Dubs find scoring touch

FINALLY, after six long months and 11 games of chopping and changing, some tentative signs that the Dublin forward line does not consist solely of Bernard Brogan and five AN Others.

Most inter-county teams can point to a ‘go-to’ man, a guy they routinely rely on to accumulate the majority of scores, but Dublin have taken that truth to dangerous extremes in 2010.

The Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Ruadh forward has been Midas-like and squirreled away a personal tally of 3-31 during a league campaign in which he was isolated up front for vast stretches, week after week.

After a relatively slow start to the NFL, he gathered momentum, striking 2-27 in his last four games that included 19 points in the final two outings against Galway and Tyrone.

The summer has only been a continuation of all that. Or had been.

He had compiled more than 37% of Dublin’s scores in their first three outings before trotting out from underneath the Hogan Stand two days ago.

An impressive individual CV but a worrying one for any manager hoping to live with the likes of Tyrone, Kerry and Cork ,who can all boast an armada of men capable of landing devastating broadsides.

So it is that Brogan’s haul of just one point from play last weekend can be viewed, not so much as a reason for alarm, but as one for celebration and, indeed, relief. Others stood up to pick up the slack.

In all, eight Dublin players registered – including Stephen Cluxton from two 45s – on a night when John O’Brien moved onto Brogan and did an admirable job in containing the in-form attacker’s lightning in a bottle.

“I think that needed to happen,” said captain David Henry of the more liberal spread of marksmen. “Other teams are going to be aware of the main scoring threats of any team so it was important other fellas stood up to the plate – not just our goalkeeper. We probably know a little bit more about ourselves now.”

It was Eoghan O’Gara who assumed Brogan’s mantle for the day. The full-forward scored two goals in the first half and added a point after the break.

Though by no means the finished product, he has opened up new avenues for Dublin with his forceful running at defenders and his height offers Pat Gilroy the option of a target man that wasn’t available before.

“Eoghan has been playing very well all summer and probably would have been in the team earlier only he was injured,” said the Dublin manager who has finally seen a lengthy casualty ward clear in recent weeks.

“He has been doing that to a number of people at our training sessions. It is very good for a guy coming into a team to get two goals, and they were two very important goals. So, hopefully, he can take it on from here.”

Bryan Cullen chipped in with another three points and both contributions will have been welcomed given the difficult circumstances in which some of the other, more landmark, forwards currently find themselves.

Alan Brogan missed the entire league with a hand injury and, though he continues to tuck game time under his belt as the weeks roll by, he is clearly not yet the player he was when winning his two All-Stars.

To date, he has been able to convert just five points from open play while Conal Keaney has had to make do with cameo roles from the bench and has been limited to a handful of white flags from frees.

And all the while the wides mount.

They kicked 13 more against Louth and, though their defence was decimated in their last two All-Ireland quarter-final losses to Tyrone and Kerry, it should be noted that Dublin foundered up front both days as well, claiming only 1-8 in 2008 and a point less 12 months later.

“Our finishing was poor when we created an awful lot of chances,” said Gilroy of Saturday. “I suppose we are creating the chances and one of these days they might start going over.

“The two biggest missers were probably Alan and Bernard, which is very unusual as they are usually guys that can score. From that point of view it was encouraging. We weren’t relying on them for scores.”

Louth never looked like making Dublin pay. The lead was 11 points by the half-hour mark when O’Gara registered his second goal and the winners ended the day having won two-thirds of the midfield battles for possession.

“We are definitely working a lot harder than we did in the earlier championship,” said Gilroy. “Some of our football has been very good and quite direct but we have a big step to make now.

“When you get to the quarter-final you are going to be meeting top teams. It is a big step up for us but we are probably better prepared than we might have been had we won the provincial championship.”

Events to come will judge that.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton (0-2); Michael Fitzsimons, Rory O'Carroll, Philip McMahon; Kevin Nolan, Ger Brennan (0-1), Barry Cahill; Ross McConnell (0-1), Michael Dara McAuley; Niall Corkery, Alan Brogan (0-1), Bryan Cullen (0-3); David Henry, Eoghan O'Gara (2-1), Bernard Brogan (0-3).

Subs: Paul Flynn (0-1), Conal Keaney, Eamonn Fennell, Darren McGee, Thomas Quinn.

Louth: Neill Gallagher; Eamonn McAuley, Dessie Finnegan, John O'Brien; Ray Finnegan, Mick Fanning, Stephen Fitzpatrick; Paddy Keenan (0-2), Brian White (0-3); Adrian Reid, Mark Brennan, Andy McDonnell (0-1); Colin Judge, Shane Lennon (0-1), JP Rooney.

Subs: Declan Byrne (0-2), Darren Clarke (0-3), Ronan Carroll, Derek Maguire (0-1), Derek Crilly.