Leinster SFC: Dubs despatch Slaneysiders
June 29, 2014
Dublin's Michael Darragh Macauley and Daithi Waters of Wexford.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.
It was all too easy for Dublin as they maintained their four-in-a-row bid with this 2-25 to 1-12 semi-final win over Wexford at Croke Park.
A crowd of 46,279 went through the turnstiles at Headquarters to witness the reigning provincial, All-Ireland and national league champions ease into another final without ever moving out of second gear. Substitute Cormac Costello (1-5) and Paul Flynn (1-2) supplied the Dublin goals in the second half and Daithi Waters hit Wexford's three-pointer in between.
The runaway winners played within themselves in the first half and, despite passing over on a series of goal-scoring opportunities, led by four at the break, 0-10 to 0-6.
Dublin took the lead in the second minute via a Stephen Cluxton '45' into The Hill after Wexford goalkeeper Shane Roche had saved well at his near post from Paul Mannion.
Between them, Kevin McManamon and Mannion conspired to fluff a very presentable goalscoring opportunity in the sixth minute; Wexford bookended that miss / save with wides from Ciaran Lyng and Daithi Waters. But a simple Ben Brosnan free opened the underdogs' account in the seventh minute - 0-1 each.
Paul Flynn restored the holders' lead with a confident finish after Alan Brogan had missed a chance and Mannion's third goal effort was also smothered.
After six minutes without a score, Mannion and Dean Rock pointed to give the hosts a 0-4 to 0-1 lead with 15 minutes gone. Brosnan replied.
Lyng won and converted a free to make it a one-point game but the All-Ireland champions hit back with a brace of Rock frees either side of a Mannion point from play. Again, Brosnan replied.
It was double scores when Nicky Devereux lofted over his first-ever championship point but Aidan O'Brien's charges responded with scores from Brosnan (free) and PJ Banville to leave two between the teams with three minutes to play before the break, 0-8 to 0-6.
The last two points of the first half went to the Dubs: Rock with a free from in front of the posts and Brogan with a lovely finish off his left foot.
Wexford's James Holmes registered the first point of the second half after Cluxton parried a shot from corner back Conor Carty but Footballer of the Year Michael Darragh MacAuley fisted a Dublin point in response. Connolly, McManamon and substitute Cormac Costello all squandered Dublin attacks.
Costello stretched the gap on 42 minutes despite having the fabric of his No.19 shirt tested and the teenager followed up with his second point - this one off his left - 60 seconds later: 0-13 to 0-7. Mannion speared over another one and Brosnan responded with his fifth point of the day.
In the blink of an eye, there were nine points between the sides, impact sub Costello keeping his telling intervention going by bagging his first-ever championship goal in the 46th minute: 1-14 to 0-8. Kevin O'Grady and Brosnan (free) reduced the arrears to seven points.
Back came Jim Gavin's men with pointed frees from Costello and Connolly and an effortless point from the unchallenged substitute Eoghan O'Gara to make it double scores after 57 minutes.
Banville, off his left, saw his score cancelled out by marauding corner back Philly McMahon and - eleven minutes from time - Waters drilled a thumping left-footed drive across Cluxton to the bottom right-hand corner of the Dublin net. At the other end, sub Tomas Brady announced his arrival into the fray with two instant points, the second teed up unselfishly by O'Gara.
Connolly and Banville swapped points and Flynn's second bounced on the black spot and over the bar before No.26 O'Gara claimed his second score: 1-23 to 1-12 with just over five minutes to go. Lyng and MacAuley both saw yellow after a brief flashpoint under the Cusack Stand.
Costello brought his tally to 1-4 and Flynn increased his to 1-2 when hammering a 70th-minute shot to the roof of the net. The losers played out the last 30 seconds with 14 men when Carty received a black card in the second minute of injury time; Costello's conversion of the subsequent free made it better-than-double-scores as the holders eased into a ninth Leinster final in ten years, where they will face neighbours Meath in three weeks.
Dublin - S Cluxton (0-1'45); P McMahon (0-1), R O'Carroll, J Cooper; J McCarthy, N Devereux (0-1), K Nolan; MD Macauley (0-1), C O'Sullivan; P Flynn (1-2), D Rock (0-4f), D Connolly (0-2, 1f); P Mannion (0-3), A Brogan (0-1), K McManamon. Subs: C Costello (1-5, 1f) for D Rock, E O'Gara (0-2) for A Brogan, J McCaffrey for K Nolan, T Brady (0-2) for C O'Sullivan, M Fitzsimons for N Devereux, B Cullen for MD Macauley.
Wexford - S Roche; C Carty, G Molloy, R Tierney; M Furlong, B Malone, A Flynn; D Waters (1-0), P Byrne; K O'Grady (0-1), PJ Banville (0-3), T Rossiter; C Lyng (0-1f), B Brosnan (0-6, 3f), J Holmes (0-1). Subs: Cillian Kehoe for J Holmes, M O'Regan for A Flynn, E Nolan for P Byrne, D Dunne for T Rossiter, Colm Kehoe for K O'Grady. G Cullen for PJ Banville.
Referee - C Brannigan.
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