Dublin 2-16 Donegal 0-13:STRIPPED of the claustrophobia, pressure and panic that suffused last August's All-Ireland semi-final, Saturday night's Allianz National Football League Division One encounter was a diverting enough encounter.
Donegal went into injury-time just a score adrift but goals from Bryan Cullen and Diarmuid Connolly copper-fastened the home side’s victory and at the same time exaggerated its scope.
Dublin were the better side but by the end of the third quarter had allowed their attention to wander sufficiently for the Ulster champions to pull themselves right back into contention. Yet any time Pat Gilroy’s team were threatened – the two occasions on which the match drew level – they kicked on the re-establish the lead.
If there was a turning point in the match it was probably the injury-enforced departure of Donegal captain and chief influence Michael Murphy. Having managed six points, two from play, he had to be replaced with 10 minutes to go and his departure knocked Donegal’s self-belief while driving Dublin on to out-score them 2-3 to 0-2 in the time remaining.
Afterwards Gilroy reflected on the difference between Saturday and last year: “I think they had a very difference defensive structure now than they had. It certainly wasn’t as defensive, in the first-half in particular, as they had in the All-Ireland semi-final.
“They, to be fair, came out a fair bit with the ball. There wasn’t really 13 or 14 men in their half. It was a lot more open than the semi-final. The last 15 minutes in Croke Park, when you’re doing that kind of work-rate, it can leave holes and you saw with the very last goal there was like three people in that half and acres of space. I think that does happen in the league.”
Gilroy certainly had a point about the second goal. The sight of a Dublin counter-attack out-numbering Donegal’s defenders four-to-three was akin to being shown a photograph of the aliens at Roswell. Diarmuid Connolly didn’t need the support and weaved through to slide in a goal that deflected in off the unfortunate Paul Durcan’s arm as he went down to save.
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness was frustrated by the profit-and-loss account but also optimistic his team can retain their Division One status.
“To be beaten by nine points when it was 0-11 each, I didn’t think that was going to happen but the goals came very late and we did fatigue in the last five or 10 minutes. I don’t think our fitness levels are at the same level as Dublin and you’d expect that.
“We have one match left and if we can get something from that game hopefully we can stay up.”
Donegal were doubly unlucky with Murphy’s knee injury, the extent of which isn’t known, coming on top of Colm McFadden’s inability to start because of a hamstring twinge to leave the team short of attacking targets.
Dublin’s defence played well, with Rory O’Carroll having a great tussle with Murphy under the high ball and forcing the Donegal captain to do his best work farther out. Cian O’Sullivan’s return also benefited the defence, with his mobility and intelligence on the ball a source of reassurance.
Gilroy had his own problems, losing Ger Brennan (unwell) and Footballer of the Year Alan Brogan (calf strain) in the first half. But among the positives for Dublin were the decent efforts of Dean Kelly, lively and elusive running at the defence, and Dean Rock, whose work-rate was an asset once he overcame an initial tendency to wander into traffic.
Durcan was a key influence on Donegal and made two critical saves, from Eamon Fennell and Kevin McManamon, to prevent goals. Cluxton did his bit as well in the other goal and beyond – kicking an important free in the 58th minute, finally giving Dublin a lead they never lost – making a smart save from Paddy McBrearty, under pressure because of the lack of support in the full forwards, who had gathered from Anthony Thompson and turned quickly to get in a shot that would have cut the margin to one with five minutes left.
Dublin moved most impressively in the first half. Fennell’s improvement at centrefield continued and his physical presence in the middle made life harder for Donegal. Beside him Michael Darragh Macauley was immense in the first half, involving himself in 18 possessions that contributed to nearly half of Dublin’s scores and turning over the ball just once. His loss of focus in the second half – turning over a third of his possessions – was symptomatic of the team’s.
Donegal could have also scored more before half-time, dropping three shots into Cluxton’s grateful paws to go with two wides.
They hit the ground running after the break, however, and had squared the 0-5 to 0-9 deficit within eight minutes of the restart.
McManamon, whose industry, aggression on the ball and willingness to take on defenders made for a fine performance, restored the lead immediately after a lovely flick-on from Connolly and although Donegal came again to tie the match at 0-11 each Dublin rediscovered their urgency.
Cullen’s goal – strongly running on to Macauley’s pass to out-run the flagging defence and finishing with a thumping shot to the net – was deserved after a hard shift winning ball and orchestrating attacks.
Dublin have a play-off place in their sights whereas Donegal’s final contest will have implications at the other end of the table.
* A video tribute to the late Jim Stynes was shown before Saturday’s match. The attendance for the football/hurling double header was 23,855.
DUBLIN:S Cluxton (0-1, free); C O'Sullivan, R O'Carroll, P McMahon; J Cooper (0-1), G Brennan, K Nolan; E Fennell (0-1), MD Macauley (0-1); P Flynn (0-1), A Brogan (0-1), B Cullen (capt; 1-1); T Quinn (0-1), D Connolly (1-3, two points frees), K McManamon (0-3). Subs: S Murray for Brennan (25 mins), D Rock (0-1) for Brogan (30 mins), D Kelly (0-1) for Quinn (half-time), C Dias for Cooper (59 mins).
DONEGAL:P Durcan; F McGlynn, N McGee (0-1), P McGrath; A Thompson (0-1), K Lacey, L McLoone (0-1); C Toye (0-1), N Gallagher; M O'Reilly, R Bradley, M McHugh, P McBrearty (0-1, free), M Murphy (0-6, three frees and 45), M McElhinney (0-1); Subs: D Walsh (0-1) for O'Reilly (30 mins), E McGee for Toye (54 mins), A Hanlon for Murphy (59 mins), D McLaughlin for Bradley (64 mins).
Referee: E Kinsella (Laois).
