Dublin avoid speedbump as they get roadtested by Mayo
Picture: Cluxton The Dublin Goalkeeper Clash During Stage Decison Ireland Mayo A Group All Appeals Stephen ©inpho/ryan With Byrne Sfc
All that was good and great about this rivalry was painted onto the new canvas of Dr Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon. A reproduction, sure, but a splendid one at that.
Level 11 times, Dublin going no further than three points ahead and Mayo putting their noses in front in additional time for only the second time, it was finely poised throughout.
Mayo had to labour more than Dublin and on the basis of the first half at least deserved to be ahead only to find themselves a point in arrears. They were two back in the 62nd minute but tied up the game via a Colm Reape 45 as the sands of regulation time disappeared.
And when Ryan O’Donoghue converted a free that he had earned hard against Mick Fitzsimons in the final minute of the announced additional time, the Mayo-dominated 16,870 crowd sensed the All-Ireland champions were about to be felled.
Their class emerged, though, as Ciarán Kilkenny claimed Stephen Cluxton’s subsequent kick-out and substitute Jack McCaffrey punched enough of a hole to give Cormac Costello the opening for the equaliser.
An All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final would have been an awkward speed bump for Dublin but there was no sense of panic on the field nor the sideline. Yes, there are more question marks over them than 12 months ago but their character manifested itself exactly when it was needed.
“We have practised these situations in training,” said Dessie Farrell of the dramatic conclusion. “Every team in the country is doing that. There is a lot of experience there within the 15 that finished, a lot of youth as well in terms of newer players bringing the energy and bringing that vitality that we knew we needed.
“We knew we had enough nous on the pitch to be able to figure it out. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Thankfully today it did.”
Dublin do look vulnerable in defence where their cover has eroded and when Brian Fenton is tagged as strongly as Donnacha McHugh administered here they aren’t nearly as multi-dimensional.
The turnover count for both teams was astronomical and is sure to be a topic of conversation in the reviews but perhaps more of a sour point for Dublin who pride themselves on their retention.
But at least they can say they have been roadtested. Against both Louth and Roscommon, they had fallow periods and were able to pull away. Here, they didn’t and yet prevailed. Being battle-hardened is not something you could have claimed they were heading into the All-Ireland quarter-finals in 2023.
Kevin McStay will rightly take plenty of encouragement from a team that gave its most heartening championship performance since the preliminary quarter-final win over Galway in Salthill 12 months ago.
Sam Callinan gave an outstanding account of himself in defence, David McBrien wasn’t too far behind him and Aidan O’Shea played the full game and was regularly taking on the Dublin defence.
Yet again there were too many instances in the first half when their defenders advanced into shooting areas only to turn their backsides to the goal. Even facing the wind, that sort of frigidity will cost them more if that trend continues.
“I wouldn’t even say they shied away,” insisted McStay. “We left a few easy scores behind us. That’s the bit that will disappoint us but that’s part and parcel of this game. When we look back on it now, we’ll say ‘oh God, there were a few easy scores left behind’ and at this level they’re the ones you can be left singing for.
“That was a bit unfortunate but it’s just the effort… you’re the manager of a team and you demand effort from them and they died with their boots on and you can’t ask for anything more. They gave us everything they had, the boys that came on, the boys that started. What more can I ask from them?”
Only that they back themselves more perhaps but they were Dublin’s harder-working equals here. The sides were inseparable for an eighth time at the end of the third quarter. Matthew Ruane guided over his second point of the half and the game. Dublin went ahead again and were pulled back once more prior to Costello cleverly finding Eoin Murchan in space in the 59th minute and the defender’s shot rocketing off the bar and over it.
Substitute Paul Mannion doubled the All-Ireland champions’ lead but they were reeled in by O’Donoghue and Colm Reape (45) scores going into additional time. O’Donoghue won and converted a free to put Mayo ahead for only the second time in the game. However, Dublin’s top scorer Costello ensured a share of the spoils.
Mayo mustered just two points from play in the first half but should have been ahead at the turnaround. Dublin kicked as many wides as Mayo (three) in that period but kicked two scoring attempts short compared to their opponents’ four. Put through by a lovely Jordan Flynn hand-pass, Stephen Coen also blazed over a goal attempt in the 19th minute.
Mayo worked their kick-outs well up to the 20th minute when they lost their first but their patient build-up and forcing Dublin into turnovers was given them the upper hand in general play.
The teams were level five times in the first half, although Dublin did open up a two-point lead with a brace of quick scores, one of them coming off that restart turnover. Four minutes later, Fenton scrambled to deny O’Donoghue a strike at goal, a borderline tackle which injured the Mayo forward.
O’Donoghue dusted himself off to punish a foul on O’Shea in the 27th minute and O’Shea sent over an equalising free in the 33rd. Costello sent over his fourth of the game, second from play, to give Dublin the advantage going into the break, 0-7 to 0-6.
With his seventh point, he closed out the second half’s scoring too. And Dublin could breathe.
Scorers for Dublin: C. Costello (0-7, 3 frees); C. Basquel (0-2); P. Small, C. O’Callaghan (mark), N. Scully, S. Bugler, C. Kilkenny, J. McCaffrey, E. Murchan, P. Mannion (0-1 each).
Scorers for Mayo: R. O’Donoghue (0-7, 5 frees); T. Conroy (0-3); M. Ruane (0-2); S. Coen, A. O’Shea (free), J. Flynn, C. Loftus, C. Reape (free) (0-1 each).
DUBLIN: S. Cluxton; E. Murchan, M. Fitzsimons, S. MacMahon; B. Howard, J. Small, T. Lahiff; B. Fenton, S. Bugler; C. Kilkenny, C. Basquel, C. Costello; P. Small, C. O’Callaghan (c), N. Scully.
Subs for Dublin: K. McGinnis for T. Lahiff (h-t); J. McCaffrey for N. Scully, P. Mannion for P. Small (both 51); R. McGarry for K. McGinnis (64); J. McCarthy for S. Bugler (68).
MAYO: C. Reape; J. Coyne, D. McBrien, R. Brickenden; S. Callinan, S. Coen (c), E. McLaughlin; D. McHugh, J. Carney; A. O’Shea, D, McHale, J. Flynn; T. Conroy, R. O’Donoghue, M. Ruane.
Subs for Mayo: C. Loftus for E. McLaughlin (inj 33); C. O’Connor for D. McHale (56); D. O’Connor for S. Coen (59); B. Tuohy for M. Ruane (63); P. Towey for J. Carney (68).
Referee: M. McNally (Monaghan).