DUBLIN STRIKE THEIR KILLER BLOW
Tyrone push champions all the way but McCarthy’s goal is crucial
A TIGHTENED pitch, a vociferous home crowd and an intense encounter that was in doubt right until the end.
This was a proper advertisement for the Super 8s.
After the damp squib that was the first-round fare at Croke Park last weekend, this one crackled from the off, Dublin and Tyrone circling each other like two prize fighters, content to jab away at each other.
The only real heavyweight blow was landed by the team chasing a four-in-a-row of All-Irelands, and it proved to be the significant difference on the scoreboard at the end.
James McCarthy cut a swathe through an otherwise tightly marshalled Tyrone defensive net to play a one-two with Brian Fenton early in the second half.
And when his initial shot was smartly blocked by Niall Morgan, McCarthy reacted quickest to slap the ball to the net.
Tyrone showed real character to push and turnover Stephen Cluxton repeatedly in the final stages of the game.
It paid dividends, too, as they managed to reel in a five-point lead, cutting it to just two in injury time with five minutes going up on the board.
Ronan O’Neill, only on as a substitute, stepped up to take a 40-metre free to close it to the minimum, but he ballooned it wide.
With that went Tyrone’s last real chance of stealing something from the game and, as the clock counted down, Paul Flynn pounced to make the game safe for Dublin.
It means a safe passage for the champions to the All-Ireland semifinal, with a final round game to come against Roscommon, while it’s a winners-takes-all clash between Tyrone and Donegal in Ballybofey in a fortnight’s time to determine who makes it through to the semifinal.
A familiar duel saw Tyrone playmaker Peter Harte shadowed by John Small, but he escaped his marker’s clutches to shoot his team’s first point from play after 11 minutes.
His previous free cancelled out a
Dean Rock swivel and score for the opening point of the game.
This Super 8s meeting had settled into a familiar pattern by then, Tyrone’s wall of bodies in defence making it difficult for Dublin to find an opening as they probed around the fringes.
This was another game where the turnover was king, the quality of the tackling on both sides top quality.
With Colm Cavanagh and Frank Burns cutting off the central channel in the Tyrone defence, in a double sweeper set-up, Dublin had to rely on defenders bombing forward to create an overlap and enough space to get a shot off.
And so Jack McCaffrey, Philly McMahon and then Small all stole forward before half-time to kick quality scores.
In a mirror image, three Tyrone defenders also had their name on the scoresheet. Tiernan McCann first levelled matters at 0-3 apiece before Frank Burns kicked a rousing point and corner-back Michael McKernan cut a luminous score over the bar with the outside of the boot.
Vital, too, because a Rock free had put Dublin 0-6 to 0-3 ahead by the half-hour mark, Brian Howard also pointing.
Dublin were intent on pushing up, testing Morgan’s nerve with a bank of four players sitting behind a line of three in the full-forward line. Daring the Tyrone goalkeeper to go short and gamble on a risky turnover or else go long and risk a lottery
in the air. It was Morgan who set in motion Tyrone’s only real sniff of a goal chance.
Richard Donnelly fielded a brilliantly angled kick-out from Morgan out near the left-hand sideline and dinked an inviting ball in behind for Cathal McShane to run into space with only Cluxton in his eyeline.
Paul Mannion though showed his talent as an auxiliary defender by making up the ground and defusing the danger.
A big moment came then in the 40th minute when McCarthy played a one-two, the power and direct nature of his running taking him within sight of goal. His stabbed effort was saved by the advancing Niall Morgan but as the ball rebounded out, McCarthy flicked it to the back of the net.
That left Dublin 1-8 to 0-6 ahead after Ciaran Kilkenny took advantage of a turnover to match a Connor McAliskey score and there was suddenly the distinct possibility of the champions powering into the distance.
Cathal McShane stood tall for the home side by jinking clear to point and then McAliskey nailed a 45 to put just a goal in it again.
Jim Gavin had already started reaching for his bench, Cormac Costello replacing the hard-working Mannion, and as the game entered the final quarter, there were signs perhaps that Tyrone’s defensive shell was beginning to crack, a Colm Cavanagh foul allowing Rock to point.
Kevin McManamon made his usual impact from the bench as the spaces began to open up, pushed Dublin six ahead.
As the game ticked into the last five minutes, Tyrone rallied with Kieran McGeary hitting two scores from a four-point burst.
That missed free, though, allowed Dublin to finish the job. Dublin: S Cluxton; J Cooper, C O’Sullivan, P McMahon (M Fitzsimons 58); J McCaffrey, E Murchan, J Small (D Daly 65); B Fenton, J McCarthy (MD Macauley 68); N Scully (K McManamon 51), C O’Callaghan, B Howard (P Flynn 60); D Rock, C Kilkenny, P Mannion (C Costello 46). Scorers: D Rock 0-6 (4fs), J McCarthy 1-0, C Kilkenny 02, J Small, P McMahon, B Howard, J McCaffrey, K McManamon, P Flynn 0-1 each Wides: 2 (2) Tyrone: N Morgan; M McKernan, R McNamee (R Brennan 37), HP McGeary; T McCann, F Burns (K McGeary 53), C Meyler (H Loughran 65); C Cavanagh (D McClure 60), P Hampsey; M Donnelly, N Sludden (R O’Neill 72), P Harte; C McAliskey, R Donnelly, C McShane (M Bradley 51). Scorers: P Harte 0-3 (2fs), C McShane, C McAliskey (1 45), K McGeary 0-2 each, T McCann, M McKernan, F Burns, M Bradley, H Loughran 0-1 each yellow card: C Meyler 55 Wides: 5 (4) referee: D Coldrick (Meath) Attendance: 16,205