A hat-trick of goals from Con O'Callaghan ensured a comfortable and, perhaps, significant win for Dublin over Kerry, not only in the hunt for Division One League honours, but also, maybe, as a marker for a possible summer meeting.
Two goals from O’Callaghan in the first half – the second from the penalty spot – helped Dublin to a nine-point half time lead, 2-11 to 0-08, and while Kerry rallied in the third quarter to cut the gap to three points, Dublin never looked rattled. Indeed, the home side finished the game much the stronger side, with O’Callaghan’s third goal sealing a confident win for Dessie Farrell’s team.
Kerry haven’t beaten Dublin in a league game in Croke Park since 2012, and this defeat will rank among one of the worst in that time, with Jack O’Connor having plenty to ponder ahead of next week’s visit of Tyrone to Killarney.
Dublin are away to Derry where they will surely get a tougher test than they did from a Kerry team that, as O’Connor said more than once in his post-match comments, had "malfunctioned".
Dublin were ahead inside a minute through Sean Bugler's point, with Ross McGarry doubling their lead soon after, and they never really looked in danger thereafter.
In the fifth minute Brian Fenton slipped O’Callaghan through at the Canal End with the Cuala man rounding Shane Ryan and striking to the net to put Dublin 1-2 to 0-1 ahead.
Kerry rallied, with David Clifford winning a free for O’Shea to convert, but then Clifford was put through on goal but blasted over the bar when he clearly had a goal in mind. It would be that kind of night for the Kingdom.
O’Callaghan converted a free, Dylan Geaney replied for Kerry, and Paddy Small floated over another to make it 1-04 to 0-04, with Dublin threatening to score every time they attacked.
When Dylan Casey pulled Paddy Small down on the edge of the square, Dublin had a penalty, which O’Callaghan drilled past Ryan for his second goal to put Dublin six ahead, a lead that quickly became eight with points from Ciaran Kilkenny and O’Callaghan.
O’Callaghan almost grabbed a third goal but for a fine save from Ryan but Dublin were still full value for their 2-11 to 0-08 half-time lead, with Kerry all at sea in almost every duel.
Two early frees from Sean O’Shea and a brilliantly taken Joe O’Connor goal in the 43rd minute gave Kerry hope, and when O’Shea converted a '45’ in the 50th minute the lead was down to three, 2-13 to 1-13.
Dublin rattled a little but never rocked, they steadied themselves with scores from Lee Gannon and O’Callaghan to extend their lead back to five, and with Kerry running out of energy and ideas O’Callaghan struck for his third goal to secure an emphatic win for a Dublin team now level with Kerry and Mayo on four points.
Dublin: D O’Hanlon; S MacMahon, T Clancy, E Murchan; C Murphy, J Small, L Gannon 0-01; B Fenton 0-01, P Ó Cofaigh Byrne; R McGarry 0-01, S Bugler 0-03, C Kilkenny 0-03 (1m); P Small 0-03, C O’Callaghan 3-04 (1-00 pen, 0-02f), N Scully 0-01.
Subs: T Lahiff 0-01 (0-01m) for Ó Cofaigh Byrne (46), B Howard for MacMahon (53), L O’Dell for McGarry (57), G McEneaney for Murchan (59), Daire Newcombe for J Small (temp, 70-ft), Killian McGinnis for T Clancy (71)
Kerry: Shane Ryan, Graham O’Sullivan, Jason Foley 0-01, Dylan Casey, Damien Bourke, Tadhg Morley, Gavin White 0-01, Diarmuid O’Connor, Joe O’Connor 1-01, Paudie Clifford, Dylan Geaney 0-01, Cillian Burke 0-01, David Clifford 0-03 (1f), Seán O’Shea 0-06 (0-02f, 1 ‘45’), Dara Moynihan
Subs: Paul Murphy for D Bourke (ht), Tony Brosnan for D Geaney (50), Keith Evans for Burke (57), Barry ‘Dan’ O’Sullivan for J O’Connor (59), Sean O’Brien for D Moynihan (64).
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
