Won’t somebody think of the trophy cabinet.
While Jim Gavin’s seniors have been hoovering up National League, Leinster and All-Ireland titles at a rate of knots, the county’s Under-21s have also been quietly stockpiling trophies.
Wednesday night in Portlaoise they made it an historic fourth provincial crown in a row with a comfortable 2-14 to 0-8 win over Offaly.
Dessie Farrell’s team are the last Leinster U21 champions, with the grade being recategorised as Under-20 from 2018 onwards.
Needless to say, they did in style.
Fresh from scoring 2-5 in the semi-final, Cuala scoring sensation and crippling loss to the Dublin hurlers, Con O’Callaghan, once more lined up on the edge of the square but this time gave a tremendous display of creative football.
Scoring four points himself (two frees) he was central to Dublin’s attack and laid on the goal early in the second half for Tom Fox, which killed the game.
Fox’s goal was a classic example of ‘if at first you don’t succeed’ as it came from the Offaly kick-out after a near facsimile move had finished with a wide from Glenn O’Reilly.
Dublin claim the ball around the middle of the field and, under pressure, the man in possession knows exactly where he wants to put this…
Right in the bread basket of the lateral-moving O’Callaghan.
His quick hand-off to O’Reilly gives the Dub a sight at goal.
But unfortunately he blazes wide.
No matter, Dublin again win the ball from the restart.
Yet again O’Callaghan is darting left to right, his marker in hot pursuit.
As he takes the pass to the right of goals, he has two options: pin the ears back and try and make a shooting chance or recycle.
He unselfishly pops the hand pass off to the onrushing Fox and nobody is in any doubt where this is going to end up.
Yep.
Fox would finish with 1-2, Reilly 0-2 and Stephen Smith would add the gloss with the second goal.
The whole match can be watched below, with the two goals chances coming just after the 54’30” mark.
Match Footage Courtesy of TG4.
That whole theory about Brogan, Flynn, McCaffrey, McMahon and the lads being a once-in-a-lifetime generation collection of talent is beginning to look about as thin as a cigarette paper.
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