Dublin U20 Hurlers Book Place in Leinster Final With Victory Against Galway

DUBLIN 2-18

 GALWAY 0-17

Dublin delivered another exceptional team display when accounting for Galway by seven points in their ONeills.com Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship semi-final in Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Wednesday night. 

It was Dublin that enjoyed a wind-assisted 2-8 to 0-11 advantage at the break as Callum Graham repeated his trick from the quarter-final against Offaly when scoring two goals, both in the opening six minutes.

Their opponents enjoyed a dominant period in the second-half but were unable to translate their possession into scores, allowing Dublin to finish strongly, as they had against Offaly nine days’ ago. 

While Cullen Killeen opened the scoring for Galway inside fifteen seconds, Dublin pounced for a goal from the resultant puck-out with Graham reading the bounce well before he fired confidently beyond Donagh Fahy. 

Daniel O’Kelly (free) and Senan Crosbie added to the Dublin lead before Graham pounced for his second goal in the 6th minute, slipping through two defenders before producing a similarly clinical finish to the back of the Galway net. 

Galway’s captain Rory Burke (free) and Crosbie traded points before the Tribesmen eventually found their collective feet as they struck four unanswered points through Brian Callanan, Paddy Mac Cárthaigh, Jason Rabbitte and Conor Lawless. 

Graham popped over a tidy point to keep the Dubs in the ascendancy but a trio of points from Burke saw Galway reduce their deficit to the bare minimum by the 18th minute. 

Dublin were guilty of some frustrating wides at this point but a Brendan Kenny score in the 21st minute saw them get back on track with two O’Kelly frees and an excellent Conal Ó Riain point leaving them three points ahead by half-time.

A superb reflex save by Fahy denied Ollie Gaffney a goal in the opening minute of the second-half but Dublin resumed impressively as Graham and Gaffney added points in quick succession. 

O’Kelly and Graham stretched the Dublin lead to six points by the 36th minute but with Burke replying with two points at the opposite end, Galway were beginning to sense a comeback was on the cards. 

Matters could have been far tighter for Dublin but for a wonderful save from Daniel Joyce to deny Killeen in the 41st minute with O’Kelly ending a scoreless period of eleven minutes as he converted a free six minutes later. 

With Ó Riain, Joe Sheppard, Conor Groarke and David Lucey typifying Dublin’s resistance at the back, the chances eventually began to reappear for Dublin as Gaffney effectively ended the contest with three points in as many minutes. 

Crosbie’s brilliant point from under the stand reflected Dublin’s confidence in the closing stages and they even had the luxury of Gaffney casually electing to point from a penalty in injury time, following a foul on Nathan Fitzgerald. 

Scorers – Dublin: C Graham 2-3; D O’Kelly (5f), O Gaffney (0-2f, 0-1 pen) 0-5 each; S Crosbie 0-3; B Kenny, C Ó Riain 0-1 apiece. Galway: R Burke 0-7 (4f); C Killeen, B Callanan, P Mac Cárthaigh, J Rabbitte 0-2 each; C Lawless, A Niland (f) 0-1 apiece.

Dublin: D Joyce; C Groarke, B Lynch, D Lucey; J Sheppard, C Ó Riain, K Costello; F Murphy, J Kinnane; S Crosbie, B Kenny, D O’Kelly; C Graham, D Kilduff, O Gaffney. Subs: J Norris for Kilduff (28), N Fitzgerald for O’Kelly (53), S Bolger for Norris (58), J Kavanagh for Kinnane (62). 

Galway: D Fahy; S Murphy, B O’Donovan, C Lawless; E O’Reilly, J Donnellan, G King; G Maher, P Mac Cárthaigh; R Burke, C Killeen, J Rabbitte; B Callanan, V Morgan, A Niland. Subs: D Counihan for Donnellan (37), R O’Donnell for Morgan (42), M Burke for Niland (47), T Blake for O’Donovan (52), D Campbell for Maher (56). 

Referee: Conor Daly (Kildare).