Dubs waltz to victory over brave Wicklow
Damage done in devastating first half
DUBLIN 4-25 WICKLOW 1-11
LIKE an Australian road train rampaging through the Outback, the Dublin football juggernaut trundled over the Wicklow challenge in the Leinster Senior football quarter-final in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise last Sunday evening.
It was a pitiful story of two counties from vastly different realities colliding in what was always going to be a canter for the reigning All-Ireland and league champions who, it should be said, rarely got out of third gear and had the game won by half-time when they took a 4-13 to 1-4 lead into the dressing rooms.
Wicklow manager John Evans found positives from the game. The scoring of 1-11, the goal a classic James Stafford tap down from a high Rory Finn ball, was produced as a positive and rightly so. It must also have left Jim Gavin wondering what Michael Darragh McCauley was doing back at full-back. It will also provide Longford, Dublin’s Leinster semi-final opponents, with evidence of a weakness in the Dublin defence as Stephen Cluxton looked anything other than comfortable as the ball dropped down from the blue skies.
John Evans pointed to the fact that Carlow only managed seven points against the Dubs whereas his charges bagged their 1-11 which is certainly a positive for the Garden County footballers to take ahead of the qualifier clash with Cavan in Joule Park Aughrim. However, Dublin only managed to score 0-19 against the Barrowsiders, they filleted the Wicklow defence for 4-25 and could have harvested plenty more if the want had been on them.
Talk of not playing a blanket defence was quickly disposed of as Wicklow pulled 14 men behind the ball from early on in a desperate bid to delay the Dublin destroyers led by the awesome Brian Fenton and the clinical Ciaran Kilkenny who returned with an impressive 1-7 for the day.
Work rate and ambition are two other positives John Evans and his management team can take from the day out in Portlaoise. Wicklow never stopped going from start to finish, they worked their socks off and they produced plenty of attacks that were filled with ambition and endeavour with Saoirse Kearon and Darren Hayden impressing.
One of the massive differences between the teams, aside from ability, fitness, stamina etc., was the instinctive urge to move the ball at pace. Holding the ball or taking an extra solo or two didn’t even enter the consciousness of the Dublin players. It is an alien concept to them. They get the ball and it’s gone, either by foot or by hand to one of numerous options they have at all times off either side or up ahead. The Dublin machine is programmed to attack, to conquer, it cannot equate dilly dallying around the middle third, taking the third or fourth extra solo and bringing the ball into traffic to be ruthlessly turned over, it doesn’t understand that language. It must attack at all times. It must devour. Its hunger is never sated.
Evidence of work done on the Wicklow kickouts could be seen, certainly in the first half as Mark Jackson thumped ball down on top of his own 45 where eager runners like Eoin Murtagh and John Crowe and the likes were invited to scavenge and attack the Dublin line.
Defensively, despite the 4-25 conceded, Wicklow had plenty of quality performances. Ciarán Hyland, Ross O’Brien and Eoin Murtagh all enjoyed very decent shifts with Murtagh proving tenacious and switched on throughout.
A glorious start was required for John Evans men to put any seeds of doubt in Dublin’s mind and all those punters who had a flutter on the 4/1 price for Wicklow to score first must have felt their heart soar when John McGrath claimed an early ball and turned for goal. Alas the Baltinglass man’s effort went low across Cluxton’s goal and condemned a host of betting slips to the bin.
When Wicklow registered their fourth wide Dublin were 1-3 to 0-0 up with points from Dean Rock (operating at centre half forward), Con O’Callaghan, Ciarán Kilkenny and the goal from the immense Brian Fenton who drove low and hard past Mark Jackson and the Dubs screamed through the heart of the Wicklow defence.
By the time James Stafford had hoofed over Wicklow’s opening score the Garden County were trailing by 2-7 to 0-1, Dublin’s second goal coming from Dean Rock who palmed home after a lovely move with Kilkenny and Fenton. It was both sublime and scary to watch.
Jim Gavin’s men put the boot down for about 10 minutes and added two goals and a host of points. Wicklow had points from Theo Smyth (2) and a Mark Jackson free won by the hard-working Dean Healy to leave it 4-13 to 1-4 at the break.
Before a crowd of 11,786 the Dubs handled the gallant Wicklow effort in the second half while John Evans’ men kept Jim Gavin’s side goalless and down to 12 points while bagging seven themselves through Rory Finn, Kevin Murphy, Dean Healy, Mark Kenny, Seanie Furlong (free), Darren Hayden (2) and a Mark Jackson free to leave the final score reading 4-25 to 1-11.
The Dubs march on. They won’t be stopped unless they stop themselves. Wicklow will welcome Cavan to Joule Park Aughrim. There won’t be anything easy that day.
Scorers - Dublin: Ciaran Kilkenny 1-7, Brian Fenton, Con O’Callaghan 1-3 each, Dean Rock 1-2 (2f), Paddy Andrews 0-3, Conor McHugh 0-2, (1f), Colm Basquel, Paul Mannion (45), Michael Darragh Macauley, Brian Howard, Philly McMahon 0-1 each.
Wicklow: James Stafford 1-1, Theo Smyth, Mark Jackson (2f), Darren Hayden 0-2 each, Seanie Furlong (f), Dean Healy, Rory Finn, Mark Kenny 0-1 each.
Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Philly McMahon, Eric Lowndes; James McCarthy, Jonny Cooper, Brian Howard; Michael Darragh Macauley, Brian Fenton; Niall Scully, Ciaran Kilkenny, Con O’Callaghan; Dean Rock, Paul Mannion, Paddy Andrews. Subs: Conor McHugh for Rock (HT); Eoin Murchan for Fitzsimons (HT); Darren Daly for Mannion (40 min); Paul Flynn for Macauley (40 min); Colm Basquel for Andrews (47 min); Kevin McManamon for O’Callaghan (51 min).
Wicklow: Mark Jackson; Ciaran Hyland, Ross O’Brien, Eoin Murtagh; John Crowe, Dean Healy, Saoirse Kearon; Rory Finn, James Stafford; Darren Hayden, Kevin Murphy, Theo Smyth; Mark Kenny, Seanie Furlong, John McGrath. Subs: Cathal Magee for Murphy (HT); Darragh Fitzgerald for McGrath (HT); Conor Healy for Kearon (49 min); Paul Merrigan for Crowe (52 min); Brendan Kennedy for Stafford (57 min); Dan Keane for Smyth (67 min).
Referee: Ciaran Branagan (Down)