Burke rescues Dublin and gives Kenny a winning start
HALF-TIME substitute Donal Burke hauled Dublin back from the brink of disaster with a brilliant 1-4 blitz at Parnell Park.
The Dubs trailed raging underdogs Carlow by two points at the interval and feared a surprise defeat in Mattie Kenny’s first 1B League game as manager.
But Na Fianna’s Burke came on to turn the game and Eamonn Dillon added 1-1 in the third quarter too.
Darragh O’Connell grabbed the other goal while John Hetherton impressed and clipped four points. The win puts Dublin in the promotion hunt and they’ll fancy a win over Offaly next weekend.
They beat Carlow by eight points in the Walsh Cup last month and initially looked set for another comfortable win. Feargal Whitely and Fiontán McGibb clipped early points before the returning O’Connell sniped a fourth-minute goal.
Kerry man O’Connell, back after sitting out 2018, capitalised after great work by Hetherton and Dillon.
Dublin led 1-2 to 0-1 at that stage but only added four more points in the entire half with just one of those coming from play. Hetherton got all four of those scores.
Carlow came into the game strongly and outscored Dublin by six points after O’Connell’s goal to lead 0-11 to 1-06 at halftime. Free-taker Marty Kavanagh was terrific for them and hit 12 points.
Kavanagh fired eight of Carlow’s first-half points and was influential in open play too. But the McDonagh Cup champions couldn’t keep it going and the introduction of Burke and ex-All-Star Danny Sutcliffe changed the game.
McGibb and Burke hit points straight after the restart and Dillon’s goal came in the 40th minute.
Hetherton and Jake Malone were involved in the buildup and Dillon finished at the second attempt.
Kavanagh kept his side in it and Dublin led by just two with 65 minutes gone. But their third goal sealed it and it was no surprise that Burke blasted it.