Ciarán Kilkenny shines as Farrell's Dubs coast past Westmeath
Westmeath's James Dolan shoulders Con O'Callaghan of Dublin
Same as it ever was.
Saturday evening was a gentle enough introduction to senior championship football for Dublin manager Dessie Farrell on a Portlaoise pitch the team have started their previous three campaigns and been just as dominant.
By the end, Stephen Cluxton’s nets may have been threatened more than Jason Daly’s but this was a composed outing by the All-Ireland champions even if they did lack a ruthlessness normally associated with Dublin in Leinster. But then this Championship by its very nature doesn’t call for statement victories just victories.
Seizing on Westmeath’s restarts in the opening quarter set the tone for a lot of what was to follow from the All-Ireland champions although Jack Cooney’s side didn’t shame themselves. That being said, their naivety was regularly exposed. Dublin played chess as Westmeath played draughts.
“We knew beforehand they had a bit of firepower and were capable of doing a bit of damage if we weren’t on the money,” reported Farrell, “but thankfully we were well focused and our heads were in the game and we got the result.
Con O'Callaghan kicks a fantastic score for @DubGAAOfficial pic.twitter.com/OkqWxs8sl7
— The GAA (@officialgaa) November 7, 2020
“Defensively, I think they were very well-organised. I think we did reasonably well to pick them apart for some of our scores. Goal opportunities weren’t going to be too plentiful with the way they set up and how well structured they were. We probably should have got one near the end and maybe should have been a little more clinical. We’re always looking for goals.”
The scorer of five points from play, Ciarán Kilkenny’s display was outstanding not just for that tally but his support play for further scores, his leadership, his ability to turn gamekeeper in front of Stephen Cluxton having been poacher at the other end just seconds earlier. There might not be a more complete footballer in the game right now.
With a couple of early scores, he was crucial in Dublin exposing Westmeath before the first water break. They lead by five points going into it and were up by nine at half-time, 0-15 to 0-6. For all the firefighting done by Kevin Maguire a retreated Westmeath couldn’t clear their lines.
“In the first half, we had a lot of unforced turnovers,” admitted Cooney. “We gave them the ball back and they punished us. We had it very hard to get out off our kick-outs. They won 10 of our kick-outs and score eight points off it. That really summed it up.
“But I was delighted that they never gave up. The second half was seven points to six. We all know that Dublin can put teams away and they show no mercy but I thought our lads battled and show great honesty particularly our backline. They really didn’t give them a goal chance and we created two decent goal opportunities in the end that would have made the scoreline look a lot healthier from our perspective.” Dublin had eight scorers from play in the first half. Eoin Murchan, who retired from the game towards the end with cramp according to Farrell, and Jonny Cooper popped up for scores before Con O’Callaghan became the sixth forward to point in the 24th minute.
That spread increased to 10 by the 43rd minute when Robbie McDaid and Brian Fenton joined the party. Dublin’s lead jumped to 12 by the 54th minute but the customary injection from the bench wasn’t forthcoming as Westmeath grew confidence. Dean Rock was denied a goal by Daly in the 55th minute but James Dolan had two sniffs of Cluxton’s goal towards the end.
One of three late additions to the team, Tom Lahiff’s SFC debut in midfield was quiet but competent. He has a jersey, which counts for something. A number of All-Ireland winners weren’t given one on Saturday while others were not asked to enter the fray. And Farrell admits those who aren’t currently in the mix will find it difficult to break in these next few weeks because of the tight schedule.
“It’s a big challenge and we spoke about this earlier. That’s definitely weighed heavily on some individuals’ minds and obviously not just with our squad; it’s the same for everybody. It’s a challenge to try and break in. All you can do is what you can do.” Cooney sees the same winning attributes in Dublin that marked the past five seasons but believes a lot of things have to go their way, starting with what should be two further provincial games the next couple of weekends.
“I think the hunger is still there, I think the organisation is there, the athleticism, the ability. That’s not in question. They’re a formidable team. It’s difficult for them now that they have a game (nearly) every week. They have to go the whole way until December 19 so it’s about managing fatigue, managing injuries and load and all of that.
“There’s an awful lot of things to take into consideration and I think that Dublin team will need to be right at the right time. I think they won’t be far off.”
D Rock (0-7, 6 frees); C Kilkenny (0-5); S Bugler, P Small (0-2 each); E Murchan, N Scully, J Cooper, C O’Callaghan, R McDaid, B Fenton (0-1 each).
J Heslin (0-3, 2 frees); K Martin (1 mark), L Loughlin, R Connellan (0-2 each); R O’Toole (0-1).
S Cluxton (c); M Fitzsimons, J Cooper, E Murchan; J McCarthy, J Small, R McDaid; B Fenton, T Lahiff; N Scully, C Kilkenny, S Bugler; P Small, C O’Callaghan, D Rock.
B Howard for S Bugler (49); C Costello for P Small (51); D Byrne for M Fitzsimons (55); A Byrne for N Scully (60); E Lowndes for E Murchan (inj 66).
J Daly; B Sayeh, K Maguire, J Smith; J Dolan; K Daly, R Wallace, J Gonoud; S Duncan, R Connellan; D Lynch, J Heslin, R O’Toole; K Martin; L Loughlin.
C Slevin for K Daly (49); C McCormack for D Lynch (52); L Dolan for K Martin (54); A McGivney for L Loughlin (60); B Kelly for R O’Toole (70).
Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
