Exceptional Galway second-half showing brings curtain down on Dublin’s golden generation

All-Ireland SFC quarter-final: Galway 0-17 Dublin 0-16

On Saturday, Galway stepped out of the shadows of an unrelenting history and many other more contemporary setbacks to plant their flag on Dublin’s mountain. As manager Pádraic Joyce acknowledged, there was no silverware on offer for the All-Ireland quarter-final win but beating the champions in their back yard was “special”.

Two of the three remaining unbeaten teams met in an enthralling match and by the end that was down to two and included Galway, not the All-Ireland champions.

Success came the hard way. Maybe it was because of having to play a preliminary quarter-final a week previously but Galway started slowly and struggled to contain opponents who played a full hand, starting those who had been hitherto confined to bench impacts.

Captain James McCarthy, former Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion all lined out – 22 All-Irelands between them. For Joyce this was simply a statement of the terms of engagement but it was an engagement his team was losing for much of the first half.

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Dublin moved slickly and shot with assassin’s accuracy when opportunities presented. The Connacht champions have had an exceptional defence all season, conceding just one goal, but they weren’t functioning at full tilt.

[ Dublin 0-16 Galway 0-17: As it happened ]

Con O’Callaghan claimed two fine marks and converted them as well as providing the assist in a spectacular move, finished by Brian Fenton. Mannion, Cormac Costello and Ciarán Kilkenny also helped to build the score.

A dominant consideration coming into the weekend was the fitness of Shane Walsh and Damien Comer. Both started and Joyce quipped about the option of keeping them in reserve.

“You’re a genius when it works out and you’re a clown when it doesn’t. There was no point in us having a bench full of Damien Comers and Shane Walshs and then bringing them on and trying to chase the game from seven or eight points down.”

Comer didn’t look at his powerful best, although he became more of a factor as the match progressed. For much of the contest though, he found Seán McMahon an abrasive and tight-marking presence.

Walsh, however, kept the whole show on the road with his flawless first-half marksmanship. Unerring from frees, he also persecuted John Small with two sumptuous finishes from play.

The precision of his shooting meant that by half-time, Dublin were just four ahead, 0-11 to 0-7, despite having twice stretched the margin to five and threatening more. The defence for all its temporary shortcomings, limited the damage and Seán Mulkerrin on the left wing carried the fight to the champions despite one needless turnover.

Mayo had dented Dublin in the final group match by clamping down on key influencers Fenton and O’Callaghan. On Saturday, Fenton was again controlled, this time by John Maher, who is having a superb season and who asserted his physical presence all through the contest.

Goalkeeper Connor Gleeson played his part in that. Presumably scalded by Armagh cashing in a couple of his wayward restarts in the group match, he went long with the vast majority of his kick-outs and Galway retained an impressive two-thirds.

Joyce said that the half-time manifesto was for a quick response to a low-key first 35 minutes.

“Right after half-time, that score Cillian [McDaid] got and that’s what we targeted the first five, 10 minutes after half-time, just solely because if Dublin got the first one or two scores, sure it was game over – they were six up.”

McDaid ended up as RTÉ man of the match in recognition to his priceless three scores in the second half. He has endured a terrible couple of years since being shortlisted as Player of the Year in 2022 and just what Galway had been missing was clear at the weekend with his athleticism and work rate, complemented by an outstanding ability to kick crucial scores.

He was well supported by the rest of the team, Paul Conroy overcoming some bad wides to finish strongly and Dylan McHugh’s typical excellence came to the fore, winning turnovers and kicking the 65th-minute equaliser after which Galway never again trailed.

There were echoes of 2021 when Mayo toppled Dublin, then in pursuit of a seventh successive title, in the way the champions malfunctioned under pressure. Fenton kicked wide the sort of chance into the Hill that has been a hallmark of his guiding force.

O’Callaghan went for the glimpse of a goal but was defiantly blocked by Mulkerrin and Costello missed the resulting 45, plus a later free.

With Galway breathing down their necks after a two-minute barrage of three points to level the match, the champions lost all momentum. In the final quarter, their inaccuracies eventually yielded the initiative and when replacement Johnny Heaney put the Connacht champions ahead for the first time since the opening minutes, their supporters in the 49,896 crowd lifted the roof.

It was now clear who was going to win. O’Callaghan fought the good fight but was wide with a last-minute chance to equalise and the sands of time had run out on an exceptional team.

But it had taken another to bring it about.

GALWAY: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh (0-1), L Silke, S Mulkerrin; P Conroy (0-1), J Maher (0-1); S Kelly (capt), M Tierney (0-1, m), C McDaid (0-3); R Finnerty, D Comer, S Walsh (0-7, 4f).

Subs: C D’Arcy (0-1) for Kelly (22 mins); L Ó Conghaile for Finnerty (47); Johnny Heaney (0-1) for Tierney (54); Cian Hernon for Fitzgerald (60); Tomo Culhane (0-1) for Walsh (65).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; J Small (0-1), S McMahon, M Fitzsimons; E Murchan, J McCarthy (0-1), J McCaffrey; B Fenton (0-1), B Howard; C Kilkenny (0-2), S Bugler (0-1), N Scully; P Mannion (0-1), C O’Callaghan (0-4, 2m 1f), C Costello (0-4, 2f, 1 45).

Subs: C Basquel for Mannion (48 mins); R McGarry (0-1) for Scully (53); T Lahiff for McCaffrey (59); P Small for Costello (66), L O’Dell for Murchan (72).

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).

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