Hill 16 may have been lacking it’s famous Dublin flag, but that didn’t seem to be affecting Jim Gavin’s men in the first half.
The Dubs got off to a rip roaring start, with Paul Mannion kicking a fine point from play in the first minute of the game, and that was the trend of the half.
Con O’Callaghan was pulling the strings around the middle of the field, while Dean Rock was as reliable as ever from placed balls.
The Farney Army weren’t doing themselves justice, however, and though defensive tactics can be excused against a side of Dublin’s calibre, they were leaving Jack McCarron as a lone ranger up top, and he simply can’t be blamed for the wides he hit due to a lack of support.
As it turned out, Dublin’s eight point lead on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-3 at half-time was a true reflection of the half.
The 24th minute of the game was a real flash-point, however, when the referee blew his whistle for a free to Monaghan.
The ball made it’s way to Monaghan attacker Conor McManus who, as most players do when the referee blew for a free, went to tap it over the bar anyway.
Dublin corner back Johnny Cooper rushed in, unnecessarily to goad McManus, and the Clontibret club man pushed Cooper with his left arm.
The contact was minimal from the Monaghan corner forward, but Cooper proceeded to make a meal out of it as if he was after getting a serious belt to the head.
In reality, as can be seen here, McManus swung his arm, but it only makes contact with Cooper’s shoulder.
Cooper does hit the ground relatively hard, but that was only because of the apparent unnecessary effort he put into diving towards it.
No need for this reaction.
We don’t want to see this type of thing in our game.
Cooper was the aggressor in this situation, when he ran in to start on McManus, and it seems unfair, then, that the Monaghan man was the only one to receive a yellow card.
