O’BYRNE CUP SEMI-FINAL
KILDARE 1-11 DUBLIN 0-8
By Brendan Coffey
THE Dubs came to Newbridge on Sunday but they met the same fate as every other team that has visited St Conleth’s Park this season. It didn’t matter that they brought a carnival with them, the All-Ireland champions couldn’t live with the home side.
After two harmless encounters against DIT and Offaly, the fervour around the ground was matched by the intensity on the pitch as Dublin unleashed their trademark physicality and workrate, posing the first real questions of Kieran McGeeney’s side in 2012. Initially at least, Kildare came up with the answers. They opened up a two point lead against the breeze within the first eight minutes but Dublin were on top around the middle and denying Kildare the kind of freedom they were used to in their previous games.
The game was played at a hectic pace as Dublin ‘keeper Michael Savage wasted no time with his kickouts but Dublin found it hard to get scores and it took them 11 minutes to open their account when Paddy Andrews turned inside Peter Kelly before fisting over the bar from close range. It looked like a profitable route for Dublin to take but they made few gains before the break and that was to prove their only score from play in the opening half.
Tomás Quinn equalised from an excellent sideline kick in the 13th minute before Mikey Conway quickly pushed Kildare back in front with a point off his right boot. There was stalemate for the next 12 minutes as both sides struggled to judge the breeze. Dublin clocked up four wides by the 17th minute – Quinn spurning two frees – while Kildare had kicked three wides in that time, Conway likewise missing two frees.
Quinn found his range in the 26th minute to level proceedings once more and after Eoghan O’Flaherty got his marching orders, after picking up a second yellow card in the 30th minute, Kildare upped the ante before the interval. Smith slotted over a free from the 20 metre line and then landed one from play, after the impressive Tommy O’Neill had made an excellent run out of defence. Another Quinn free reduced the margin to the minimum (5-4) at the break.
Half-time sub Hugh McGrillen traded points with Quinn within the first five minutes of the second half but the teams were soon back on level terms, in playing numbers at least. Paul Brogan picked up two yellows in the space of six minutes to join Eoghan O’Flaherty on the sideline while Shane Connolly made a fine save from Paddy Andrews in what was a crucial period of the game. Four minutes later Tomás O’Connor somehow managed to gather Hugh McGrillen’s long delivery despite being isolated against two men. When he was pulled to the ground, the referee whistled for a foul but waited until arriving on the scene to award a penalty.
Up stepped Ronan Sweeney – the man with a Celtic crest tattooed on his arm – and his finish was worthy of an Old Firm Derby as he slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. Kildare kicked on from there and quickly opened up a six point gap – Conway landed a superb free from just outside the 45 while James Kavanagh scored from play.
Dublin came close to getting a goal when a Bryan Cullen shot flew over the bar in th 52nd minute but Kildare were far hungrier all over the pitch and eased their way to a comfortable victory with a final flurry of points from Fionn Dowling, Rob Kelly and Conway.
Another Dublin side, the third in this run, come to Newbridge on Sunday for the O’Byrne Cup Final. DCU will have their work cut out to buck the trend.
KILDARE: Shane Connolly; Peter Kelly, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Ollie Lyons; Brian Flanagan, Tommy O’Neill, Eoghan O’Flaherty; Daryl Flynn, Ronan Sweeney .-. ( pen); Tommy Moolick, Mikey Conway .-. (.f), Padraig O’Neill; Alan Smith .-. (.f), Tomas O’Connor, James Kavanagh . Subs: Hugh McGrillen .-. for Moolick, h/t; Rob Kelly .-. for P O’Neill, ..; Fionn Dowling .-. for Smith, ..; Eamonn Callaghan for Kavanagh, ..; Gary White for Sweeney, ...
DUBLIN: Michael Savage; Cian O’Sullivan, Michael Fitzsimons, Darren Daly; Davy Byrne, Ger Brennan, Sean Murray; Michael Darragh MacAuley, Ross McConnell; Bryan Cullen .-., Kevin McMenamon, Paul Brogan; Paddy Andrews .-., Eamon Fennell, Tomás Quinn . (.fs, . s/l). Subs: Diarmuid Connolly for Macauley, ..; Declan Lally for Brennan, ..; Brendan McMenamon .-. for Quinn, ..; Gavin McIntyre for Andrews, ..; John Small for O’Sullivan, ...
REF: Eddie Kinsella (Laois)