Donegal get the run-around from Dublin at Croke Park

AS WAS SUGGESTED afterwards, Donegal were looking to get a run-out against Dublin and ended up getting more of a run-around.

Dublin 1-20 Donegal 0-13

With Rory Gallagher’s side having something of a shoulder-shrugging attitude to the semi-finals of the Allianz League, perhaps what happened this afternoon wasn’t that big a surprise.

Photo caption: Mark Anthony McGinley, the Donegal goalkeeper, in action against Bernard Brogan of Dublin in today’s Allianz Football League Division 1 semi-final at Croke Park. Photo: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE

With 20 minutes to go and Donegal the guts of 10 points down a thought that might’ve gone through the minds of the travelling support was whether they’d have been better off doing what Monaghan and Mayo did – get the job done in terms of survival and get off the stage before getting strips torn off of you.

The reason the second half was perhaps seen as a non-event from a Donegal perspective was the fact that at 0-11 to 0-6 down at the break, whatever chance there was of a comeback was shattered just 52 seconds after the restart.

That was when Bernard Brogan tucked home what proved to be the only goal of the game after a diagonal ball from Philly McMahon.

From then on, there was a training ground feel and Dublin could’ve added a second goal when Donegal goalkeeper mark Anthony McGinley saved in a one-on-one with Paul Mannion on 43 minutes.

Four minutes later, Neil McGee, possibly inadvertently, popped the ball over his own crossbar. And although that sounds a little jovial, it was an important block from the full-back as John Small’s shot was going into the net in front of Hill 16. Either way, it made the score 1-14 to 0-8 on 47 minutes.

Gallagher certainly has plenty still up his sleeve ahead of the Ulster SFC on June 12, although today proved Croke Park is a hard place in which to hide. It’s fair to presume that sharpness, fitness and kick-outs will be tuned in the coming nine weeks. Five defeats on the bounce isn’t ideal.

But at the same time, the Strength & Conditioning team under Paul Fisher would’ve circled the championship opening date on the calendar and worked back from there.

Therefore, this afternoon’s fixture would’ve have been part of that and Donegal, bar a niggle Martin O’Reilly picked up, seemed to get through it unscathed. They’d been given the week off since Castleblayney.

At Croke Park, there’s those famous wide open spaces and a Dublin panel containing that many ravenous fringe players you’re never going to be facing a side who are willing to take their foot off the gas.

While Donegal only had three men on the scoreboard – with Martin McElhinney joining Patrick McBrearty and Michael Murphy – Dublin had 11 with five recognised defenders – McMahon, Johnny Copper, James McCarthy, Eric Lownes and Small.

Up front, their attack was smooth too.

From an early stage you could see that although Dublin weren’t afraid to occasionally funnel back in, with up to 14 at a time they’d try and draw Donegal out when they’d do something similar.

One gets the feeling that Jim Gavin, the Dublin manager, enjoys his jousts with Donegal.

When points were needed and score difference was an issue last month, it was a cagey contest in which Gavin’s side came out on top 1-10 to 0-7. Today, Gallagher’s team stood a little bit more toe-to-toe but it was more of an exhibition bout.

Dean Rock, Paddy Andrews and Paul Mannion all scored in the first half, with Ciaran Kilkenny’s effort from in front of the Cusask Stand perhaps the one that stood out more than any five minutes before the break.

Donegal were facing a huge wind in that first half, something that might’ve been familiar to some of their players whose clubs are dotted on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Offensively, they were a bit hit and miss. McBrearty would finish the afternoon with eight points. Murphy’s haul was half that, including one peach of a first-half free, but he also kicked five wides.

Even in the second half there were the occasional break into space but all in all, when the goal chances are assessed, Donegal did well to concede just the one.

The closest either side went to scoring a first half goal was when Rory Kavanagh blocked at the feet of Brogan seven minutes before the interval.

Just like the way Roscommon had no answer for Kerry, neither did Donegal against a Dublin side chasing their fourth springtime title in succession.

Today was the last of the league semi-finals with the competition reverting to a straight top-two final next year and from the evidence of this afternoon in front of 31,324, that mightn’t be such a bad idea.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; James McCarthy (0-1), Johnny Cooper (0-1), David Byrne; Philly McMahon (0-1), Cian O’Sullivan, Johnny Small (0-1); Brian Fenton, Denis Bastick; Paul Flynn, Dean Rock (0-5, 3f, 1 45), Ciaran Kilkenny (0-3); Paul Mannion (0-2), Paddy Andrews (0-2), Bernard Brogan (1-2). Subs: Cormac Costello (0-1) for Andrews (45); Eric Lowndes (0-1) for Bastick (48); Michael Fitzsimons for McMahon (53); Shane B Carthy (St Vincents) for Flynn (60); Kevin O’Brien for Cooper (61); S Carthy (Naomh Mearnog) for O’Sullivan (66).

Donegal: Mark Anthony McGinley; Paddy McGrath, Neil McGee, Eamon McGee; Ryan McHugh, Karl Lacey, Kieran Gillespie; Rory Kavanagh, Odhrán MacNiallais; Martin O’Reilly, Martin McElhinney (0-1), Frank McGlynn; Leo McLoone, Patrick McBrearty (0-8, 5f), M Murphy (0-4, 4f). Subs: Stephen McBrearty for O’Reilly (14); Caolan McGonagle for MacNiallais (50); Colm McFadden for McElhinney (53); Eoghan Ban Gallagher for McLoone (66); Christy Toye for Kavanagh (66); Jack O’Brien for Gillespie 70.

Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)