Con O'Callaghan shines as Dublin find their groove to beat Rossies
Con O'Callaghan of Dublin in action against Brian Stack of Roscommon during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Dublin and Roscommon at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Standing in as skipper, Con O'Callaghan comfortably filled the boots of James McCarthy with a terrific Croke Park display as Dublin registered their first National League points of 2024.
McCarthy was removed from the substitutes list beforehand but wasn't missed on an evening when Dublin bounced back from defeats to Monaghan and Mayo with a positive display and seven-point win.
They were full value for that winning margin too with O'Callaghan's seven-point haul, a brilliant display from Sean Bugler and a Niall Scully goal all adding up to a powerful performance.
Enda Smith pulled back a goal for Roscommon in the closing minutes but they trailed Dublin virtually throughout and were burned off in the second half by a dynamic Dublin who turned in their best display of the campaign so far.
The performance was a fitting tribute to the late Shane O'Hanlon, their backroom team member who passed away suddenly last weekend.
Brian Fenton, Lee Gannon and Ciaran Kilkenny rose to the occasion also for Dublin who welcomed back Brian Howard as a second-half substitute.
Dublin will return to Croke Park next Saturday to take on Kerry in a repeat of last year's All-Ireland final while Roscommon, still chasing their first win of the Division 1 campaign and now starting to fear a relegation battle, will host Monaghan on the Sunday.
Dublin initially named an unchanged team from the side that lost by a point in Castlebar though John Small, Eoin Murchan and Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne were late additions.
Greg McEneaney, Jack McCaffrey and Colm Basquel made way while Howard, Liam Smith and Cian O'Connor were added to the list of substitutes.
James Fitzpatrick, fresh off a strong Sigerson Cup run with Maynooth University, came into the published Roscommon lineup for Cian Connolly.
In all, it amounted to five changes to the Roscommon team from the lineout against Galway in Round 2.
Brian Stack, Conor Hussey, Evan Flynn, Shane Cunnane and Fitzpatrick replaced Niall Daly, Robbie Dolan, Donie Smith, Ben O'Carroll and Connolly.
A number of matchups immediately caught the eye; O'Callaghan and Roscommon full-back Stack, Enda Smith and O Cofaigh Byrne at midfield and the Cregg-Murchan battle in front of Hill 16.
Cregg had a stormer midweek in the Sigerson Cup final for UCD, scoring nine points in the defeat to Ulster University, and hit the ground running here.
He plagued Dublin's defence, scoring two first-half points and going so close to grabbing a 17th-minute goal. Murtagh set him free with a hand pass over the top, allowing Cregg to get in behind MacMahon along the right endline. Cregg's hand-pass for a point appeared to glance off MacMahon's outstretched fingertips before looping into the net though referee Sean Hurson gave a free out for a hand-passed goal.
Dublin edged the first quarter by 0-5 to 0-3 with O'Callaghan causing real bother for Stack and pinching two points. The Cuala man then won a free that goalkeeper David O'Hanlon converted and with 20 minutes on the clock Dublin held a double scorers 0-6 to 0-3 lead.
Roscommon were better in the second quarter and Smith twice shook off O Cofaigh Byrne for points while Cregg and Murtagh sniped a couple too.
Dublin, who struck seven first-half wides, led marginally at the interval, 0-8 to 0-7, thanks to Fenton's long-range stoppage time score but it remained anyone's game.
Dublin had lost a bloodied Cormac Costello by that stage after being on the receiving end of a flailing arm to the face from colleague Lee Gannon.
Sean Lowry replaced Costello though was himself replaced in the third quarter by Lorcan O'Dell whose first act was to play in Ross McGarry for a 51st minute score.
Dublin were already pulling away from Roscommon at that stage following points from O'Callaghan and Bugler and the Scully goal left seven points between them, 1-13 to 0-9.
Bugler did well in the buildup to the goal, playing a neat one-two before laying off to Fenton who fed Scully for a routine close range finish.
O'Callaghan added three more points in the closing 20 minutes or so, one from a free that he won himself and another from an advanced mark as he displayed his full range of skills.
Con O'Callaghan 0-7 (0-1f, 0-1m), Niall Scully 1-0, Ross McGarry 0-3, Ciaran Kilkenny 0-2, Brian Fenton 0-2, Lee Gannon 0-1, John Small 0-1, David O'Hanlon 0-1 (0-1f), Sean Bugler 0-1, Lorcan O'Dell 0-1.
Enda Smith 1-2, Daire Cregg 0-4 (0-01m, 0-01f), Diarmuid Murtagh 0-3, Conor Cox 0-1, James Fitzpatrick 0-1, Ruaidhri Fallon 0-1.
David O'Hanlon; Theo Clancy, Eoin Murchan, Sean MacMahon; Lee Gannon, John Small, Cian Murphy; Brian Fenton, Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne; Ross McGarry, Sean Bugler, Ciaran Kilkenny; Cormac Costello, Con O'Callaghan, Paddy Small.
Sean Lowry for Costello (8-f/t, blood), Niall Scully for Costello 47, Lorcan O'Dell for Paddy Small 50, Greg McEneaney for John Small 55, Brian Howard for O Cofaigh Byrne 62, Killian McGinnis for McGarry 71.
Conor Carroll; David Murray, Brian Stack, Niall Higgins; Conor Hussey, Evan Flynn, Eoin McCormack; Shane Cunnane, Ruaidhri Fallon; Daire Cregg, Dylan Ruane, Enda Smith; James Fitzpatrick, Diarmuid Murtagh, Ciaran Lennon.
Cathal Heneghan for Fitzpatrick 50, Robbie Dolan for Hussey 50, Conor Cox for Lennon 55, Adam McDermott for Ruane 62, Luke Glennon for Higgins 67.
Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
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