GAA RESULTS
Div 1
Dublin 1-16; Derry 1-11
Galway 3-12; Monaghan 0-14
Mayo 0-15; Roscommon 0-9
Kerry 0-18: Tyrone 1-11
Div 2
Cork 2-15; Kildare 3-9
Armagh 0-15; Fermanagh 0-11
Donegal 1-17; Louth 0-15
Cavan 0-11; Meath 0-11
Div 3
Offaly 5-15; Wicklow 0-10
Down 2-17; Sligo 1-8
Westmeath 0-13; Antrim 0-9
Clare 1-16; Limerick 0-14
Div 4
Longford 1-16; Leitrim 0-13
Tipperary 0-16; Waterford 1-13
Wexford 1-14; Carlow 0-7
Laois 2-12; London 0-9
