Dublin 5-24 Gloucestershire 0-09
By Shane Galvin
Gloucestershire and Dublin ventured to pastures new on Saturday as Gloucestershire made their first foray into an All Ireland Semi-Final at any grade, while Dublin made their maiden visit to Gaelic Field in Cardiff. Throughout GAA history All Ireland series games have been played at an array of venues and now Cardiff joined that prestigious list. The surroundings for Dublin were very different, a return to grass roots GAA for the Metropolitans away from headquarters at Croke Park. As was the opposition, the Gloucestershire panel managed by Phil O’Connor and Ryan O’Neill, captained by Corkman Brian McCarthy consisted of first and second generation Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish and even an Australian. A squad made up of only 3 clubs, a gulf in class apart from the more decorated Dublin panel with a pick of over 200 clubs provided a true David v Goliath clash.
The game started brightly with Dublin scoring within seconds of the throw in, establishing a led they were never to relinquish. Daly was running riot in the early exchanges and had a hand in several of the early scores. Dublin’s first goal came from Sexton as he crashed the ball home from 6 yards out. Amongst further first half goals Norton found the net, but not after a great save from O’Neill in goals first denied him. Gloucestershire took 9 minutes to register an attempt at the posts that Bolton drove wide and it wasn’t until the 15th minute that they scored their first point from a Roche free after McCarthy was fouled. Aussie Phil Brash pointed a well taken score soon after for the Gaels from Wales and West. Meanwhile, Finnegan was on fire for the Dubs on his way to an impressive 1-6 in the opening half.
Half time introduction Niall Tormmey scored 1-1 within minutes of the restart, as Dublin further asserted themselves on the match as they dominated midfield, while the introduction of former senior star Darren Homan underlined their authority on the game. Dublin ran away with the victory in the end as all the forwards got on the score sheet, supported by a strong bench, which underlined their superior level of quality and accuracy in front of the posts. Gloucestershire after a tireless and courageous display, signed off with a lovely curling effort with the outside of the boot from their best player on the day Timmy O’Loughlin.
Dublin now continue to the All Ireland Final against Roscommon, seeking their first victory at this grade since 1960, when they beat London 2-5 to 0-5 after firstly defeating Galway in the home final of that year on a score line of 1-12 to 0-9. This game may have been a routine exercise for the Dublin team on way to possibly another All-Ireland title, but within Wales and the South West this was a very proud day in its history and will act as a catalyst for further development and growth of gaelic games within the region.
Scorers: Dublin - Finnegan 1-6 (0-2f), N. Tormmey, 1-4, C. Norton 1-3, K. Connolly 0-5 (0-1f), B. Sexton 1-1, R. Joyce 1-1, E. O’Gara 0-3, S. Green 0-1, K. Kavanagh 0-1. Gloucestershire - N. Roche 0-5 (0-3f), T. O’Loughlin 0-2 (0-1f), P. Brash 0-1, P. O’Sullivan 0-1.
Gloucestershire
F. O’Neill, M. Doyle, D. Gilleran, S. Rooney, JJ Miskella, O. Flaherty, J. Maley, B. McCarthy, T. O’Loughlin, P. O’Sullivan, P. Brash, J. Long, A. Bolton, P. Dempsey, N. Roche. Subs: A. Murphy, K. O’Connor, H. McCarthy, M. Hughes, J Duggan.
Dublin
C. Clarke, C. Prenderville, M. Fitzsimons, D. Daly, N. Brogan, A. Dennis, M. White, C. Daly, D. Bastic, R. Joyce, K. Connolly, B. Sexton, W. Finnegan, E. O’Gara, C. Norton. Subs: N. Tormmey, D. Homan, J. Cooper, K. Kavanagh, S. Green. |
| Date Added: 12th July 2008 |
