Dublin’s late show finally gets the job done (2024)

With ten minutes left Monaghan were still knotted in a fierce grapple with Dublin, still refusing absolutely to submit. After a week spent recoiling from any patronising guff about the size of their population relative to their enormous levels of achievement like a child sick of being patted on the head by an irritating auntie, bringing the game that far wasn’t just a tribute to Monaghan’s resilience but a sign of their capacity to seriously go for the win, no matter what anyone said.

Conor McManus kicking the mark that had them level and reaching for the gear to power them on to a historic win symbolised a lot about how the game was unfolding. McManus was finally escaping the shackles imposed by Mick Fitzsimons. Through patient – or mind-numbing, depending on your view of modern football – stretches of possession and diligent and disciplined defence they had wrangled the Dubs to this stage. Now they needed to go and win it.

Therein lay the ultimate problem. When the Dubs faced exactly the same challenge in that moment their response was familiar and devastating. Everything they did was intensified, from top to bottom. Suddenly Rory Beggan’s kickout was placed under unbearable pressure and cracks began to show.

Brian Fenton kicking a score to get Dublin ahead again was itself emblematic of Dublin’s own journey through the game – Fenton offering a steady threat through the first half before gradually unfurling the full range of his talents as the game reached the end. His score triggered the avalanche.

Having clipped scores with far greater ease throughout the match, Dublin suddenly strung it all together and outscored Monaghan 1-5 to 0-1 in the last ten minutes plus garbage time. It handed them to a seven-point victory the game didn’t represent, but that’s what can happen with the Dubs sometimes.

When they weigh up all things this week, Dublin will appreciate the twin values of playing moderately and winning while also displaying the ferocious grit necessary to prevail at this late stage of the team’s lifespan. The foundations were built on familiar things: the stability of Stephen Cluxton’s kickout, Fenton’s metronomic influence at centrefield, a good burst of help off the bench and a steady flow of scores from Cormac Costello that kept them ticking regardless of what Monaghan were doing.

Although the game was depicted as a gimme for Dublin, getting edged off in two successive All-Ireland semi-finals might have added an extra layer of anxiety yesterday as Monaghan refused to burn themselves out. It was hard to notice any panic at any stage. Dublin managed. Monaghan couldn’t.

At some point in the coming month yesterday’s performance will translate for Monaghan into a decent measure of their progress since the dog days of defeat to Derry in the Ulster championship. Their discipline in defence until the last 10 minutes was outstanding, their workrate around the field precisely where it needed to be.

But there were also imperfections. Three shots in the opening 13 minutes bounced off the post. Ryan McAnespie had his shot blocked down when a pass inside to Stephen O’Hanlon would have opened up a goal chance. They missed crucial kicks that could have dragged Dublin towards serious jeopardy in the second half and without a broad, cohesive attacking threat all hopes converged again for Monaghan on McManus. Late in the evening he re-emerged onto the field with Croke Park empty for a stroll by himself among the seagulls and the lawnmowers. There was a shout from the corporate boxes.

“Mansie!”

McManus looked up and saluted the last of the crowd. If yesterday was his final game it was fitting he departed kicking scores and worrying Dublin. But Monaghan will do well to find six better forwards than him if he has any notion about staying on.

By half time the possibilities for Monaghan were immense, the game shaped more or less the way they wanted. Dublin were only a point up, 0-8 to 0-7, gathering their scores with greater speed and efficiency than Monaghan but presenting no serious menace. When Monaghan had the ball they were deadening the experience for Dublin and the entire crowd, holding the ball well while creating impressive little corridors of space through the Dublin defence.

Making more of those chances was already a problem. In the end their half time score was shaped around Beggan’s excellence from 45s also handed Monaghan three points and one booming kick from Gary Mohan after 29 minutes.

Dublin weren’t exactly all bells and whistles in attack either, channelling whatever scoring threat they had through Costello. One super-charged attack early in the second half involving Fenton, Con O’Callaghan and Ciaran Kilkenny did almost open up a goal for Costello, but his shot flew over the bar. The level of threat beyond that? Modest enough.

But still, Monaghan never led at any point during the game. That left them prone if Dublin finally got their groove together. When they did, they left no way back. The sight of Dublin hounding Beggan and O’Hanlon into conceding a foul in front of the baying Hill inside the final 10 minutes, followed by Paul Mannion curling over a glorious free kick from beneath the Cusack Stand was an indication of the mountain still facing Monaghan. Another point from McCaffrey a moment later and Dublin were suddenly a goal clear, 0-15 to 10-12, with seven minutes left.

They were already four ahead when O’Callaghan angled a terrific ball across the Monaghan defence for Dean Rock to squeeze in a goal with a couple of minutes left and nasty up the scoreline. Monaghan were broken at last. Job finally done.

Star man Brian Fenton (Dublin)
Dublin Cluxton; Murchan, Fitzsimons, Byrne; McCarthy, J Small, Gannon (0-1); Fenton (0-2), Howard; Mannion (0-2, 1f, 1M) (Rock (1-1, 0-1f) 68mins), P Small (0-1), Scully (Kilkenny 28mins); Costello (0-7, 3f, 1M) (Lahiff 71mins), O’Callaghan (0-2), Basquel (McCaffrey (0-1) 43mins)
Monaghan Beggan (0-3 45s); D Hughes, Duffy, Wylie; O’Connell, Boyle (O’Toole 59mins), McCarthy; K Hughes (McCarron (0-1) 43mins), Lavelle; O’Hanlon (0-1), Bannigan (0-1), McAnespie (0-1) (Jones 65mins); McManus (0-5, 3f, 1M), Mohan (0-1), Ward (Lennon 43mins)
Referee S Hurson (Tyrone) Attendance 82,300

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