All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier – Dublin 1-21 Tipperary 1-13

Dublin defeated Tipperary by 1-21 to 1-13 in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier on Saturday in Croke Park.

Off-key Dublin find extra gear to limp past Premier

DUBLIN 1-21 TIPPERARY 1-13

By DAMIAN LAWLOR for the Sunday Independent newspaper

Sunday July 11 2010

AN uneasy Dublin stuttered to a hard-fought and unimpressive win over Tipperary at a rain-soaked Croke Park last night. They could never quite put their opponents away and had Tipperary managed to hold on to possession a bit more in the first half they could have pulled off a shock. With 20 minutes of this second-round qualifier left, Dublin were clinging to a nervous three-point lead and the groans around Croke Park were audible.

But with time running out they pulled away as Tipp ran out of puff. The home team’s fitness, strength and an improved work rate in the closing stages helped them over the line and into the next round. It was the usual suspects who delivered for the Dubs; points from the Brogan brothers steered them away from danger while Eoghan O’Gara worked hard for the cause. There was little else for them to enthuse over. Their defence looked vulnerable for a long time, their midfield was out-fought for long periods and they continuously gave the ball away, much to the frustration of their supporters. It’s a long time since Dublin were in this position and they looked like they didn’t know how to handle it. A paltry crowd, unknown opposition and a team in rebuilding mode.

Only 22,107 deemed a Saturday afternoon qualifier at home to Tipperary worth turning up for — a poor show, considering their hurlers were in action just beforehand. Tipp were guilty of turning over the ball several times early on, allowing Dublin to race into a 0-3 – 0-1 lead. But it could have been worse; Kevin McManamon missed an open goal after just 40 seconds which would probably have killed the minnows off before the game had even started. Still, daunting as the task ahead of them was, Tipp stuck at it. They only had three previous qualifier wins under their belt, and had just a 30 per cent success rate with the back door. But this game meant something; it was the 90th anniversary of Bloody Sunday when Tipp man Michael Hogan was shot dead. And it was their first championship meeting with Dublin since 1922. And with Barry Grogan, Conor Sweeney and Hugh Coghlan working hard, this young side acquitted themselves well.

They slowly established a foothold around the Dublin half-back line as the first half progressed. Grogan gave Rory O’Carroll plenty to think about on the edge of the square and after 20 minutes they trailed by just three points. Even though Dublin goaled soon after, after great work from O’Gara to set up Michael McAuley, the home side looked nervous and devoid of confidence. They brought goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton out to kick a ’45 early on and proceeded to shoot eight first-half wides. They led by seven points at one stage, but Tipp responded quickly to their goal with a slick George Hannigan pass to Barry Brogan who turned Cluxton and goaled. Barry Brogan added two more points, Philly Austin and Conor Sweeney hit one each and they only trailed 1-9 to 1-7 at the break.

The Dubs made two changes, bringing on Eamon Fenell and Conal Keaney, and they upped their game considerably in the second half, shooting eight points in quick succession. As they emptied their bench, Dublin’s overall experience stood to them. It may not have been the most impressive of shows, but they are safely in the hat for today’s draw. That’s all that counts.

Scorers — Dublin: B Brogan 0-7 (3f), M McAuley 1-1, A Brogan 0-4, C Keaney 0-3 (3f), R McConnell 0-2, S Cluxton 0-1 (1 ’45), E Fennell, E O’Gara, K McManamon 0-1 each. Tipperary: B Grogan 1-5 (5f), P Austin (1f), C Sweeney 0-3 each, S Hahessy, B Coen 0-1 each.

Dublin: S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, Rory O’Carroll, P McMahon; K Nolan, G Brennan, D Henry; M MacAuley, R McConnell; N Corkery, A Brogan, P Flynn; B Brogan, E O’Gara, K McManamon. Subs: E Fennell for P Flynn (h-t), C Keaney for K McManamon (43), B Cullen for N Corkery (55), P Casey for K Nolan (68)

Tipperary: P Fitzgerald; P Codd, R Costigan, A Morrissey; C McGrath, B Jones, B Fox; G Hannigan, N Curran; S Hahessy, H Coghlan, P Acheson; P Austin, B Grogan, C Sweeney. Subs: B Coen for S Hahessy (29), B Mulvilhill for B Jones (46), K Mulryan for P Acheson (56), A Rockett for H Coghlan (64), E Kearney for P Codd (70).

Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan)

Dublin 1-21 Tipperary 1-13

From the RTE.ie web site

The Brogans shot 0-11 between them to drive Pat Gilroy’s men to victory in a dour contest which gave little indication as to Dublin’s All-Ireland credentials. Tipperary tried their utmost to test the recently dethroned Leinster champions, but faltered in the second half as the Dubs broke clear. After an edgy first half, Gilroy’s charges got their Championship challenge back on the rails with an improved second half showing. Michael Darragh MacAuley and Barry Grogan traded goals as Dublin led by 1-09 to 1-07 at half-time.

Grogan led Tipp’s scoring with 1-05, but Dublin, with their bench proving influential, pulled through in front of just 22,107 spectators. In rain-soaked conditions, Kevin McManamon got a glimpse of the Tipperary goal in the opening seconds but failed to find the target. It was left to Alan Brogan to open the scoring for Dublin, with Ross McConnell and Bernard Brogan (free) making it 0-03 to 0-00 by the six-minute mark. The Dublin team showed five changes to the one that succumbed to Meath last time out, with experienced campaigners like Bryan Cullen, Conal Keaney and Barry Cahill among the players to miss out. Tipperary, who conquered Laois in the last round, opened their account through wing forward Stephen Hahessy, but Dublin pressed on for a 0-06 to 0-01 lead as goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton and Bernard Brogan converted three placed balls between them. Cluxton stepped up to knock over a ’45’, taking over from the benched Tomas Quinn.

While Dublin’s wides tally mounted to five, Tipp’s talismanic forward Grogan struck a free over off a post and Conor Sweeney, in the left corner, scored from play to reduce the arrears to three. Then, in the 19th minute, Dublin engineered their only goal when Eoghan O’Gara turned and raced in from the right to pass for the advancing MacAuley to fist home and crown his first Championship start with a goal. Alan Brogan had time and space to follow up with a point, making it 1-07 to 0-03, but a slip by Dublin full-back Rory O’Carroll in the 21st minute allowed Grogan slide home a well-taken goal in response. George Hannigan’s pinpoint through ball was latched onto by Grogan who cut past Cluxton and fired home in front of a sparsely populated Hill 16. Grogan added a free to make it a three-point game.

The remainder of the first half was evenly contested with Dublin clearly rattled by the concession of that goal. Philip Austin nailed a point and Grogan and Sweeney tagged on two more frees, in between scores from Bernard Brogan and McManamon at the Davin End. Indeed, Dublin would been celebrating a second goal by the break if O’Gara had not clipped a late shot wide. Tipp kept in the hunt as the second half started, with scores from Grogan and Sweeney sandwiching a single effort from Bernard Brogan. There were a lot of wides and frees conceded, but Dublin managed to add some much-needed cushion to their advantage, helped by a run of points from substitute Eamonn Fennell, Alan Brogan and O’Gara.

The life was sucked out of the game as, by the hour mark, Dublin were armed with a 1-17 to 1-10 buffer and had one foot in the next round. Substitute Conal Keaney came on and kicked two points, Ross McConnell raided forward to score and Bernard Brogan continued to cause problems for the Tipp defence, taking his haul for the afternoon to seven. Their overall effort could not be questioned, but the Premier County side, hit by recent squad withdrawals, had no answer. Their closing points from Grogan, substitute Brian Coen and Brian Mulvihill were cancelled out by MacAuley, Man of the Match Alan Brogan and Keaney. So, at the final whistle, it was a case of mission accomplished for Dublin who will be pleased with this return to winning ways, but they had enough shaky moments to still leave a question mark over their ability to mount a serious challenge for All-Ireland honours.
Dubs eventually prevail against dogged Tipperary

From the GAA.ie web site

Dublin 1-21 Tipperary 1-13

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Dublin are safely into Round 3 of the GAA All-Ireland Football Senior Championship Qualifiers, but not after being pushed hard as they beat a gallant Tipperary side by 1-21 to 1-13 at Croke Park on Saturday evening. After an excellent start, when they led by seven points, the Dubs allowed Tipp back into the game and it was only in the final 20 minutes that they really pulled away from their opponents. What was crucial in deciding the outcome was that Dublin always stayed ahead of Tipp, though the margin was just one point on a few occasions. Man of the match Alan Brogan and Michael Dara McAuley both performed excellently for Dublin while Barry Grogan did plenty to keep Tipp in contention.

Early on, it looked as if Dublin would win at their ease, as they moved into an early 0-6 to 0-1 lead, and when McAuley found the net, following good work by Eogan O’Gara in the 20th minute, it was 1-6 to 0-3. From there to half-time however, Tipp managed to get on top, Grogan doing plenty to help their cause when he finished to the net with a ground shot after rounding goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton – who scored one of the Dubs’ points from a 45 – only a minute after McAuley’s goal. That made it 1-7 to 1-3, and with two minutes remaining until half-time, the gap had narrowed to the minimum, 1-8 to 1-7, following an excellent Conor Sweeney free, though Kevin McManamon’s point ensured Dublin had some breathing space at half-time, O’Gara unlucky with a goal effort just before the whistle.

It remained nip-and-tuck at the start of the second half, Dublin continuing to respond whenever Tipp cut the deficit to a point, and when Alan Brogan scored his third point, in the 45th minute, it was 1-12 to 1-9 for Pat Gilroy’s side, with Brogan’s brother Bernard converting two more soon before Conal Keaney opened up a five-point lead, a Grogan point Tipp’s only response. Dublin were in a commanding position by now, Tipp goalkeeper Paul Fitzgerald having to do well to deny O’Gara a goal and though Tipp reeled off three unanswered points, Cathal Coen and Sweeney pointing, the lead was still five, 1-18 to 1-13. Tipp needed a goal to set up a nervy last few minutes for Dublin, but instead it was the Leinster side who finished the stronger, McAuley, Alan Brogan and Keaney all pointing to secure their side’s passage.