In the fifth round of Leinster SHC, Dublin brought Galway’s season to a close with a decisive victory. Demonstrating impressive strategic understanding of the area, including Salthill’s notable winds, and capitalising on David Burke’s exclusion, they took charge after the interval and were victorious by a comfortable margin. Dónal Burke, scoring an impressive 1-5 from play for a total of 1-10, and Chris Crummey, who moved throughout the game from wing back, contributing four scores from play, spearheaded the winning team.
The match was fierce and fevered, with the scoreboard rapidly changing like a frenzied stopwatch. Out of the 26 scorers, 14 were from Dublin and 12 from Galway. Numerous balls were lost, fumbled, and turned over by both sides, however, Dublin managed to eventually find their footing and expanded their lead. Their victory propels them into the Leinster finals against Kilkenny.
For Galway’s manager, Henry Shefflin, this defeat marks a sombre close to his third year of leadership without any winning titles. Reflecting on the loss, he suggested a period of introspection is inevitable. But he also stressed the importance of not making impulsive decisions and give it a few days to truly reflect.
Micheál Donoghue, the Dublin coach and the last person to lead Galway to an All-Ireland title, highlighted the growth of his young team, especially after their narrow loss to Kilkenny the previous week. Despite the big win, he emphasised it was not a one-off performance, but part of the ongoing trajectory and development of his talented team.
Dublin’s strategic use of goal attempts rather than points kept them competitive against the relentless wind conditions at Pearse Stadium, much praised by TV commentator Michael Duignan as a severe “10-point wind” in GAA terms.
The game began with Gavin Lee placing Galway to an early lead, with Brian Hayes of Dublin quickly coordinating with Seán Currie to even the scoring line. The initial shot was partly defended s by Galway’s Darach Fahy, but Currie managed to secure the goal on his second attempt. Galway initially seemed to regain control and held a lead of four points, however, after a serious tackle by David Burke on Fergal Whiteley, Galway’s captain was removed from the field, shaking the momentum of the match.
While Shefflin criticised the decision, believing it to be only worthy of a yellow card, Dublin manager was concise in his comment about the incidence; upholding the decision as rightful, made by referee, Colm Lyons. On a graceful momentum, Dublin bagged equal scores within seven minutes of the red card, making the score 0-6 to 0-2 respectively.
Evan Niland led Galway’s retaliation with efficient free taking, securing their fragile lead at the halftime, setting the scoreboard to 0-19 to 2-11. The last goal of the first half was a result of a masterful pass from Dara Purcell to Burke, which landed effortlessly into the net. Dublin intelligently tweaked their style of play due to strong winds, relied heavily on their centrefielder Brian Hayes’ pace, which left Galway’s defence line feeling the tremors. These strategic goals aided in Dublin’s perseverance against the wind in the first half.
With a change in wind conditions post-half break, Dublin was physically free and took numerous successful shots at points from various locations on the field with players like Crummey, Ronan Hayes, Purcell, Danny Sutcliffe, and Burke establishing their lead. Dublin’s effective use of the wind was evident in the second half as Galway grew frantic in their attempts to score, with their lead scorer Niland seen missing shots that fell short.
Despite Dublin consistently maintaining a buffer in the latter half of the game, a goal in the 63rd minute from Galway’s substitute Declan McLoughlin cut the margin down to three. However, the victors comfortably regained control, outscoring Galway 5-2 in the final ten minutes to return to a six-point lead.
Donoghue, a Galwegian himself, kept his personal feelings private, choosing instead to focus on Dublin’s positive strides.
For Donoghue, the journey is about growth and evolution. He has repeatedly stated their potential since the initial stages of the competition. The main challenge lies in instilling the right amount of confidence and a consistent strategy that can be relied upon even during difficult times.
In recent matches, the team has successfully adhered to this strategy. Looking forward to the outstanding challenge in a fortnight, Donoghue is brimming with excitement for the opportunity facing his team.
The Dublin squad included S Brennan, J Bellew, E O’Donnell, P Smyth (captain), C Crummey, C Donohoe, P Doyle, B Hayes, C Burke, F Whiteley, D Burke, D Sutcliffe, S Currie, D Purcell, R Hayes. Substitutes included D Power (who replaced Whiteley at 47 minutes), C Currie (for D Purcell at 58 minutes), M Grogan (for R Hayes, 69 minutes), and L Murphy (substituted for B Hayes at 73 minutes).
The Galway side consisted of the following squad: D Fahy was the goalkeeper. In defence were J Grealish, D Burke, F Burke along with A Touhey contributing with a score of 0-1, P Mannion with 0-1, and C Fahy adding 0-2 to the tally. Midfield was held by D Burke with an addition of 0-1 and S Linnane with a 0-1 score. G Lee with a score of 0-1, J Flynn adding 0-1, and J Cooney with 0-2, comprised the forward line. In addition, C Whelan acting as the captain added 0-1, C Cooney brought in 0-3, and E Niland was the top scorer with 0-8, out of which five were frees and one was a 65. Substitutions were made with C Mannion replacing Linnane after 44 minutes of play, J Glynn swapped for Flynn at the same time, T Monaghan brought in for the injured Glynn after 49 minutes with a score of 0-2, D McLaughlin replaced Lee at the 60-minute mark with a score of 1-0, and R Glennon was brought in for C Fahy after 67 minutes of play. The match was officiated by the referee C Lyons from Cork.