Dublin turn on style to bury Tyrone

Dublin 0-22 Tyrone 0-15: A performance as slick as the ground conditions at Croke Park earned Pat Gilroy’s Dublin side a place…

Dublin’s Denis Bastick and Seán Kavanagh of Tyrone contest the ball during the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park. – (Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho)
Dublin’s Denis Bastick and Seán Kavanagh of Tyrone contest the ball during the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park. – (Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho)

Dublin 0-22 Tyrone 0-15:A performance as slick as the ground conditions at Croke Park earned Pat Gilroy's Dublin side a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals as they saw off Tyrone for a second straight year.

Heavy rain before the game looked like making things tricky on the pitch but Dublin, and in particular their full-forward line, made light of the conditions as they set up a meeting with Donegal on August 28th.

As expected, Gilroy named Barry Cahill at centre forward, with Alan Brogan moved to the right corner to replace Eoghan O’Gara. Michael Dara Macauley also took his place in the starting XV in midfield ahead of Eamonn Fennell.

Although the poor weather meant only 52,000 of the expected 70,000 turned up at Croke Park, they were treated to an exhibition from the Dublin full-forward line as they tore the Tyrone full-back line to shreds.

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Diarmuid Connolly was in inspired form at full forward, the St Vincent’s man hitting five points from play in the first half.

Bernard and Alan Brogan chipped in with two apiece as Dublin built up a 0-11 to 0-6 lead at the break.

It could have been even worse for Mickey Harte’s side with Pascal McConnell pulling off a fine save to deny Bernard Brogan in the second minute of the match.

Tyrone kept Dublin waiting at the start of the second half but it didn’t seem to bother them as they found their scoring touch again right from the off.

Connolly, Denis Bastick, Paul Flynn and Bernard Brogan all scored from play to increase the lead to nine points before Brian Dooher knocked over his first point of the game to stop the rot for Tyrone.

Alan Brogan shaved the post with a goal attempt, while Bernard was inches away from connecting with Flynn’s pass as the siege on the Tyrone net continued.

It wasn’t completely one-way traffic as Martin Penrose grabbed two points and Stephen O’Neill showed his class by converting from a tight angle.

The wave of Dublin attacks continued with Connolly grabbing his seventh point from play and goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton knocked over a couple of frees to give Dublin an eight-point cushion (0-20 to 0-12) with eight minutes to go.

The Brogan brothers tagged on a point apiece and although Tyrone scored the game’s last three points, it was too little, too late.