NHL DIVISION ONE: Dublin 2-21 Galway 0-15:DUBLIN HURLING lost two great servants and friends in the last seven days. News of Jimmy Boggan's passing was bookended this weekend with word MJ Ryan had gone. It seems like only yesterday MJ was playing for Lar Foley's Dubs in Croker and hitting that Kilkenny post in the last minute.
That let-off allowed the Cats preserve their two-point lead till the long whistle in that Leinster final and in the 18 years since Dublin’s hurling followers have hailed many new dawns only to be returned to the darkness. Jimmy, MJ and Lar would have liked what they saw in Parnell Park yesterday though.
After this 12-point demolition of Galway Anthony Daly was correct to point out the points are less important than how his Dublin side step up to the challenges ahead. But in terms of skills, aggression and confidence this was as good a Dublin display as has been seen in quite a while.
Dublin played a confident brand of hurling. They operated with an unfamiliar guile and confidence. Scoring 2-21 at this time of year is a decent return. That they might have had at least two more goals and that a few frees were fluffed is a rare luxury. Galway stayed in their dressing-room for a long time afterwards and when Parnell Park had fallen otherwise silent the words of John McIntyre could still be heard bouncing off the walls. McIntyre was effusive in his praise for Dublin noting “that a lot of our problems today were in the other jerseys”.
For a side missing their Portumna contingent one would have imagined yesterday represented a chance for fringe players to stake a claim. Dublin, who also started without key players, showed all the hunger and from the sixth minute when Liam Ryan’s muscular run was rewarded with a goal they looked capable of building a win.
Ryan’s showing, scoring 1-3 from a nominal start at centre forward, was as good a display as he has given for the county. That all the Dublin starting forwards scored from play was just as surprising and there is a real cause for hope in the form so far of the young St Pat’s player Liam Rushe.
A Leaving Cert student just last summer, Rushe broke from being a promising underage figure straight into the reckoning with a sublime performance in the Blue stars game on New Year’s Day. He scored three points yesterday, made some sublime catches and could have had a couple of goals.
Daly was pleased but cautious. “Liam? He has a good paw on him. He’s bould. There’s a twinkle in his eyes. He doesn’t fret about days like this. He’ll have days where he will get cleaned out of it . . . but that’s how you learn.”
Around Rushe there is youth practically everywhere. Alan McCrabbe, back in blue this year, scored points yesterday by every means possible. The young midfield of Johnny McCaffrey and Shane Durkin kept the ball moving. Most impressive of the lines perhaps was the full-back line where Ruarí Treanor’s ability to read the ball established a platform for dominance which was reflected across the line. Galway were held to seven scores from play on the afternoon.
Dublin led by six points at the break and one of the more impressive aspects was the determination with which they cut into the game after the break, staunching any Galway revival with four points, the last of which was a McCrabbe penalty after Rushe had caught and kicked to the net, being fouled in the process.
Not long afterwards Galway lost full back Damien McClearin to a straight red card following a foul on Rushe (in injury time Mark Kerins also received a straight red). By then Dublin had weathered a brief Galway rally and added another nice goal. A fine ball from Rushe dipped over the defence and into the path of substitute David O’Callaghan who pulled to the net. Two of the late substitutes were Shane Martin and Mossie O’Brien. A Crumlin man and a Faughs man. A nice touch after the losses of the week.
“The important thing at the start,” said Daly “was to stay in Division One. We’ll try to treat every game as it comes. We’re not going down the road of get a few points and we are safe. We are not Hull City!”
He promised his boys a ton of work next week as a reward for yesterday. No grumbles.
DUBLIN:A Nolan; R Trainor, T Brady, N Corcoran; S Hiney, M Carton, D OReilly; S Durkin, J McCaffrey (0-1, free); S Lambert (0-1), L Ryan (1-3), A McCrabbe (0-11, five frees, 0-1 pen, one sideline cut, one 65); P Carton (0-1), L Rushe (0-3), J Kelly (0-1). Subs: D OCallaghan (1-0) for Lambert 55 mins, S Martin for Kelly 56 mins, D Treacy for P Carton 69 mins, M O'Brien for L Rushe 69 mins.
GALWAY:C Callanan; S Kavanagh (0-1, free), D McClearn, F Moore; M Ryan, G Mahon, A Cullinane; K Hynes, F Healy (0-1); R Murray (0-1), C Donnellan, D Tierney (0-1); G Farragher (0-6 (four frees, one sideline cut), N Healy (0-1), A Callanan (0-2.) Subs: M Kerins for N Healy 41 mins, J Gantley (0-1) for C Donnellan 42 mins, A Coen for Cullinane 44 mins.
Referee:J McGrath (Westmeath).
