DUBLIN CONTINUED THEIR bid for a third straight league title as they faced Monaghan in the second of this year’s Division 1 football semi-finals. We were live from Croke Park with all the action.
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Good afternoon and welcome to Croke Park where we’re just about ready to throw in for the second of the Allianz National Football League semi-finals.
Will it be champions Dublin or Monaghan who face Cork in this year’s decider?
TEAM NEWS: Here’s the Dublin team as named:
1. Stephen Cluxton (Parnells)
2. Jonny Cooper (Na Fianna)
3. Rory O’Carroll (Kilmacud Crokes)
4. Philip McMahon (Ballymun Kickhams)
5. James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams)
6. John Small (Ballymun Kickhams)
7. Jack McCaffrey (Clontarf)
8. Denis Bastick (Templeogue Synge Street)
9. Cian O’Sullivan (Kilmacud Crokes)
10. Paul Flynn (Fingalians)
11. Diarmuid Connolly (St Vincents)
12. Brian Fenton (Raheny)
13. Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock)
14. Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams)
15. Bernard Brogan (Oliver Plunketts Eoghan Ruaidh)
TEAM NEWS: Here’s the Monaghan team as named:
1. Rory Beggan (Scotstown)
2. Kieran Duffy (Latton)
3. Drew Wylie (Ballybay)
4. Ryan Wylie (Ballybay)
5. Fintan Kelly (Clones)
6. Vinny Corey (Clontibret)
7. Karl O’Connell (Tyholland)
8. Neil McAdam (Monaghan Harps)
9. Darren Hughes (Scotstown)
10. Dessie Mone (Clontibret)
11. Paul Finlay (Ballybay)
12. Owen Duffy (Latton)
13. Dermot Malone (Castleblayney)
14. Kieran Hughes (Scotstown)
15. Conor McManus (Clontibret)
Couple of late changes to both sides: David Byrne and Kevin McManamon start for Dublin in place of Rory O’Carroll and Bernard Brogan; Thomas Kerr and Ryan McAnespie in for Drew Wylie and Dermot Malone for Monaghan.
We’re up and running in the day’s second semi.
Monaghan 0-1 Dublin 0-0: Paul Finlay opens the scoring with a free.
Diarmuid Connolly with a great chance for the game’s opening goal. He spins Vinny Corey but his shot comes back off keeper Rory Beggan’s legs.
Dublin 0-1 Monaghan 0-1: Fine score by Philly McMahon who has ventured up from corner-back. All square.
Still a tiny crowd here if you’re wondering — couldn’t be more than 20,000 by my (probably generous) estimate.
Dublin 0-2 Monaghan 0-1: Connolly wins the loose ball in midfield and drives forward before shipping off to Flynn to score.
Connolly tries to spin away from Vinny Corey to point but he scuffs his shot and it bounces harmlessly into Beggan’s grasp.
Dublin 0-2 Monaghan 0-2: Conor McManus levels it up with a well-taken point from the Cusack Stand side.
McManus does well to fend off Philly McMahon but Finlay snatches at his shot. Bad wide.
Monaghan 0-3 Dublin 0-2: Kieran Hughes booms over his first point of the afternoon from the 45m line.
Dean Rock does all the hard work to shrug off Ryan Wylie but then drags his shot to the left and wide.
And another wide from Rock, this time from a very scoreable free.
Dublin 0-3 Monaghan 0-3: If Rock left his shooting boots at home, it’s just as well that Philly McMahon brought his. He points his second of the day.
Dublin 0-4 Monaghan 0-3: Lovely show-and-go by Denis Bastick and the whole Monaghan defence buys it. He fists over a point to put Dublin back in the lead.
Dublin 0-5 Monaghan 0-3: Connolly is fouled as he attempts a point and the free leaves Rock with a tap-over free for his first of the afternoon. Dublin starting to assert themselves here.
Dublin 0-5 Monaghan 0-4: Johnny Cooper stops a Monaghan surge dead but he does so illegally. McManus points the free.
Dublin 0-6 Monaghan 0-4: Superb stuff by Kevin McManamon who is falling off balance but still manages to steer over a point from a testing angle.
Dublin 0-6 Monaghan 0-5: Great score by Neil McAdam following good work by Corey to set it up.
Dublin 0-7 Monaghan 0-5: Rock with a 45 to restore Dublin’s two-point advantage. Just over 10 to play in this first half. Safe to say it hasn’t exactly been exhilarating.
Dublin 0-7 Monaghan 0-6: McManus does very well to hold off the attention of two Dublin defenders and point. That came following some good defensive work by Monaghan to frustrate the Dubs. They’re not having it all their own way here.
Another Dublin attack hits the white wall.
CHANCE! Cian O’Sullivan should really score here. Denis Bastick and Jack McCaffrey combine to get him in behind the Monaghan defence but he drags his shot across the face of Beggan’s goal and wide.
Dublin 0-8 Monaghan 0-6: Another Rock free. Dublin doing just enough to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
And as I type that, Connolly tries wildly ambitious shot from all of 40 metres. It drops well short but it was going wide anyway.
Dublin 0-8 Monaghan 0-7: That is an absolutely monstrous free from the Monaghan keeper Rory Beggan. He’s scored from 63 metres out — and it still had the legs to go another couple of metres! Remarkable.
Dublin 0-9 Monaghan 0-7: Brian Fenton gets in on the act for Dublin with the break fast approaching.
Bad wide from Dessie Mone, and that should be that.
Dublin 0-9 Monaghan 0-7
What do you know, my eyes are better than I thought!
Back underway here in HQ. One change for Monaghan — Dick Clerkin on for Tom Kerr.
Dublin 0-10 Monaghan 0-7: Rock kicks a free to open the scoring in this second half.
Dublin 0-10 Monaghan 0-8: Instant impact from Dick Clerkin who points.
Dublin 0-10 Monaghan 0-9: And now Kieran Hughes. One-point game.
Dublin 0-11 Monaghan 0-9: Another Rock free into the Canal End. That’s 0-5 now for the day, four frees and a 45.
Monaghan sub: Dermot Malone on for Owen Duffy.
Dublin 0-12 Monaghan 0-9: Raheny man Brian Fenton gets his second point of the day for the Dubs.
Another Monaghan sub: Stephen Gollogly is on for Ryan McAnespie.
Dublin 0-12 Monaghan 0-10: I’d say Conor McManus enjoyed that one. His potshot from the right looked to be sailing well wide, drawing some jeers from the Hill, but somehow found its way over.
Dublin sub: Macauley on for O’Sullivan in midfield.
Dublin 0-12 Monaghan 0-11: Monaghan are definitely playing the better football in this second half and Dublin don’t have an answer yet. Finlay creates the opening for McManus and he scores to cut the gap to the minimum.
Dublin 0-13 Monaghan 0-11: Kevin McManamon steadies the ship.
Dublin 0-13 Monaghan 0-12: McManus again! He’s playing some superb stuff at the moment to lead this Monaghan charge. David Byrne just couldn’t get close enough to him. It all started with Diarmuid Connolly giving away possession cheaply.
Dublin sub: Paddy Andrews on for Kevin McManamon.
Two more Dublin changes: Darren Daly and Emmet O Conghaile on for Byrne and Bastick.
Dublin 0-13 Monaghan 0-13: Clerkin fires over a free and we’re all square! Superb stuff by Monaghan in this second half.
Dessie Mone sends in a high ball and Johnny Cooper is penalised for fouling McManus. He’ll have a free to put Monaghan into the lead…
Monaghan 0-14 Dublin 0-13: And he takes it! Monaghan lead the Dubs.
Dublin are turning over possession far too easily. Rory Beggan is up from the back to try another long free for Monaghan…
WIDE. Still only a point in it, but the league champions are in trouble.
Dublin 0-14 Monaghan 0-14: Fintan Kelly fouls Dean Rock, rather unnecessarily it seems, and the Ballymun man makes no mistake. All square.
Monaghan have 14 men inside their own 45 as they try to crowd Dublin out.
Dublin 0-15 Monaghan 0-14: Cheap free from Monaghan and Rock edges Dublin’s noses back in front.
Dublin 0-16 Monaghan 0-14: And O Conghaile fires over another from out near the Hogan Stand sideline. Great score, and that should help settle the Dubs’ nerves.
Five minutes left in what has turned out to be a very entertaining contest. Who do you fancy?
Dublin 0-17 Monaghan 0-14: That could be decisive for the Dubs. McCaffrey points and they lead by three.
Dublin 0-17 Monaghan 0-15: Don’t go anywhere yet. Gollogly storms up the middle and passes to Clerkin to score. Two-point game, two minutes left…
Two additional minutes…
Dublin 0-17 Monaghan 0-16: Monaghan free… AND MCMANUS SCORES! A point in it!
Dermot Malone tries to equalise from a brutally tough angle and it drops wide. Surely he could have worked a better position there?
Monaghan win the kickout! Last attack?
Wide!
Dublin 0-17 Monaghan 0-16
And breathe. What a frantic second half but Dublin survive and they will have a chance to clinch a third straight league crown when they meet Cork here in a fortnight’s time.
That’s it from HQ on what turned out to be a thoroughly entertaining day. Thanks for joining us.
