Dublin 0-22 Tyrone 0-15: THE OUTCOME Dublin needed to Saturday evening's All-Ireland football quarter-final: if Pat Gilroy had compiled a check list, he would have thought it hardly possible so many boxes would be ticked.
Circumstances have always mattered. Dublin went into two quarter-finals, in 2008 and ’09, as favourites against teams who would go on to win the All-Ireland, and got annihilated. Last year they presented as plucky outsiders and emerged with a breathless victory.
At the weekend, they were slightly-shorter-than-comfortable favourites against a Tyrone side beginning to believe themselves on the familiar qualifier path to an All-Ireland but this time there was to be no vertiginous tumble on the big day, no panic in the cold-eyed stare of the three-time winners, no inexplicable loss of form and no inability to maintain championship pace for 70 minutes on a wet and demanding evening.
They absorbed Mark Donnelly’s early score and when Seán Cavanagh – who worked so hard to stem the tide that was surging through the middle – kicked a free in the fifth minute to make it 0-2 to 0-1 it would be the last time Tyrone would lead.
Seriously impressive point taking – 0-19 from play – turned the match in Dublin’s favour and, with their opponents rampant, Tyrone did well to keep the final margin to seven. Even at half-time, 0-11 to 0-6, and allowing for the Ulster county’s reputation for going up the gears and Dublin’s history of seizing up, the game looked up for Mickey Harte’s side – blitzed by opponents turning their own weapons of choice on them.
The Dublin GAA discussion board Reservoir Dubs has the exasperated subtitle, ‘Where the Dubs go for 20 minutes every match’. Maybe that reputation for intermittent performance has begun to change.
After the break the momentum was maintained. Four unanswered points, two of which from Paul Flynn and Bernard Brogan could have been goals, and the margin was nine.
The only sign of the goal that might have asked questions of Dublin came 11 minutes from time when Stephen O’Neill, whose classy contribution raised the question why he hadn’t started, was hustled out of an opportunity.
Stephen Cluxton cleared, adding goalmouth vigilance to the accomplished multi-tasking that saw his laser-guided kick-outs facilitate centrefield domination and two impeccable dead-ball conversions bring his season’s total to eight.
The Leinster champions have now got to where they were last year by administering the coup de grace to an outstanding team, who were – as often happens to even the best – overwhelmed by a younger, hungrier and more dynamic force.
Viewed realistically Dublin have yet to prove they can deliver this quality of performance on a consistent basis but this was a powerful display with the caveat that the team continues to concede too many frees.
The team went out and established a high tempo and they sustained it. Gilroy got the mind games right and, as broadly rumoured, started Michael Dara Macauley and Barry Cahill, both of whose work-rate and ball-carrying were tireless and irrepressible.
There was a touch of fantasy about the extent of Dublin’s dominance. The scoreline should have been further unbalanced by four goals, a conservative estimation of the Triple A openings the team contrived when opening up their opponents.
Pascal McConnell saved well from Bernard Brogan early on and Conor Gormley got in one of those deft touches to prevent the same player teeing up Diarmuid Connolly, who in turn had set up Flynn for a one-one opportunity.
Alan Brogan then drilled agonisingly wide. Usually that level of under-realisation comes with a hefty price tag but on this occasion it ended up simply as a mercy to the losers.
Mickey Harte, so often the master of sideline orchestration, was powerless to improvise a way out of the maelstrom. Given the threat posed by the Brogans and Connolly it was odd Tyrone didn’t use a sweeper and the traditionally configured individual contests were a cornucopia for Dublin. Everywhere the winners had players who took on their marker and beat them for strength and pace.
Cian O’Sullivan, the defensive change that had been flagged, showed his immense value to the team. Fast – able to outpace forwards from behind, and a quality footballer (his ball into Brogan for the Gormley intercept) – the importance of his troublesome hamstrings behaving was vividly apparent.
But all around the defence the backs swarmed and made their blocks and taps: Rory O’Carroll’s intervention on Mark Donnelly in the first half a fine example and Michael Fitzsimons ensuring that Owen Mulligan didn’t get close to posting another significant total in this fixture.
James McCarthy won the battle of the tyros with Peter Harte, Ger Brennan swept everywhere and Kevin Nolan again showed his class on the half-back line.
The support play and fast breaking out of defence – one, two hand passes and an accurate kick into the marauding attack, where Flynn had a terrific game beside Cahill and captain Bryan Cullen, created plenty of opportunities for a full-forward line that will take most of the plaudits even in a high-performing team effort.
Connolly has frustrated so many followers since his rise to senior status but Gilroy’s faith in his clubmate has been rewarded with an encouraging season between league and less emphatically, championship but he delivered in large style on Saturday, kicking 0-7 from play and persecuting three separate markers.
By the 16th minute he had already kicked four, as Dublin headed for the same first-quarter superiority they had enjoyed 12 months previously but unlike last year there would be no losing the initiative along the way.
Justin McMahon, whose return was expected to strengthen the Tyrone defence, wasn’t suited by Connolly’s ability to short-circuit aerial possession or 50-50 tussles. Instead the Dublin full forward drifted on to ball and kicked exquisitely on sight.
Bernard Brogan showed signs of nerves early on after his poor Leinster final but got into the match and thrived on the destruction Connolly was causing. He kicked 0-4 from play himself and opened up points for Flynn and Cahill from perceptively delivered cross-field passes.
Brother Alan popped up everywhere, linking play, providing a target up front and cashing in for 0-3 of his own in what has been his most devastating season in a long career. Partnering Macauley, Denis Bastick had his best match for Dublin and embellished it with a fine point early in the second half.
Martin Penrose’s frees and sporadic points from O’Neill and Brian Dooher dabbed at the deficit but there was no way back.
Donegal, fresh and hungry, will be a harder task with their tactical calculation, immense work-rate and dangerous forwards but Dublin have also raised their game and a fascinating contest awaits.
DUBLIN:1 S Cluxton (0-2, 0-1 45, 0-1 free); 2 M Fitzsimons, 3 R O'Carroll, 17 C O'Sullivan; 5 J McCarthy, 6 G Brennan, 7 K Nolan; 9 D Bastick (0-1), 21 MD Macauley; 10 P Flynn (0-2), 22 B Cahill (0-1), 12 B Cullen (0-1); 11 A Brogan (0-3), 14 D Connolly (0-7), 15 B Brogan (0-5, 0-1 free). Subs: 23 R McConnell for Macauley (59 mins), 26 K McManamon for Flynn (66 mins), 9 E Fennell for Bastick (69 mins), 30 P McMahon for Nolan (71 mins). Yellow cards: Macauley (35 mins), Nolan (47 mins).
TYRONE: 1 F McConnell; 3 Joe McMahon, 4 Justin McMahon, 2 M Swift; 5 Seán O'Neill, 6 C Gormley, 7 P Jordan; 8 K Hughes, 9 S Cavanagh (0-4, 0-3 frees); 10 C Cavanagh, 11 B McGuigan, 12 P Harte (0-1, free); 13 M Penrose (0-4, 0-3 frees), 14 M Donnelly (0-2), 15 O Mulligan. Subs: B Dooher (0-1) for B McGuigan, D Carlin for Justin McMahon (both half-time), Stephen O'Neill (0-2) for Harte (44 mins), E McGinley (0-1) for Hughes (52 mins), A Cassidy for C Cavanagh (54 mins). Yellow cards: Hughes (39 mins), Gormley (55 mins).
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).
Key moments
1 min:Paul Flynn's diagonal ball has Bernard Brogan clean through on goal. Great save by Pascal McConnell but Stephen Cluxton plants the 45.
16 mins:A clenched fist is the only show of emotion as Diarmuid Connolly finally showcases his exceptional talent on the main stage. Seán O'Neill can't get near him as he nonchalantly kicks his fourth point to make it 0-6 to 0-3.
30 mins:Mark Donnelly ends a 15 minute scoring drought for Tyrone. A Peter Harte free then reduces the deficit to four but a superb block by Rory O'Carroll, on Donnelly, denies Tyrone 0-3 from three attacks.
35 + 1 mins:Unhindered by his long injury lay-off, Cian O'Sullivan wins the race to yet another ball meant for Donnelly. It is quickly transferred down field where Alan Brogan makes it 0-11 to 0-5.
Half-time:Dublin 0-11 Tyrone 0-6.
37 mins:Paul Flynn is dominating four-time All Star Philip Jordan. Dublin's running man reacts quicker to McConnell's sloppy short kick-out but spurns a goal for their third point since the break. Eight between them now.
45 mins:Dublin are rampant. Two goals chances go a begging. Flynn's shot skids past the far post, Bernard Brogan arriving a fraction too late, while Alan's top corner attempt swerves into a delirious Hill 16.
50 mins:The excellent Flynn ends Dublin's longest run without a score. All of seven minutes. The rampant Connolly kicks the best of his seven from a crazy angle to make it 0-17 to 0-8.
55 mins: One time defender then converted midfielder and now Dublin's newest forward, Barry Cahill gallops towards goal but wisely settles for a point.
60 mins: The trickle of Tyrone departures is noticeable as an eager Stephen O'Neill's sight of goal is quickly blocked before Cluxton clears. Moments later the Dublin goalkeeper kicks his second point from a free wide on the right.
62 mins:The Brogan brothers close out the show. Bernard kicks a glorious score off his right before Alan steps inside Jordan to stick over a left footer.
Full-time:Dublin 0-22 Tyrone 0-15.
