Mayo's unbeaten record in NFL Division 1A was ripped apart tonight by a rampant Dublin side, whose goal glut eased them out to a 4-10 to 1-10 victory at Parnell Park.
Paul Caffrey's men put in their best performance of the season to confidently pick up their third league win and end Mayo’s five-game unbeaten run.
While Tomás Quinn, Conal Keaney and Alan Brogan took the plaudits up front – the trio shared out 4-06 between them, with St Vincent's attacker Quinn bagging 2-02 – Dublin' defence, with left corner back David Henry excelling, gave little away at the other end.
The display is only heightened by the fact that Dublin lost lynchpin midfielder Ciaran Whelan to a shoulder injury after only 11 minutes. For Mayo, it can simply be looked at as a bad night at the office, but to guarantee their spot in the semi-finals, they do now need to take at least a point away from their
daunting clash with All-Ireland champions Tyrone on April 9.
The westerners made the better start – Austin O'Malley was razor-sharp from the throw-in, and he pointed after only 17 seconds. The 22-year-old Alan Durcan, who was making his senior debut for Mayo, added two points to leave the Dubs trailing by 0-01 to 0-03 after the quarter-hour. Keaney landed a ninth-minute free.
With Shane Ryan on for Whelan, Dublin got their first break on 17 minutes. Mark Vaughan shrugged off two would-be challengers to centre the ball, Declan Lally booted it on to the unmarked Quinn and he wasted little time in right-footing it beyond John Healy for Dublin’s opening goal.
Just a minute later, Mayo midfielder Barry Moran, another newcomer to the senior ranks, was adjudged to have hauled down Paul Griffin in the square and Quinn, who missed a spot kick in Fermanagh last weekend, stepped up to plant the penalty high to Healy’s net for 2-01 to 0-03.
Mayo did react well to the goals despite two fine points from Bryan Cullen and a Keaney (free). Three Alan Dillon points (1 free) and an Andy Moran over kept Mickey Moran’s men in the hunt at the break, 0-07 to 2-04 down.
Dillon perhaps should have done better when pointing from play on 33 minutes. Peadar Gardiner flicked a brilliant hand pass through for the unmarked Dillon to have a look at the Dublin goal, but he was crowded out and his snap shot blazed over.
Crucially, Dublin outscored the visitors by 1-04 to 0-01 during the first 26 minutes of the second half to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Brogan reopened the scoring with his first point, then Keaney fisted a Vaughan cross-cum-shot to the Mayo net on 43 minutes – ‘keeper Healy reacted well but he could only touch Keaney's effort onto the post and in.
Andy Moran registered his second point, but Dublin were 3-08 to 0-08 to the good by the hour mark. Quinn chipped in with a ‘45’, Cullen kicked his third point from play and Quinn, after a dazzling spell of possession for the hosts, right-footed over his only point from play.
In between, Mayo lost substitute Aidan Higgins to a 54th-minute red card. The Charlestown clubman had been on the field for just over ninety seconds when an off-the-ball incident saw him dismissed by referee Jimmy McKee.
O'Malley helped save some face with a well-taken goal, six minutes from the end of normal time. He ghosted onto a brilliantly weighed pass by substitute Kevin O'Neill, who plays his club football for Dublin side Na Fianna, and tucked it home under the body of Stephen Cluxton.
Whilst O'Neill did manage two late frees, Dublin still wanted more and they finished the stronger. Midfielder Darren Magee landed a great point from the right flank, Brogan ended an economical run in from the right with a rifled goal finish on 69 minutes, and moments later he curled over another point for a personal haul of 1-02.
That was the lot for the free-scoring Dubs, who will take plenty of positives from tonight for their trip to Kerry on April 9.
Dublin: S Cluxton; P Griffin, B Cahill, D Henry; P Casey, C Goggins, P Andrews; D Magee (0-01), C Whelan; D Lally, T Quinn 2-02 (1-00 pen, 1 ‘45), B Cullen (0-03); M Vaughan, C Keaney (1-02, 2f), Alan Brogan (1-02).
Subs used: S Ryan for Whelan (11 mins), P Burke for Lally (64), D Bastick for Andrews (70).
Mayo: J Healy; L O’Malley, D Heaney, K Higgins; P Kelly, J Nallen, P Gardiner; J Gill, B Moran; A Dillon (0-03, 1f), G Brady, BJ Padden; A Moran (0-02), A O’Malley (1-01), A Durcan (0-02).
Subs used: T Howley for Kelly (45 mins), K O’Neill (0-02, 2f) for Durcan (48), R Hannick for Dillon, A Higgins for B Moran (both 53), P Casey for Brady (64).
