Dublin ease to 40th consecutive Leinster victory with 16-point win over Meath

Seán Bugler of Dublin reacts after scoring his side's first goal. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Leinster SFC quarter-final: Dublin 3-19 Meath 0-12 

A 40th consecutive Leinster senior championship win for Dublin came in a tepid quarter-final affair in Croke Park.

A Brian Fenton-less Dublin weren’t all that impressive but their workmanlike effort was more than sufficient to inflict a ninth straight win in the competition over Meath.

Watched by a 21,445 crowd, Paul Mannion scored 1-6, Stephen Cluxton and Mick Fitzsimons made their first starts since last year’s All-Ireland final and James McCarthy reappeared as a substitute after last featuring in January’s Division 1 opening day loss to Monaghan.

Up 1-8 to 0-6 at half-time, it didn’t appear Dublin would trouble their 13-point margin in their Leinster semi-final of two years ago. However, Mannion’s goal in the 59th minute pushed them 10 ahead. Substitute Paddy Small fed the ball across and it eventually found Mannion to finish clinically.

Small’s additional time point matched the 2022 difference and Con O’Callaghan drilled in a third goal after Meath goalkeeper Billy Hogan was turned over to complete a rout.

Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton kicks a free. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Meath were competitive up to Seán Bugler’s 20th minute goal. Despite being fouled during his run through the centre (he overcarried too), he was able to keep his composure after receiving a pass from McGarry to finish high to the net.

Meath’s issue was not making more of Cluxton’s kick-outs not reaching their intended targets. Five times they turned over his restarts but little came off them and they lacked the necessary zip to really put Dublin on their heels.

Against such opponents, Meath had to be clinical and they weren’t. Eoghan Frayne was wasteful with one effort that he struck wide while an early Cathal Hickey shot was struck tamely into the Dublin goalkeeper’s hands.

In their own half, Meath’s discipline had been solid early on and they were frustrating Dublin with the accuracy and intensity of their defending. However, Dublin built on the goal with a couple of Paul Mannion points, one from a free, to go five up in the 23rd minute.

Frayne and Jordan Morris sent over points to make it a one-score game a couple of minutes later as Cluxton was having his kick-out issues but Dublin bounced back with two scores from Basquel coming either side of a converted Con O’Callaghan mark.

A Frayne free finished out the scoring for the half that left both teams asking questions of themselves.

Scorers for Dublin: P. Mannion (1-6, 0-3 frees); C. O’Callaghan (1-2, 0-1 mark); S. Bugler (1-0); C. Kilkenny (0-3); C. Basquel, J. Small (0-2 each); N. Scully (mark), C. Costello, C. Murphy, P. Small (0-1 each).

Scorers for Meath: J. Morris, E. Frayne (2 frees) (0-3 each); P. Campion, R. Jones (mark), M. Costello (free), J. Conlon, C. Caulfield (0-1 each).

DUBLIN: S. Cluxton; E. Murchan, M. Fitzsimons, S. MacMahon; S. Bugler, J. Small, C. Murphy; T. Lahiff, B. Howard; P. Mannion, R. McGarry, C. Kilkenny; C. Basquel, C. O’Callaghan (c), N. Scully.

Subs for Dublin: J. McCarthy for C. Basquel (50); P. Small for B. Howard (52); C. Costello for P. Mannion, K. McGinnis for R. McGarry (both 52); P. Ó Cofaigh Byrne for J. Small (65).

MEATH: B. Hogan; H. O’Higgins, A. O’Neill, D. Keogan; S. Coffey, R. Ryan, C. Caulfield; R. Jones (c), D. McGowan; D. Campion, M. Costello, C. Hickey; J. Morris, E. Frayne, J. Conlon.

Subs for Meath: J. O’Connor for D. Campion (h-t); C. McBride for D. McGowan (46); R. Kinsella for R. Ryan, M. Murphy for J. Morris (both 58); A. Lynch for J. Conlon (62).

Referee: T. Murphy (Galway).