Dublin 0-11
Offaly 0-10
Paul Keane reports from Gracefield GAA, Offaly
DUBLIN ARE UP and running with their first win of 2024 but when the serious business of Championship football rolls around, they will be without experienced defender David Byrne.
Boss Dessie Farrell confirmed after a narrow Dioralyte O’Byrne Cup win over Offaly in Gracefield – courtesy of substitute Shane O’Leary’s 68th minute winner – that eight-time All-Ireland medallist Byrne is taking 2024 out.
Travel plans will rule Byrne out while Ryan Basquel, brother of All-Star forward Colm, has retired. Aside from that, Farrell said that there has no been no other retirement announcements which means that veteran Stephen Cluxton, All-Ireland winning captain James McCarthy and the rest of their experienced core are, as things stand, still available.
The All-Ireland title holders travelled to Offaly with a 23-man panel and handed game time to all of those players in what was a useful work out in front of 1,250.
Brian O’Leary was among a small number of the players with Championship experience having featured in 2022 and the Na Fianna man and former U20 star top scored with 0-4.
Dublin’s reward is a home semi-final clash with Wexford next weekend. Farrell confirmed that Dublin’s established players won’t be involved until the National League.
Offaly, who defeated Laois last Wednesday evening, will kick themselves for not collecting another win as they led the experimental Dubs by 0-6 to 0-2 at half-time despite playing into the wind.
They stretched that advantage to four points when Cian Farrell converted the first of his four second-half points.
But Farrell turned out to be Offaly’s only scorer in the second-half and that score of his early in the half was their only one from open play.
Boss Declan Kelly also rang the changes with a number of substitutes and while Anton Sullivan had a significant impact, removing Dylan Hyland who’d impressed in the first-half weakened them in attack.
Dublin, meanwhile, were boosted by the impact of subs like the lively Killian McGinnis, who hit two points, and they levelled the game up at 0-8 apiece on the hour mark.
They were level again at 0-9 apiece before points from Brian O’Leary and then Shane O’Leary nudged them over the winning line.
Dublin scorers: Brian O’Leary 0-4 (0-2f), Cian Dunne 0-2 (0-1f), Killian McGinnis 0-2 (0-1f), Ben Millist 0-1, Ethan Dunne 0-1, Shane O’Leary 0-1.
Offaly scorers: Cian Farrell 0-4 (0-3f), Dylan Hyland 0-3 (0-1f), Nigel Dunne 0-1, Ruairi McNamee 0-1, Kevin McDermott 0-1.
Dublin
1. David O’Hanlon
2. Liam Smith, 3. Liam Howley, 4. Eoin O’Dea
5. Robert Shaw, 6. Alex Gavin, 7. Rory Dwyer
8. Ethan Dunne, 9. Peter Duffy
10. Conor Dolan, 11. Brian O’Leary, 12. Kevin Lahiff
13. Cian Dunne, 14. Luke Swan, 15. Sean Lowry
Subs: 16. Evan Comerford for O’Hanlon (h/t), 17. Senan Forker for Swan (h/t), 18. Killian McGinnis for Dolan (h/t), 19. Ben Millist for Dwyer (h/t), 23. Eoin Wilde for Dunne (48), 21. Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan for Shaw (49), 20. Killian Murphy for Howley (68), 22. Shane O’Leary for Lowry (68)
Offaly
1. Ian Duffy
2. Adam Bolger, 3. Declan Hogan, 4. Lee Pearson
5. Rory Egan, 6. David Dempsey, 7. John Furlong
8. Jack McEvoy, 9. Cathal Donoghue
10. Dylan Hyland, 11. Cormac Egan, 12. Kevin McDermott
13. Ruairi McNamee, 14. Cian Farrell, 15. Nigel Dunne
Subs: 18. Jordan Quinn for McEvoy (h/t), 25. Nathan Poland for Hyland (h/t), 21. Cathal Flynn for Dunne (h/t), 26. Anton Sullivan for C Egan (43), 22. Eoin Carroll for Donoghue (50), 17. Daire McDaid for Pearson (55), 20. Diarmuid Finneran for Hogan (57), 24. Jack Bryant for McDermott (63)
Referee: Enda Kelly (Westmeath)