Brilliant McCrabbe Tipps the balance for Dubs
Wednesday March 03 2010
DUBLIN produced by far their most complete performance since Anthony Daly's arrival in the capital to blitz an out-of-sorts Tipperary at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon.
Despite last week's heavy defeat to Waterford, the Blues have set a pretty high standard for themselves now.
In every facet of the game, in every area of the field, they were dominant. Daly had asked mid-week for a renewal of commitment and courage and he got it in spades.
Alan McCrabbe's detail to roam from corner-forward paid handsome dividends but it's the accuracy of his dead-ball striking that is perhaps the most important piece of artillery in Dublin's arsenal. In Walsh Park last week, his season looked to be over with a suspected broken leg. He contributed 10 points here. Some difference.
There was character too from Dublin, to block out the vision of Lar Corbett's searing run in the first few seconds, drawing a clumsy foul by Tomas Brady to merit a penalty that Eoin Kelly converted.
There were two periods critical to Dublin's victory. From that goal down they dominated the next 10 minutes and scored six unanswered points, half-back Maurice O'Brien's effort from near the sideline being the most memorable after he had initially been blocked.
Tipperary eventually got some traction but it wasn't sustained. Padraic Maher was able to hoover up a lot of ball in his free role and Kelly looked sharp. Eventually they stumbled into a lead that they really didn't deserve, 1-6 to 0-8, on 27 minutes, courtesy of Noel McGrath's point that Maguire just failed to reach.
That was the cue for Dublin to surge again. A wonderful Rushe catch teed up a McCaffrey delivery which David O'Callaghan got a touch to in the Tipperary square for a 28th-minute goal.
They kicked on from there and pressurised Tipperary hard. Peter Kelly was denied a second Dublin goal by the post before Durkin's second point, made by a Kelly block and a pinpoint cross-field pass by McCrabbe, one of the moves of the game.
Dublin took a 1-12 to 1-7 lead in at the break and built steadily after that, always keeping Tipp at arm's length. By the end of the third quarter they were secure.
DUBLIN: G Maguire; N Corcoran, T Brady, O Gough; J Boland, S Hiney, M O'Brien 0-1; J McCaffrey 0-1, S Lambert 0-1; P Kelly 0-2, L Rushe, S Durkin 0-2; D O'Callaghan 1-1, D Treacy 0-1, A McCrabbe 0-10 (0-8f, 0-1 s/l). Subs: J Kelly for Lambert (24), K Flynn 0-1 for J Kelly (53), P Ryan for O'Callaghan (67), M Carton for O'Brien (73).
TIPPERARY: D Gleeson; C O'Brien, P Curran, P Maher; B Maher, C O'Mahony, S Maher; B Dunne 01, G Ryan; S Hennessy 0-1, S Callanan 0-2, H Maloney; E Kelly 1-5 (1-0 pne, 0-3f, 0-1 '65), L Corbett 0-1, N McGrath 0-1. Subs: D Fanning 0-1 for Ryan (41), M Webster for Maloney (49), P Kelly for Hennessy (54), M Cahill for O'Brien (57), J Brennan for Callanan (64).
REFEREE: James Owens (Wexford).
