Brogan brothers lead Dub rampage

Dublin rolled up their sleeves but only to show off their biceps in this terribly one-sided Leinster SFC quarter-final yesterday.

In front of a 31,530 crowd in Croke Park, the All-Ireland champions sent out a clear signal that their fingers will have to be prised off Sam Maguire’s ears, recording their biggest victory since the 2009 Leinster semi-final over Westmeath (27 points).

If Harry Murphy’s Wicklow were bullied by Meath seven days previous, Peter Fitzpatrick’s Louth were physically abused by Dublin. All above aboard, of course.

Fitzpatrick himself described them afterwards as “a machine” but that was a vain attempt to take away from his own team’s impoverished performance. Having been in the job just one year less than Pat Gilroy, Louth’s conditioning shouldn’t be so far behind Dublin’s.

The Leinster Council coffers may profit from Longford and Wexford’s draw and a successful Dublin football team keeps the turnstiles clicking, but how long will their supporters continue to attend these early championship games if the opposition is mere fodder?

And what of the repercussions for the provincial competition itself?

Do these mismatches do anything but bolster the argument that the format is flawed?

As spectacles go, it was largely forgettable but the game offered a veritable goldmine of data for GAA table quiz masters.

What pair of brothers alone outscored the total output of the entire opposing team? Alan and Bernard Brogan 2-7 v Louth 0-12, 2012.

What is the longest Louth have been in a game without scoring from play? 47 minutes, v Dublin 2012 (including two minute of injury-time).

What goalkeeper had scored the same as the entire opposing team for 30 minutes? Stephen Cluxton — two points v Louth, 2012.

And the list goes on.

What Pat Gilroy will glean from this is that his team are just where he wants them — in the next round and purring at that.

It’s four weeks until they face Longford or Wexford but bridging that break shouldn’t be an issue for a team of this quality. Their hunger will face bigger tests but there was little indication of it waning yesterday.

Neither was there solid evidence that either of the Brogan brothers had lost their touch during their enforced down-time in the spring. Alan at least played some of the league but Bernard hadn’t and yet by the end of the first half he had pilfered two goals.

They came within three minutes of one another, the first a move that demonstrated everything that was right about Dublin on the day.

A Michael Fitzsimons block on Paddy Keenan triggered the move, the corner back then feeding the excellent Kevin McManamon who soloed with ease up the left wing despite the attention of a couple of Louth defenders.

He transferred the ball into Alan Brogan whose pinpoint foot-pass into younger sibling Bernard gave him the chance to slot the ball past Neil Gallagher.

His second goal wasn’t as aesthetically impressive — he and Diarmuid Connolly denied by desperate saves before Brogan converted at the second time of asking after Paul Flynn had gathered a Louth restart.

Still, it was enough to end the game as a contest as Dublin went into the break 2-11 to 0-3 ahead.

All three of Louth’s scores came from Darren Clarke frees. Despite the never-say-die attitude of captain Paddy Keenan, they couldn’t muster anything more in the first half.

Dublin were 0-5 to 0-1 ahead by the 15th minute, Bernard exchanging a quick one-two with Alan and then firing over his first from play.

Before that, McManamon had a goal-bound shot blocked by Padraig Rath but he eventually got on the scoreboard a minute into first-half injury-time.

Paul Flynn scored the best point of the half, intercepting Mark Brennan and punting over a thunderous kick from the wing. Granted, he was aided by the wind but it was a fine effort and the second of the game after intercepting another stray pass in the ninth minute (ominously, the same comments were written about the Fingallians man this time last year).

Louth made a couple of personnel changes at the interval but Dublin were not letting up and their own substitute Craig Dias kicked a point with his first touch after Bryan Cullen had to retire injured with a heavily swollen cheek.

Bernard, then Alan, with his first of the game, followed to push the margin to 17.

A brace of Clarke frees brought Louth’s total to five and then Carroll slotted over their first from play to the ironic cheers of some in the stands.

Dublin returned fire via McManamon and Alan Brogan. Playing into Hill 16, McManamon’s rush on goal had their following momentarily harking back to last September only for his shot to go narrowly wide. A couple of Louth scores, the second from Adrian Reid, levelled the sides but only on the basis of the second half.

Four Dublin points on the bounce was followed by a Connolly goal attempt which hit the post and bounced wide.

Louth clocked up consolation scores via Clarke, Ray Finnegan and JP Rooney to bring them into double digits, but the ease with which Denis Bastick and Diarmuid Connolly pointed to round off Dublin’s contribution highlighted the gulf in class and size.

Scorers for Dublin: B Brogan 2-5 (1f), K McManamon, D Connolly 0-3 each, S Cluxton (2 45s), P Flynn, B Cullen, A Brogan, C Dias 0-2 each, D Bastick 0-1.

Scorers for Louth: D Clarke 0-8 (7fs, 1s/l), R Carroll, A Reid, R Finnegan, JP Rooney 0-1 each.

Subs for Dublin: C Dias for Cullen (ht), E O’Gara for Flynn (50), R McConnell for Fennell, J Cooper for McMahon (both 58), P Casey for Brennan (65).

Subs for Louth: R Greene for Finnegan, A McDonnell for McEneaney (both ht), L Shevlin for Carr, JP Rooney for Brennan (both 53), D Reid for A Reid (71).

Referee: Eddie Kinsella (Laois).