'Hedgo' profits on route one, but Dublin finding other roads
STOP IT THERE: Down’s Marc Fisher blocks a shot from John Hetherton of Dublin. Pic: Leah Scholes, Inpho
Only time will tell if Dublin, or even Down for that matter, learned much from Saturday evening's Parnell Park pasting.
A handy home win for the Dubs was always anticipated and their third win of the campaign was wrapped up by half-time. Down, meanwhile, would have had to dig deep to mine any positives out of the 32-point demolition.
Most striking from Dublin's perspective was the variety to their attack which has the potential to unsettle much better defences.
Powerful, towering John Hetherton is only three games into his 2026 season and already has 4-4 registered from play, 2-3 added on Saturday.
The experienced father-of-three assisted goals for Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing and Paddy Dunleavy too as Down struggled not just with his brawn but his brain.
Dublin, of course, are well able to run it through the lines as well and to pick defensive systems apart with carefully choreographed passing moves, as Dara Purcell and Fergal Whitely displayed with their goals.
"Hedgo got the two or the three goals, whatever it was, but we tried to stretch them in other ways too," said Dublin manager Niall Ó Ceallacháin.
"On days like that, it does give forwards the opportunity to express themselves in different ways and to get scores in different ways."
Dublin will wrap up their campaign away to Carlow. No doubt Pat Bennett will have a plan of action for how to deal with Hetherton on the edge of the square.
"We're the same as lots of teams, I don't think we're the only team with a big lad in on the edge of the square these days," said O Ceallacháin. "But if you're one dimensional about how you use that option, you're still going to struggle. You still have to be able to score in various ways and that's what we're going after, the same as every other team really. We did give ourselves multiple sources for scores against Down but it's up to us to do that every day we go out."
The game also allowed Ó Ceallacháin the opportunity to hand Cathal Kennedy a full League debut in defence. Goalscorer Dunleavy and Conor McHugh started their first games of 2026. Paddy Doyle and Brendan Kenny made their seasonal returns as subs with Kenny particularly impressive, scoring in his first play and tallying 0-3 before tweaking his hamstring late on.
Down stayed in the game for almost all of the first half, trailing by just six points at that stage despite racking up seven wides.
But when Hetherton grabbed his second goal for Dublin, and Ó Dúlaing then rattled the net soon after, there was only going to be one winner as Dublin led 3-15 to 0-11 at the interval.
Darragh Power was terrific for Dublin at midfield, surely topping their stats for possessions. He turned four of those possessions into points while Dara Purcell drilled 1-5 from play. Fergal Whitely was both a facilitator and a finisher, tallying 1-2.
J Hetherton (2-3); Dara Purcell (1-5); D Burke (0-8, 6 frees); D Ó Dúlaing, F Whitely (1-2 each); D Power (0-4); P Dunleavy (1-0); B Kenny (0-3); D Keogh (0-2); C Burke, C Crummey, S Gallagher (0-1 each).
P Sheehan (0-7, 5 frees, 1 65); D Sands, F Turpin (0-3 each); T Prenter, T McGrattan, C Taggart, L Savage, S Pucci 0-1 each.
E Gibbons; J Bellew, C McHugh, C Kennedy; C Burke, C Crummey, P Dunleavy; D Power, C Ó Riain; F Whitely, D Burke, J Madden; D Purcell, J Hetherton, D Ó Dúlaing.
P Doyle for Madden & D Keogh for O Riain (h/t); B Kenny for D Burke (48); S Gallagher for Crummey (51); D Lucey for McHugh (60).
: P Smyth; B Teggart, R McCrickard, N McFarland; B Trainor, C Taggart, L Savage; D Hughes, T Prenter; P Sheehan, F Turpin, D Sands; T McGrattan, S Pucci, E Pucci.
: M Fisher for Teggart (24); M Dorrian for McGrattan (h/t); B Christie for Prenter & C Coleman for E Pucci (51); C Cassidy for McCrickard (60); M McCabe for Sheehan (71, inj).
C McDonald (Antrim).
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