Dublin 5-21 Louth 0-15
The assumption was that Louth have made significant progress since they last played Dublin in the Championship and, to be fair, they have.
But by simply comparing the scoreline from their previous meeting back in 2019 with this Leinster final, it’d be difficult to make a compelling case as Dublin matched the 5-21 tally they posted in Portlaoise that day, while Louth added an extra five points to their tally of 0-10.
Though expectations that Louth could win a first provincial title since 1957 against a side chasing 13-in-a-row were low, a 21-point beating was hardly widely anticipated either, particularly in light of Dublin’s struggles against Kildare.
Perhaps we should know better. After all, it matched Dublin’s margin of victory in the 2020 final, when the pre-match narrative suggested that Meath had closed the gap on their great rivals at the time.
And it still wasn’t even as big as the 23-point win over Wexford in the 2008, before their provincial dominance had become total.
It was a competitive affair in the first quarter albeit not terribly high on quality as both sides turned the ball over repeatedly. The Louth support in the 40,115 attendance took great encouragement from their side stripping the Dubs and Sam Mulroy, having already kicked two frees, hit a peach from play to put Louth 0-3 to 0-2 in front in the 12th minute.
But as Dublin cut down on their unforced errors, they moved 0-5 to 0-3 in front with a pair of Cormac Costello placed balls either side of a Sean Bugler point. Still, no need to panic for Louth just yet.
However, the concession of 1-3 in a two-minute period ended the game as a contest. It started with a Con O’Callaghan pointed mark and as Dublin started to dominate the Louth kickout, the scores kept coming.
Costello hit his first from play and though Niall Sharkey won possession from the subsequent restart, he quickly coughed it up to John Small amid fierce Dublin pressure. The ball was swiftly moved upfield with O’Callaghan placing Paul Mannion to palm to the net.
Louth couldn’t get out and their daring approach of going long on the kickout and committing men upfield left glaring holes at the back. By the time Mannion converted a 33rd minute free, Dublin had hit 1-10 without reply, though the loss of Jack McCaffrey through what looked like the latest episode in his ongoing hamstring problems was a source of worry.
“I’ve always considered that it’s very easy to look back on a video tape when the game is over and be wonderfully smart,” said Louth boss Mickey Harte when it was put to him afterwards that he ought to have been more pragmatic in his approach.
“There’s lots of people can do that. It’s not that easy when you’re standing on the line having to deal with it. So, you do what you think is good.
“We played Dublin in the League and I know they hadn’t the same personnel on the pitch but I thought we held our own very well in that game and I suppose we had no reason to doubt that we couldn’t make a game of it again this time but, as it transpired today, we weren’t able to do that.
“You’ve always got to be thinking, you’ve always got to see what works, what doesn’t work and even when things work sometimes you find that other people can unlock the things that work for you.”
Louth finally managed to cross the opposition 45 after Dublin’s first purple patch and finished the half well with the last three points as they successfully broke down Stephen Cluxton’s kickout for a period to leave it at 1-12 to 0-6 at half-time.
They hit the first two points of the second half too to reduce the margin to seven and though a comeback was never on, the prospect of Louth keeping it respectable and taking something from this game into the All-Ireland series seemed plausible. Not for long.
Paul Mannion’s shot for a point fell short in the 45th minute but Cian Murphy got to it before Louth ‘keeper James Califf and fed James McCarthy, who slotted to the net.
Bugler capped a fine display with another goal 11 minutes later after playing a one-two with Ciaran Kilkenny, while subs Paddy Small and Colm Basquel got in on the act too late on.
It could even have been more with O’Callaghan seeing another goal effort blocked by Dan Corcoran when there were options outside him, while Dean Rock fisted over when Dublin had a four-on-two overlap.
That’s the sort of compassion that they can afford before moving into the revamped All-Ireland series and a first meeting with Division One opposition all year in the shape of Roscommon.
DUBLIN: Stephen CLUXTON 7; Daire NEWCOMBE 7, David BYRNE 6, Lee GANNON 7; Brian HOWARD 7, John SMALL (0-1) 7, Jack McCAFFREY (0-2) 7; Brian FENTON 7, James McCARTHY (1-0) 7; Niall SCULLY 7, Sean BUGLER (1-3) 8, Ciaran KILKENNY (0-3) 7; Paul MANNION (1-1, 0-1f) 6, Con O’CALLAGHAN (0-4, 0-2m) 7, Cormac COSTELLO (0-5, 0-3f, 0-1 ‘45’) 7.
Subs: Cian Murphy for McCaffrey (45), Paddy Small (1-0) for Scully (52), Dean Rock (0-1) for Costello (52), Colm Basquel (1-0) for Mannion (59), Sean MacMahon (0-1) for Howard (63).
LOUTH: James CALIFF 5; Dan CORCORAN 5, Peter LYNCH 6, Donal McKENNY 7; Leonard GREY 5, Niall SHARKEY 6, Ciaran MURPHY 5; Tommy DURNIN 6, Conor EARLY 5; Conall McKEEVER 5, Sam MULROY (0-10, 0-7f, 0-1 ‘45’) 8, Conor GRIMES (0-2) 7; Daire McCONNON 5, Ciaran DOWNEY (0-1) 5, Liam JACKSON (0-1) 5.
Subs: Craig Lennon (0-1) for McConnon (26), Anthony Williams for Murphy (31), Conall McCaul for Jackson (40), Paul Mathews for Early (55), Ryan Burns for Corcoran (68).
REFEREE: Conor Lane (Cork).
QUOTE ME ON THAT
“It’s a harsh lesson today but you just have to hold your hands up. I’ve been in places before where we got a very poor outcome. It’s not the end of the world.”
Louth manager, Mickey Harte.
STAR MAN - Sean Bugler (Dublin)
Was notably prominent early on when Dublin were struggling to find their feet, kicking two points, and he deserved his second half goal, albeit immaterial to the outcome by then.
AN OTHER - Sam Mulroy (Louth)
He had a couple of poor misses but Mulroy’s two points from play were arguably the best scores of the match. His class still shone on a day when his side were largely at sea.
UP NEXT
DUBLIN: Roscommon (h), All-Ireland SC Group 3, May 27/28.
LOUTH: Cork (h), All-Ireland SFC Group 1, May 27/28.
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