Leinster minor football championship final
Dublin 0-19
Kildare 2-8
Paul Keane reports from O’Moore Park, Portlaoise
LENNY CAHILL LED the scoring as Dublin secured back-to-back Leinster minor football championship titles.
There was a touch of deja vu for Kildare who were beaten to the silverware by their rivals for the second year running at the midlands venue.
But they couldn’t complain about the five-point reversal as Dublin led virtually throughout with Cahill helping himself to seven important points.
Noah Byrne impressed for Damien Fennelly’s side too, though it was a strong team performance from a group that has surged through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, taking two second-half Kildare goals largely in their stride.
Dublin will play the Munster runners-up, either Kerry or Cork, on Saturday week while Kildare will take on the Munster champions on the same weekend.
With 13 goals in their previous four games, including last week’s 6-15 semi-final demolition of Offaly, Dublin’s scoring threat was clear.
Kildare came to Portlaoise armed with a plan to stifle the Sky Blues and to punish them on the counterattack, deploying Seanan Murphy as their spare man at the back.
It made for a tense opening 20 minutes or so with Dublin finding it difficult to penetrate what was often 14 white jerseys behind the ball.
The teams were tied at 0-3 apiece after 23 minutes but Dublin took over from there and registered six points in a row before half-time.
Castleknock talent Cahill struck four consecutive scores during that mini blitz and punched the air in delight after each of them.
Harry Curley, who blasted 2-1 in the 22-point semi-final win, had a great opportunity for a Dublin goal just before the break but was thwarted by goalkeeper Cathal Moore.
Dublin still came away with a score from that attack when the ball was recycled for Sean Keogh to split the posts, leaving them 0-9 to 0-3 clear at half-time.
Kildare boss Niall Cronin responded by making a triple change at half-time, drafting in defender Paul O’Dea, midfielder Liam O’Connor and full-forward Cian Keaveny.
The sweeper was also dispensed with and Kildare immediately looked more threatening.
Evan Donnelly cut the deficit with a point and while Dublin responded with three themselves, a 1-2 Kildare blast that included a cracking Tadhg Donlan goal cut the gap to just three.
The problem for Kildare was that without the extra cover at the back, Dublin looked like getting a score each time they attacked.
The scores duly followed with Ryan Mitchell, substitute Shane Mullarkey and Curley all booting points for the Metropolitans.
Kildare were thrown a lifeline when Evan Boyle struck their second goal in the 57th minute, this time reducing the margin to four points.
They couldn’t provide a fairytale finale though and Dublin sealed the win with late scores from Mullarkey and Cahill.
Scorers for Dublin: Lenny Cahill 0-7 (0-4f), Noah Byrne 0-3, Shane Mullarkey 0-2, Luke O’Boyle (0-1 45), Senan Ryan, Alex Carolan, Sean Keogh, Joshua Young, Ryan Mitchell, Harry Curley 0-1 each.
Scorers for Kildare: Tadhg Donlan 1-1, Evan Boyle 1-0, Cathal Moore (0-2f), Joey Cunningham, Evan Donnelly 0-2 each, Harry Redmond 0-1.
Dublin
1. Cillian Murray (Ballyboden St Endas)
2. Sean Keogh (St Vincents), 3. Cillian Emmett (Skerries Harps), 4. Jack O’Sullivan (Clan na Gael Fontenoy)
5. Joshua Young (Castleknock), 6. Eoghan Costello (St Judes), 7. Ryan Mitchell (Erin’s Isle)
8. Senan Ryan (Clontarf), 9. Alex Carolan (Parnells)
10. Patrick Coleman (Ballinteer St Johns), 11. Luke O’Boyle (Clontarf), 12. Noah Byrne (Kilmacud Crokes)
15. Lenny Cahill (Castleknock), 14. Harry Curley (St Vincents), 13. Paddy Curry (Ballyboden St Endas)
Subs:
- 24. Shane Mullarkey (Thomas Davis) for Curley (43)
- 17. Ciaran O’Connor (St Vincents) for Young (50)
- 20. Andrew O’Reilly (Ballinteer St Johns) for Coleman (51)
- 22. Colin McAweeney (Raheny) for O’Boyle (61)
Kildare
1. Cathal Moore (Sarsfields)
2. Liam Kelly (Milltown), 6. James Donnelly (St Laurences), 7. Michael Chambers (Maynooth)
3. Rob Murray (Naas), 4. Ruaidhri Lawlor (St Laurences), 12. Colm Moran (Athy)
8. Evan Boyle (Carbury), 13. Donnchadh Kinch (Castledermot)
9. Joey Cunningham (Allenwood), 5. Seanan Murphy (St Laurences), 14. Harry Redmond (Sarsfields)
15. Evan Donnelly (Ellistown), 20. Darragh Mullahy (Clane), 11. Tadhg Donlan (Round Towers)
Subs:
- 23. Paul O’Dea (Maynooth) for Murray (h/t)
- 22. Liam O’Connor (Naas) for Kinch (h/t)
- 19. Cian Keaveny (Athy) for Mullahy (h/t)
- 21. Jack McCabe (Castlemitchel) for Murphy (40)
- 24. Ronan Kelly (Athy) for Donnelly (56)
Referee: Andrew Smith (Meath).
