Cloonan hangs rusty hosts

Galway dispensed their brand of justice with all the hesitancy of a hangman in Parnell Park yesterday. It was swift, clean and non-negotiable.

With the game less than two minutes old, and Galway two goals up, those customers who had tossed pound coins into the gatemen's hands could have departed for home knowing there could be only one sure winner.

Still, the horrible start endured by Dublin in their first outing of the league campaign seemed slightly unjust. Two minor defensive errors that on most other days would have resulted in little more than embarrassment were penalised to the utmost by the clinical finishing of Eugene Cloonan, the dominant force in the Galway attack who finished with a personal total of 3-5.

Cloonan was more than a handful for the Dublin defence. Indeed, three different Dubliners were commissioned to mark the Athenry man at different stages of the game, but all suffered similarly fruitless results.

"We expected Dublin to come out with all guns blazing," said Galway manager Mattie Murphy afterwards, "so we decided to go right at them, got a couple of lucky breaks and that was the difference all through the match."

What made Dublin's plight worse was that they had the strong wind behind them when Galway struck with their early killer blows. After a mere 26 seconds, Alan Kerins crossed from the Craobh Chiarain side of the pitch and Cloonan, loosely marked by Johnny Finnegan, first-timed the sliotar to the net. And just over a minute later, Cloonan was on hand to fire home from close range for his second goal after Mark Kerins did the spadework.

Dublin's cause was hopeless but, in fairness, they responded admirably, getting their noses in front by the break. Kevin Flynn was their main man in attack and Tomas McGrane, after a shaky start, got his deadball shooting up to the desired level to chisel away at the Galway lead. In midfield, Conor McCann and Mick Fitzsimons, one of four newcomers to league duty in the Dublin side, won plenty of possession and, slowly but surely, the home side overcame their nightmare start. By the 22nd minute, a Flynn point - his fourth - brought Dublin back to level terms, and, then, two McGrane points, one from a 65 and the other from a free, gave them the half-time lead, 0-11 to 2-3.

Dublin badly needed goals in that first-half but were denied by the crossbar when goalkeeper Brendan McLoughlin's fiercely struck penalty shot rebounded back and, then, at the death of the half, when Galway netminder Damien Howe combined bravery with skill to deny Niall Butler. Galway have got into the habit of winning and know how to finish the job. Galway's class reigned supreme for the business half of the game and Dublin were limited to a solitary point, from a McGrane free, in the second-half. In contrast, Galway came out with all guns firing and had added a further two goals within six minutes of the restart.

Cloonan scored his third goal in the 33rd minute by batting home the ball after McLoughlin first saved Alan Kerins's effort. Mark Kerins killed off the game (again) in the 36th minute when he finished off Liam Hodgins's free out of defence.

For good measure, Kevin Broderick came increasingly into the game and that Broderick Cloonan axis down the left wing looks tailor-made for championship hurling. "Two very useful hurlers," conceded Murphy. Bigger days lie ahead to test the theory.

Galway have charged through their opening three games and look assured of an interest in the knockouts. Dublin were more than a little ring rusty and will heed the lessons inflicted in this game.

Whether the strength in depth is there, though, remains the big question. Certainly, the defence requires some bolstering - and the addition of a single point in the second-half suggests the attack, too, needs a little help.

GALWAY: D Howe; R Walsh, B Feeney, P Kelly; M Donoghue, L Hodgins, P Hardiman; N Shaughnessy, T Kavanagh; F Healy (0-1), F Flynn (0-1), K Broderick (0-4); A Kerins, M Kerins (1-0), E Cloonan (3-5, all points from frees).

DUBLIN: B McLoughlin; J Finnegan, S Power, D Spain; L Walsh, B O'Sullivan, L Ryan; M Fitzsimons, C McCann (0-1); D Sweeney, K O'Donoghue, T McGrane (0-6, three frees, two 65s); N Butler (0-1), C Fethersten, K Flynn (0-4). Subs: S Duignan for Spain (45 mins), E Carroll for Butler (48 mins), L O'Donoghue for Finnegan (56 mins).

Referee: T McIntyre (Antrim).