Five-star Dubs seal title in thriller

A DAY to savour at Croke Park. Dublin managed to achieve the Leinster five-in-a-row at headquarters for the first time since 1978, despite being a man down from the 19th minute while brave Kildare deserve acclaim for their role in making this one of the best games of football of the year – with only two of the 35 scores coming from frees.

The fact that they failed so narrowly in their first decider since 2003 was due to a combination of factors, principally Dublin’s success in turning the game in their favour in the second half. And that was after they had lost their way in the face of a storming Kildare recovery from the concession of 1-3 after less than four minutes.

While there were a number of key management calls – foremost the introduction of Bryan Cullen after Ger Brennan had been red-carded for striking – ultimately it all came down to the superb finishing of Bernard Brogan in the closing minutes.

On the day, it proved to be a fascinating contest, much closer than expected and, in different circumstances, the loss of a player could have hurt Dublin seriously – as indeed it threatened in the second quarter and nearing the finish. However, when it came down to deciding the contest, the quality in their play which had earned them such strong favouritism shone through. Just as they had done against Westmeath in the semi-final, the holders hit the ground running, with an opening score from Alan Brogan after 35 seconds and, after the first of younger brother Bernard’s seven points, wing-back Barry Cahill put the ball in the net. Quickly followed by a Jason Sherlock point, it showed Dublin at their best – dominant in defence, quick in their movement of the ball and excellent in their finishing.

Kildare showed composure in coming to terms with their defensive frailties and achieving a rapid improvement in working the ball forward. Wing-forward Ronan Sweeney was one of the first to show the way as a string of uplifting points followed – seven in all, with only one in reply – to draw level by the 19th minute.

And yet, with more clinical finishing – such as when the impressive Alan Smith and Ken Donnelly both got within scoring range and opted for points – they would in all probability have been leading by this stage. Even before they lost Brennan, Dublin were starting to look quite ordinary and vulnerable any time Kildare ran at them.

Dublin were relieved to see Sherlock put them back in front with a typically opportunist goal in the 25th minute after Sweeney had kicked Kildare into the lead for the first time three minutes earlier, but it was to prove no more than a temporary reprieve. They lost their shape in defence, struggled at midfield – where Dermot Earley’s good work was complemented by centre-back Brian Flanagan to pick up a lot of breaking ball – and their attack stalled.

So, it was no surprise to see the Lilywhites go in at half-time leading, 0-12 to 2-5, if not cock-a-hoop, certainly on a high after seeing how ably they had knocked Dublin out of their stride.

Interestingly, Dublin were back out on the field minutes before them, signifying their impat-ience to try to put things right – and, they achieved their objective by drawing level and opening up a three points gap within eight minutes. Their challenge was firmly back on track.

The equalising point came from Ciarán Whelan, a half time sub for an off-form Darren Magee and that the next two scores came from the two Brogans, who had now swapped positions – with Bernard really coming into his own at centre-forward.

Bryan Cullen, meanwhile, rolled back the years with a vintage display at centre-back and the later additions of Mossy Quinn and Shane Ryan (in his 50th championship appearance) further enhanced their position.

Kildare remained fiercely competitive but they had lost the momentum built up over the second quarter. And, they remained strongly in convention after substitute Robert Kelly brought them level in the 60th minute – when the advantage of the extra man looked like telling in their favour.

But, their attack was never as forceful as it had been earlier, limited by a tendency to hold up the ball, whereas Bernard Brogan was hitting the high spots. He kicked two terrific lead scores – only to see Kildare bounce back with a great kick from Johnny Doyle (who had been off the field after a clash of heads) and Michael Conway, the ‘free’ man in defence.

When the game was in the balance, Dublin’s greater composure allowed them to seize the initiative and the late goal which Kildare needed never looked like happening.

Scorers for Dublin: B Brogan 0-7 (1f); J Sherlock, B Cahill 1-1 each; C Keaney 0-3 (1f); A Brogan 0-2; C Whelan 0-1.

Scorers for Kildare: K Donnelly 0-3; A Smith, P O’Neill, J Kavanagh, J Doyle, R Sweeney, M Conway 0-2 each; D Earley, E Callaghan, R Kelly 0-1 each

Subs for Dublin: B Cullen for Connolly, 24; C Whelan for Magee, ht; M Quinn for Sherlock, 51; S Ryan for McConnell, 56; P Burke for Flynn, 65.

Subs for Kildare: A McLoughlin for McGrillen, 16; R Kelly for Flynn, 49; G White for O’Neill, 55; E Callaghan for Donnelly, 56; K Ennis for Kavanagh, 63.

* Attendance: 74,583.