By Ronan O'Brien
Dublin 1-20 Donegal 0-13
Bernard Brogan killed off Donegal in the first minute of the second half as Dublin produced their devastating best to clock their eighth win from eight league outings as they cruised into the final with a 1-20 to 0-13 victory at Croke Park.
The reigning champions were 0-11 to 0-06 up at half-time after they played with the breeze in the opening period. But the important score came just after half-time, and Brogan made no mistake when he was given an inch in the danger zone.
Dublin will go on to face Kerry in the decider and they look in top form, with the likes of Ciaran Kilkenny and Dean Rock producing noteworthy displays up front.
Dublin’s incredible accuracy helped them to a 0-11 to 0-06 half-time lead, after they registered just two wides, to Donegal’s five.
Donegal relied too heavily on the exploits of Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty, but they contributed five points between them. And with Rory Kavanagh performing heroics to keep out Brogan’s goal-bound effort in the 28th minute Donegal kept themselves alive.
Dublin hit the front after two minutes when Rock slotted a free, and Paddy McBrearty got Donegal’s reply seven minutes in, when he also scored a free.
But Dublin kicked into gear and once Kilkenny got his first they led throughout. Andrews sent over a sumptuous effort from the right, and Rock’s second gave Dublin a 0-04 to 0-01 lead after 11 minutes.
But Murphy scored an important free from distance and added another, two minutes later, to bring the deficit back to the minimum after 17 minutes.
Rock tapped over an easy free straight away and Kilkenny gobbled up a loose ball and scored his second to put Dublin back in charge.
Donegal were living off scraps and Martin McElhinney gratefully accepted to reduce the arrears, but then a Rock free, and two efforts of the highest quality from Andrews and Kilkenny put Dublin 0-09 to 0-04 in front.
In the meantime, Brogan should have goaled. Rock provided the hand-pass and Brogan let fly, but the despairing dive of Kavanagh kept Donegal’s goal intact.
Paddy McBrearty kicked his second point and Murphy added his third free as Donegal only trailed 0-09 to 0-06 coming up to half-time, but efforts from Paul Mannion and James McCarthy gave Dublin a five-point half-time lead.
Brogan scored the crucial goal in the 36th minute, when he wriggled free from Eamon McGee, and was picked out by a pin-point pass from Philly McMahon before he finished below Mark McGinley.
It was the perfect start to the second-half for the home side and after Paddy McBrearty hit back, Dublin surged clear. McMahon got a deserved point before Rock and John Small gave Dublin a 1-14 to 0-07 lead.
Paddy McBrearty and Murphy kept up the fight but Mannion and Cormac Costello ensured Dublin were always too far ahead. Jonny Cooper got amongst the scorers and substitute Eric Lowndes became the second Dublin substitute to get a point.
Brogan’s class was on show again as he tacked on another couple of points and although Paddy McBrearty made it eight for the day, Dublin were far superior and will relish a re-run of last year’s All-Ireland final in a fortnight’s time.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; P McMahon (0-01), J Cooper (0-01), D Byrne; J McCarthy (0-01), C O’Sullivan, J Small (0-01); B Fenton, D Bastick; P Flynn, P Andrews (0-02), C Kilkenny (0-03); D Rock (0-05, 0-03f, 0-01 ’45), P Mannion (0-02), B Brogan (1-02).
Subs used: C Costello (0-01) for Andrews (45 mins), E Lowndes (0-01) for Bastick (49), M Fitzsimons for McMahon (53), S B Carthy for Flynn (61), K O’Brien for Cooper (62), S Carthy for O’Sullivan (67).
DONEGAL: M McGinley; P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee; R McHugh, K Lacey, C Gillespie; R Kavanagh, O MacNiallais; M O’Reilly, M McElhinney (0-01), F McGlynn; P McBrearty (0-08, 0-05f), M Murphy (0-04, 0-04f), L McLoone.
Subs used: S McBrearty for O’Reilly (15 mins), C McGonagle for MacNiallais (50), C McFadden for McElhinney (53), C Toye for Kavanagh (67), E B Gallagher for McLoone (67), J O’Brien for Gillespie (71).
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois).
