Allianz FL D1: Dublin convincing victors against Roscommon

Allianz Football League Division One

Dublin 1-21 Roscommon 2-7

By Kevin Egan at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park

Dublin eased their relegation concerns and sucked some of the air out of Roscommon’s tyres at the same time with a surprisingly comfortable victory at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park, one where Ger Brennan’s troops also addressed the growing concerns about their two-point kicking ability.

Five orange flags were raised by Dublin in the first half and the Dubs’ 13-point interval lead was never meaningfully threatened by a Roscommon side that couldn’t muster a gallop in the face of Dublin’s methodical control and defence after half-time.

Perhaps, Roscommon were too taken by the template from a week ago where they fell heavily behind to Galway before rallying to record a memorable win in Pearse Stadium.

They lacked urgency and purpose when in possession , which in turn fed through to a general malaise that saw Dublin completely dominate the scoreboard for the opening 35 minutes. Where more panic was needed, they couldn’t deliver and this time there was to be no Lazarus-style comeback.

The Hyde has seen plenty of wind-assisted turnarounds in Spring football since the new rules have come in and Dublin were playing with the aid of the south-westerly breeze for the opening half, but there was much more than that to their healthy interval lead.

The Rossies had more than their fair share of ball, but struggled to punch holes in a well-marshalled Dublin defence. When they were in possession, through a combination of excellent Dublin pressure and poor shot selection, ten chances in a row were spurned, the most glaring a goal effort from Enda Smith that was brilliantly parried by Hugh O’Sullivan, and the rebound from which Diarmuid Murtagh struck the post.

It was all a stark contrast with the sharpness and precision of the Dubs at the other end. Their running was direct and straight, and their much-lamented issues with two-point shooting were brushed aside as five kicks from outside the arc (from eight attempts) were sent over Conor Carroll’s crossbar.

In the case of Hugh O’Sullivan’s sublime strike from well out on the left wing, it was all about accuracy, but in the main Dublin did a wonderful job of setting up those ideal kicks in the 40 to 45 metre range, duly converted by Niall Scully, Seán Bugler, Paddy Small and Eoin Kennedy.

In the case of both goals, there was an element of luck attacked. For Dublin, Killian McGinnis’ short was partially blocked but the ball ran through perfectly to Luke Breathnach at the far post for a simple finish for the Ballinteer player.

Likewise for Roscommon, who had to wait 25 minutes for their opening score from Rob Heneghan, just 60 seconds later Conor Hand’s shot came back off the post into Daire Cregg and the in-form full forward saw his shot creep into the right corner despite O’Sullivan getting a strong hand on the strike.

Crucial to any second half comeback is quickly establishing a shift in momentum and instead of managing that, Dublin slickly knocked over the first three points of the second half into the bargain. Clever screens and movement were involved in Killian McGinnis and Charlie McMorrow both traversing the black spot from close range, and a hit-and-hope effort from 55 metres that was sent wide by Ronan Daly illustrated Roscommon’s desperation.

Diarmuid Murtagh struck an excellent double and Dylan Ruane found the net at the end of an incisive attacking move, but Dublin were able to keep the scoreboard moving, time and again moving players over and back across the broken line on either side of the field to discombobulate the Roscommon defence and keep them comfortable throughout.

Scorers for Dublin: Niall Scully 0-4 (1tp, 2f), Luke Breathnach 1-1, Seán Bugler 0-4 (1tp), Paddy Small 0-3 (1tp, 0-1f), Killian McGinnis 0-2, Hugh O’Sullivan 0-2 (tpf), Eoin Kennedy 0-2 (tp), Charlie McMorrow 0-1, Alex Gavin 0-1, Ross McGarry 0-1.

Scorers for Roscommon: Daire Cregg 1-1, Dylan Ruane 1-0, Diarmuid Murtagh 0-2 (tp), Robert Heneghan 0-1, Caelim Keogh 0-1, Eoin Colleran 0-1, Senan Lambe 0-1.

Dublin: Hugh O'Sullivan; David Byrne, Nathan Doran, Eoin Murchan; Alex Gavin, Brian Howard, Eoin Kennedy; Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Charlie McMorrow; Niall Scully, Seán Bugler, Ciarán Kilkenny; Killian McGinnis, Paddy Small, Luke Breathnach.

Subs: Liam Smith for Murchan (1-3, temp), Greg McEneaney for Kennedy (53), Niall O’Callaghan for Small (59), Jack Lundy for Breathnach (63), Ross McGarry for Kilkenny (67). Liam Smith for Murchan (69).

Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Patrick Gavin, Caelim Keogh, Eoin Ward; Ronan Daly, Colm Neary, Ruaidhrí Fallon; Keith Doyle, Senan Lambe; Dylan Ruane, Enda Smith, Conor Hand; Diarmuid Murtagh, Daire Cregg, Robert Heneghan.

Subs: Jack Duggan for Fallon (HT), Ciarán Lennon for Hand (43), Eoin Colleran for Heneghan (46), Niall Higgins for Daly (59), Paul Carey for Ruane (62)

Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).