Dublin still find plenty in reserve

O'BYRNE CUP/Dublin 0-17 Carlow 0-10:IN THE end, all it took was a gentle tap on the accelerator and Dublin left nothing but a vapour trail in their wake yesterday. A game that had looked theirs for the toying with had actually shifted back in Carlow's direction for a raucous spell after half-time and with little over a quarter of an hour to go, the sides stood level.

Gun to the head, you’d have obviously picked the All-Ireland champions to pull through but you’ve have had to think about it.

As it turned out, eight points without reply took them clear and set up a second-round clash with UCD at Parnell Park on Saturday night.

For a season opener, it was an afternoon that had its rewards for both teams. Carlow were able to hold their heads reasonably high in the mid-pitch huddle afterwards, happy in the knowledge that they weren’t atomised after an opening spell in which they couldn’t hold any serious possession past midfield. To have righted themselves after that was no small achievement.

They will regret however not forging ahead when they eventually drew level midway through the second half.

“We needed to stop making our own mistakes basically,” was Luke Dempsey’s observation. “Some of their points came from elementary errors that we made and bits of mishandling. When that happens in any sport, quality opposition that has been contained will get on top. They had the winning of the game from there and it was a matter of containing the result more so. There wasn’t much anybody could have done really.”

For their part, Dublin can’t ask for much more than 17 points from a January kickabout – indeed, they’d have reached well into the 20s with better shooting. And for a team that could have been forgiven for wintering with gusto, they moved impressively through the gears yesterday. Gilroy fielded six of the team that started in Croke Park last September and brought Eamonn Fennell in late on, just as he’d done that day.

And still they were doing their best work at the end. As an expression of the depth of his panel, it was pretty fearsome. Carlow don’t live in the same world at all.

“This is just preparation for the league,” said Gilroy. “You’re trying to continue on what you’re doing during the week. You can’t be wrecking fellas going into these games. You’re building up their fitness and hoping you can improve things. Our shooting in the first half there was appalling and you don’t know whether that’s because fellas are heavy-legged or not.

“It’s about getting that sort of thing right and hopefully over the next few weeks we’ll get the shooting to be better than that.

“In new lads, you’re just looking for application and a lot of them are showing it. In the first week anyway, they’ve shown a great appetite for work and for doing what’s right for the team. The lads who played today really did that and it’s hard for them because they’re only there seven days really at this point. They’ve got a good grasp of what we want from them I was very happy with what they gave.”

One of the newer faces was Michael McCarthy, a stylish corner-forward from St Sylvester’s. One of the fringe members of last year’s panel, he shone in the first half here and was more responsible than most for Dublin’s best work. His three points – one from a free and one off either foot from play – helped Dublin to a 0-6 to 0-4 half-time lead.

It felt like it should have been more and Carlow had Brendan Murphy to thank that it wasn’t.

The inspirational International Rules midfielder helped claw them a route back into the game, kicking a third point of his own seven minutes into the second half to reduce the deficit to 0-7 to 0-6. And when Daniel St Ledger scored his second of the game on 54 minutes, the sides were level and deservedly so.

But with Diarmuid Connolly and Quinn especially rampant, Dublin kicked into gear and won as they liked in the end.

DUBLIN: S Supple; C O’Sullivan, M Fitzsimons, D Daly; K Connolly, G Brennan, D Byrne; MD Macauley (0-1), R McConnell (0-1); D Lally, M McCarthy (0-4, 0-2 frees), P Brogan; P Andrews, B Cullen (0-1), D Connolly (0-3). Subs: J Small for Brennan, ht, T Quinn (0-5, 0-1 free) for Lally (47 mins), E Fennell (0-1) for Macauley (56 mins), R Corcoran (0-1) for Andrews (65).

CARLOW: T O’Reilly; BJ Molloy, C Lawlor, G Nolan; B Lambe, T Bolger, B Kavanagh; Brendan Murphy (0-3), D Foley (0-2, frees); Brian Murphy (0-1), C Murphy (0-1), E Finnegan; P Reid, C Coughlan, D St Ledger (0-2, 0-1 45). Subs: D Hayden (0-1) for Reid (ht); D Mulvaney for Nolan (ht), C Mullins for C Murphy (56 mins), E Ruth for Finnegan (61), C Walshe for Brian Murphy (66 mins).

Referee: A Nolan (Wicklow).