Leinster senior hurling championship, Round 3:

Dublin 1-22
Wexford 0-23

Paul Keane reports from Croke Park

CROKE PARK proved to be a happy hunting ground for Dublin who edged a nailbiter, thanks largely to 13 points from Donal Burke, to claim a hugely important win in the Leinster SHC.

Billed as a shoot-out for third position in the table, which would ultimately secure qualification for the All-Ireland series, Dublin edged it with 75th and 76th-minute points from frees by Burke.

There are still two games remaining for both teams but if results overall pan out as expected, then Dublin will finish third behind big guns Galway and Kilkenny.

If that is how things finish up in Leinster then Wexford will kick themselves for failing to win this one because 19 wides cost them dearly on an evening when their radar malfunctioned badly.

They also winced as Dublin goalkeeper Sean Brennan pulled off a terrific 63rd-minute save to deny Mikie Dwyer what would have been a crucial goal.

Wexford did still battle back to wipe out what was a five-point deficit after 60 minutes, and after drawing level in the 74th minute it looked as if their momentum might swing it, but Burke then took control.

His first of those two late points for Dublin came following a foul on Danny Sutcliffe and his second, a monster score from all of 90 metres out, came after a foul on Chris O’Leary.

The only downside from Dublin’s perspective was the hamstring injury suffered by Ronan Hayes who was forced off after just eight minutes.

O’Sullivan’s 19th-minute goal was a vital score for Dublin, the speedy St Brigid’s man rising high amongst a group of players at the Davin End and redirecting Donal Burke’s long delivery to the net.

Dublin led from the opening score of the game, a Paddy Doyle point in the first minute, until early in the second half but were never out of the woods in a tit-for-tat scoring encounter.

They raced into an early 0-4 to 0-1 lead but a series of Wexford picked points, mainly from captain Lee Chin, kept them well in contention.

A terrific O’Connor point for Wexford in the 17th minute left just a point between them, 0-6 to 0-5.

O’Sullivan’s goal arrived shortly after and gave Dublin a vital buffer though Wexford closed out the half with scores from Richie Lawlor and Jack O’Connor to leave it 1-9 to 0-10 in Dublin’s favour.

Egan’s visitors set up in counter-attacking mode with Kevin Foley acting as their seventh defender. Cathal Dunbar, wearing number 15, dropped deep to midfield alongside Richie Lawlor, leaving the Slaneysiders with a two-man full-forward line.

Dublin, meanwhile, were left with Conor Burke as their spare defender.

Wexford returned for the second half with more energy and attacking gusto, reeling off the first three points through Chin and Simon Donohoe.

Dublin then hit the afterburners again and approaching the hour mark they had opened up a sizeable five-point lead, 1-18 to 0-16.

Mark Grogan, former Cork senior O’Leary and sub Sean Currie were among the Dublin scorers.

But with Rory O’Connor coming into the game strongly for Wexford and McDonald proving a handful after coming on, the 2019 provincial winners wiped out the deficit deep into stoppage time.

It looked as if Wexford’s momentum might just swing it for them but those two late Burke points did the trick for Dublin.

Dublin scorers: Donal Burke 0-13 (0-10f), Cian O’Sullivan 1-1, Paul Crummey 0-2, Paddy Doyle 0-1, Danny Sutcliffe 0-1, Chris O’Leary 0-1, Mark Grogan 0-1, Conor Burke 0-1, Sean Currie 0-1

Wexford scorers: Lee Chin 0-8 (0-6f), Rory O’Connor 0-5 (0-3f), Cathal Dunbar 0-2, Oisin Foley 0-2, Conor McDonald 0-2, Conor Devitt 0-1, Richie Lawlor 0-1, Jack O’Connor 0-1, Simon Donohoe 0-1,

WEXFORD:

1. James Lawlor (Ferns St Aidan’s)

7. Simon Donohoe (Shelmaliers)
3. Liam Ryan (Rapparees)
2. Shane Reck (Oylegate Glenbrien)

21. Kevin Foley (Rapparees)

4. Conor Devitt (Tara Rocks)
5. Matthew O’Hanlon (St James’)
6. Damien Reck (Oylegate Glenbrien)

15. Cathal Dunbar (Naomh Eanna)
22. Richie Lawlor (Faythe Harriers)

11. Jack O’Connor (St Martin’s)
14. Lee Chin (Faythe Harriers – Captain)
10. Oisin Foley (Crossabeg Ballymurn)

12. Liam Og McGovern (St Anne’s Rathangan)
13. Rory O’Connor (St Martin’s)

SUBS

26. Joe O’Connor (St Martin’s) for Damien Reck 42
23. Conor McDonald (Naomh Eanna) for Richie Lawlor 44
19. Mikie Dwyer (St Mogue’s Fethard) for Jack O’Connor 49
18. Ian Carty (Taghmon Camross) for Ryan 55
17. Ross Banville (Shelmaliers) for Dunbar 71

DUBLIN

1. Sean Brennan (Cuala)

3. Eoghan O’Donnell (Whitehall Colmcille – Captain)
4. Paddy Smyth (Clontarf)

6. Conor Burke (St Vincent’s)

5. Conor Donohoe (Erin’s Isle)
2. Paddy Doyle (Naomh Barrog)
7. Daire Gray (Whitehall Colmcille)

8. Mark Grogan (Kilmacud Crokes)
9. Chris O’Leary (Lucan Sarsfields)

10. Danny Sutcliffe (St Jude’s)
11. Donal Burke (Na Fianna)
12. Cian Boland (St Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh)

14. Cian O’Sullivan (St Brigid’s)
15. Alex Considine (Kilmacud Crokes)
13. Ronan Hayes (Kilmacud Crokes)

SUBS

22. Paul Crummey (Lucan Sarsfields) for Hayes 8
26. Sean Currie (Na Fianna) for Considine 51
20. Darragh Power (Fingallians) for Grogan 59
23. Fergal Whitely (Kilmacud Crokes) for Boland 64
24. Dara Purcell (Kilmacud Crokes) for O’Sullivan 74

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford).

Other result in Leinster senior hurling championship: Westmeath 0-17 Galway 6-33