Dubs dig deep as Wexford bottle it

Dublin 1-17 Wexford 2-10

If the jury is still deep in deliberation on Dublin’s ability, the verdict on their mental strength would appear to be in their favour.

Whereas Laois had earlier performed with grace and penetration, neither Dublin or Wexford managed to hit the same heights. This was about heart, about guts rather than guile and by the evening’s last act, Wexford’s self-belief was found to be as brittle as we had feared it would be.

With 20 minutes to play they had Dublin by the jugular. Having turned over leading by a point, Pat Roe’s men successfully weathered the expected early storm to lead by three points going into the final quarter.

Forget the league final defeat to Armagh. This was where their mettle would be truly tested. Would they finally make that all important breakthrough or would their credentials ultimately prove to be as flawed as Limerick’s or Donegal’s?

With Matty Forde off colour after a week sipping Lemsips, they needed a new fulcrum, but no-one showed up when they needed it most. Passes went astray, men went on solos instead of finding a runner and, bit by bit, their parity at midfield dissolved. Eventually, so did their lead.

Dublin were different. They found that they could count on several platoon leaders and, over the next five minutes, they moulded victory out of defeat.

After his torment from dead balls two weeks ago, Tomás Quinn fired over the eighth of his ten points from a free, Alan Brogan finally managed his first of the day and Bryan Cullen did likewise a minute later.

The transformation was complete not long after when four Dublin players found themselves baring down on the exposed Philip Wallace and John Cooper, Jason Sherlock shooting home his side’s first and only goal.

From three points down to three in front (1-14 to 2-8), Dublin had broken the back of Wexford’s insurrection, without ever hitting the peaks you suspect they are capable of.

Only Quinn ever really found his groove among the Dublin forwards and there are further concerns about - Barry Cahill’s wayward passing and Shane Ryan’s anonymity in the opening half to name but two. Most others received pass marks.

Wexford had their own share of below-par performances, of which Forde’s was the most telling. Only once did he find the target from open play but he wasn’t helped by the inability of his colleagues to feed him with a consistent supply.

For the first ten minutes, it was all Wexford could do to stop themselves from sinking without a trace as Dublin enjoyed their most fluid period of the game and, by the time their initial burst of enthusiasm was spent, they were 0-4 to no score to the good.

Gradually, Wexford rose to the task and Dublin will know only too well that they stepped off the gas. Having floundered more often than not around the midfield all year, Wexford found themselves snaffling more ball than expected and though their approach play was laboured and complicated, it began to pay dividends.

None more so in first-half injury time when Diarmuid Kinsella’s sprint into the Dublin box was ended by Coman Goggins’ despairing and illegal tackle. Redmond Barry stepped up to take the spot kick and, though it was saved by Stephen Cluxton, Barry did enough to send the rebound trickling over the line.

There was still time for Quinn to respond with a free but Wexford held the lead and, more importantly, the initiative, at the change of ends - before Dublin could go about arresting their slide, they found themselves mired in even more trouble.

With a sizeable proportion of the massive 82,087 attendance still away buying hot dogs, Shane Cullen’s errant ball forward somehow reached PJ Banville who made the most of his good fortune to finish low under Cluxton.

Four points down now Dublin needed to gel. They didn’t. Instead they battled and, on this day, that was enough. Quinn sent over two more frees and Conal Keaney got another from play.

John Hudson and Barry restored Wexford’s assurance with points of their own before the five-minute period that swung the game on its head. As if eager to punish themselves for their lack of sheen, Dublin played the last ten minutes minus Ciaran Whelan who was sent down the tunnel for a second yellow card.

Two weeks too late will be the lament from Meath and it did little to refloat Wexford’s boat here. Kieran Kennedy grabbed two points for them before the end but his efforts were in vain when set against the three Dublin points which sealed their place in the Leinster final next month.

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; P Griffin, P Christie, S O’Shaughnessy; P Casey, B Cahill, C Goggins; C Whelan (0-1), S Ryan; C Moran (0-2), A Brogan (0-1), B Cullen (0-2); M Vaughan, C Keaney (0-1), T Quinn (0-10, 8f).

Subs: P Andrews for O’Shaughnessy 32, S Connell for Vaughan 35, J Sherlock (1-0) for Moran 51, D Homan for Ryan 67.

WEXFORD: J Cooper; C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy; P Curtis, D Murphy, K Kennedy (0-2); N Lambert, D Fogarty (0-1); R Barry (1-1), D Kinsella, S Cullen; PJ Banville (1-2), P Colfer, M Forde (0-3, 2f).

Subs: J Hudson (0-1) for Colfer 35, D Foran for Banville 55, D Breen for Curtis 58, J. D’Arcy for Lambert 63.

Referee: B Crowe (Cavan).