GAA: Dublin crush Monaghan for semi-final spot
Saturday 5 August 2017 20:51, UK
All-Ireland champions Dublin eased into an eighth consecutive All-Ireland semi-final with a comfortable 1-19 to 0-12 win over Monaghan in Croke Park.
Leading 0-11 to 0-03 at half-time, Dublin did not even need to get into second gear. The game plan from the All-Ireland champions was to work the ball into one corner, recycle it back and across the field around the 45-yard line and wait patiently for an opening or a Monaghan player to commit a foul.
The free-ins were flying over from Dean Rock, who finished with 1-08 (0-8 from placed balls), and the gap could have been more had Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan not reacted well to save attempts from James McCarthy and Con O'Callaghan.
Rock had 0-05 from frees by the time Conor Lane blew the whistle for half-time and added 1-3 in the second half. The goal coming five minutes into the second half when Paddy Andrews collected a high ball in before picking out Rock, who palming it into the net.
That left the score at 1-13 to 0-05 and killed off any hope the Monaghan supporters had left.
Conor McManus and Jack McCarron were often the only Monaghan players in the Dublin half but whenever Monaghan did manage to win the back back, they simply were surrounded by the Dublin defenders and the constant bombardment of Dublin attack and ball retention was something Monaghan had no answer for.
In the first half, Dublin hit seven unanswered points, with Rock capitalising on the constant concession of frees by the Monaghan defenders.
The movement and work rate of of Paddy Andrews and Paul Mannion in the forward line, backed up by Jack McCaffrey and Con O'Callaghan gave the Dubs options Monaghan couldn't match as they dominated possession and camped into the Monaghan 45-yard line for large periods.
Stephen Cluxton in the Dublin goals had little to do for most of the game but he kept his concentration to make good saves from McCarron and Owen Duffy. It was a record-breaking 89th championship appearance for the Parnells shot-stopper.
With the outcome of the game long decided, Monaghan outscored Dublin by five points to two in the final period but Jim Gavin showcased the strength in depth in this Dublin panel with some big substitutions in the second half.
Bernard Brogan, Eoghan O'Gara, Paul Flynn and Michael Darragh MacCauley all came on and the competition for places for the semi-final against Tyrone will be a more competitive contest than this game ever was.
Dublin: S Cluxton, P McMahon, C O'Sullivan, M Fitzsimons, J Cooper, J Small, E Lowndes, B Fenton, J McCarthy (0-01), C Kilkenny, C O'Callaghan (0-01), J McCaffrey (0-01), P Mannion (0-03), P Andrews (0-03), D Rock (1-08, 0-7f, 0-1 '45).
Subs: B Brogan for Lowndes (41), D Daly for Small (50), P Flynn (0-01) for McCarthy (50), E O'Gara (0-01) for Andrews (54), MD Macauley for Kilkenny (57), D Byrne for Cooper (60)
Monaghan: R Beggan (0-01, f), F Kelly, D Wylie, R Wylie, C Walshe (0-01), K Duffy, K O'Connell (0-01), K Hughes, D Hughes (0-01), G Doogan, D Ward, S Carey; R McAnespie (0-01), J McCarron, C McManus (0-04, 3f).
Subs: C McCarthy (0-03) for Doogan (35), O Duffy for Ward (h-t), D Mone for O'Connell (43), V Corey for R Wylie (43), D Malone for Carey (55), N McAdam for D Hughes (62)
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
