Leinster SHC saw Dublin secure a 20-point victory over Antrim with a scoreline of 3-32 to Antrim’s 1-18. This significant win occurred at Parnell Park, around 40 minutes into the match, when Dublin took a lead of just four points. Their performance prompted a comparison to last month’s match at Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park, where Antrim suffered a massive 32-point defeat to Kilkenny, highlighting a gap between Dublin’s ability and Kilkenny’s.
This victory for Dublin, combined with the news that Kilkenny had settled for a draw against Carlow, put Dublin at the top of the Leinster Championship table after three games. It’s a remarkable shift that encapsulates the dynamism of the hurling championship and as one anticipates Dublin’s future performance, the excitement is palpable.
Dublin had to recover from a tough spell against Antrim on either side of half time, but once they got into the swing of things, they overtook the Ulster side such that Antrim bore the brunt of their onslaught. From the 40-minute mark, Dublin dominated the scores with 2-18 to Antrim’s 0-8, courtesy of second-half goals from Brian Hayes and Donal Burke; the latter ended the match with a personal tally of 1-11, driving the past champions of 2013 to a significant victory.
Paul Crummey’s goal in the first nine seconds served as a precursor to Dublin’s fiery determination to win, especially after their league victory over Antrim that was achieved through a last-minute, fortunate goal. Dublin now eyes a crucial encounter with Kilkenny at Parnell Park next weekend. If successful, this would set them up for the Leinster final.
However, Micheal Donoghue, the manager, isn’t getting ahead of himself. He acknowledged they are not safely into knock-out hurling yet and they have challenging matches against Kilkenny and his own home side Galway in the upcoming fourth and fifth rounds. His mantra is to take one game at a time as he believes the championship still holds many twists and turns. That being said, he did recognise that a berth in the Leinster final is within reach.
“He agreed, ‘Yes, that’s correct. It was critical for us today to surpass the third obstacle and place ourselves in an advantageous situation for the fourth and fifth phases. It was crucial to record a victory and maintain our momentum.’
Not for the first time have Antrim experienced significant defeat, suffering their second substantial loss in merely three matches. The team endured a devastating 32-point defeat at Nowlan Park in the first round, yet somehow managed to prevail over Wexford in the interim. There might have been initial optimism as they journeyed to Dublin, but the Metropolitans they encountered proved to be a different, more challenging proposition. When Crummey flicked the first goal into the net in mere moments, a sense of foreboding was palpable.
Antrim floundered under Dublin’s tactics, most notably their pressing strategy during Antrim’s puck-out. Crummey continued to pose major issues for Antrim’s defence, assisting the home team to reach a score of 1-7 to 0-2 within the first 21 minutes. Thanks to goals by Sean Currie, Cian O’Sullivan, and John Bellew, the lead widened to 10 points. Although Antrim managed a brief rally to reduce the lead to six by the interval and down to four post-intermission, their comeback fell short.
Dublin ultimately proved too powerful, and Antrim crumbled under the sheer intensity of Dublin’s attack, resembling a deck of cards collapsing under pressure. In the final 30 minutes, Dublin unleashed an unrelenting wave of aggression, rubber-stamping their victory with goals in the 58th and 63rd minutes. Both Currie and Conor Burke racked up five points each from open play, while substitute Ronan Hayes produced an impressive 2-3.
The Dublin squad: S Brennan; J Bellew (0-2), E O’Donnell, P Smyth; C Crummey, C Donohoe (0-1), P Doyle; C Burke (0-5), B Hayes (1-0); F Whitely (0-1), D Burke (1-11, 1-8 frees), D Sutcliffe (0-1); S Currie (0-5), C O’Sullivan (0-2), P Crummey (1-0).”
Alternate Text: R Hayes (netting two) assumed the position of P Crummey during the 47th minute and D Power (with one score) replaced Sutcliffe in the 59th minute. J Madden came on for C Crummey at 64 minutes while J Malone stepped in for O’Sullivan in the 65th minute finally, S Gallagher (earning one) filled in for Currie during the 69th minute of game play.
The Antrim team consisted of R Elliott, N O’Connor, P Burke, and C Boyd apart from G Walsh (who scored two times including one free), R McGarry, and C Bohill. K Molloy (who scored twice) and E Campbell (with three scores) also featured alongside N Elliott (one successful shot), J McNaughton (scoring thrice including one successful major score) and N McKenna (with a single score). The team also included A O’Brien, C Cunning (four scores, all off frees), and S Elliott (two successful goals).
As the game progressed, substitutions occurred, J McLaughlin came in for O’Brien at the 47-minute mark, P Boyle took Molloy’s position in the 50th minute, and at the 55-minute point, F McCurry (scoring one) replaced Boyd. Later, C McGarry came on for McKenna in the 62nd minute and S McKay became Cunning’s substitute at the 66-minute mark. The game was controlled by referee K Jordan from Tipperary.