Dublin manager Dessie Farrell and Kildare manager Glenn Ryan, right, after the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Kildare at Croke Park in Dublin.
By John Harrington
Dublin manager, Dessie Farrell, was understandably delighted with the clinical finishing of his forwards in their impressive Leinster Final victory over Kildare.
They scored five first-half goals to kill the match off early and converted 17 of 25 scoring chances from play.
“Of course that was pleasing,” said Farrell after the match. “There was definitely an efficiency there, particularly in the first half that we were happy with. Probably what was more pleasing is that we've put together back to back consistent performances over three games now.
“I've spoken before about the disappointment of our national league campaign and how humbling that was and it was very much topsy turvy, up and down in terms of the consistency of performance. It's great to see the application and consistency to this point in time. We do realise of course there's much stiffer tests lying ahead.”
The difference that Con O’Callaghan makes to this Dublin team was once again very apparent.
He scored 1-5, 1-4 from play and a converted mark, in a man of the match performance and was the focal point of a Dublin attack that was impressively in sync.
“Yeah, he was very good,” said Farrell. “Overall I was very happy with how our forwards performed and gelled together and put some nice moves together. But Con is important in that regard for sure.
“It's trying to be more efficient. That's one element for sure. There's other things that we've been working on. Some going reasonably well, others maybe not so well. But it's still a work in progress. I can guarantee you that.
“We'll be able to review that and even though it seems to be a significant winning margin we'll pick it a part and find areas for ourselves to work on.”
Con O'Callaghan of Dublin scores his side's fifth goal during the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Kildare at Croke Park in Dublin.
Kildare manager Glen Ryan’s review of the match will be a more painful process than Farrell’s.
He admitted the ease with which they allowed Dublin to hit them for five goals in that first half was very disappointing.
“We weren't expecting to be in that position that we found ourselves in,” he said. “We were disappointed obviously with the manner of the concession of those goals and how they came about.
“I'd like to go back and have a look at that first 35 or even 10 minutes. Just to see where we didn't put in place what we wanted to get in place.
“Dublin are very clinical and were very clinical. There was very little we could do about it. When they got the opportunities they were very clinical and took them very well.
“It was a chastening experience I suppose. They absolutely went for the jugular and took it.”
Ryan took some comfort from the character his team showed in the second-half and is hopeful they can make amends for this defeat in the All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers.
“We're playing this game because we love playing Gaelic Football,” he said. “On days like this you don't necessarily hate it but you hate what comes along with it.
“We have an opportunity to redeem today and that's important because I don't believe what we saw in the first 35 minutes or indeed throughout the game is representative of this group of players.
“They have an opportunity to show people that today was a big bump in the road and whether we can learn from it. I'm sure these lads will.”
