Senior hurlers Leinster hopes shattered by rampant Tribe

GALWAY 5-19 DUBLIN 1-18

A day to forget for Dublin hurling as they were comprehensively outplayed in this Leinster SHC quarter-final replay at O'Connor Park, Tullamore on Saturday.

The damage was suffered in the opening half, opening ten minutes in particular as the Tribesmen destroyed Dublin to lead by 18 points at one stage of the opening period.

The margin was 15 points at the break after Dublin had missed two first half penalties.

After trailing by 15 points at the half-time interval and distant hopes the Dubs had of making a miraculous comeback were decimated by two Joe Canning goals within eight minutes of the restart to move 5-13 to 0-9 clear by the 43rd minute.

Dublin did battle to the end picking off a succession of scores with subs Paul Ryan and Eamonn Dillion contributing well to the scoresheet but it was a game that had already escaped Dublin's grasp.

Dublin's sole goal came five minutes from time when Dillon blasted to the net having been picked out with a quick Ryan free. The Dubs almost added a second in injury time but both Cian Boland and Liam Rushe were denied.

Dublin must regroup for the qualifiers while Galway progress to the provincial semi-final having recorded their first ever SHC victory over Dublin.

The opening half began poorly for Dublin and got worse. Ger Cunningham's men trailed by 3-10 to 0-4 at the break.

In little over ten minutes Galway, back by the massive wind, were 3-5 to 0-1 to the good courtesy of Cathal Mannion's blitzkrieg hat-trick.

In the opening minute Cathal Mannion wrong-footed Paul Schutte before unleashing a low drive to the net.

Four minutes later Mannion again found the bottom corner of Alan Nolan's net with Schutte slipping for a second occasion.

To rub salt in the Dublin wounds David Treacy blazed a seventh minute penalty wide, the first of two first half penalties squandered.

In the 11th minute Mannion completed his hat-trick in the most bizarre of circumstances when Colm Callanan's puckout travelled almost the entire length of O'Connor Park with the Galway forward ghosting in behind the Dublin defence to flick the sliotar over the advancing Nolan.

By the 18th minute the Tribesmen had extended their advantage to 3-10 to 0-1, a massive 18 points, before Dublin began to get some sort of a foothold in the game with points from Treacy (two, one free) and Darragh O'Connell.

In the final action of the opening half Dublin were awarded their second penalty by ref Diarmuid Gavin, but Paul Ryan, brought on to take the penalty, had his effort superbly saved by Callanan for a '65' which the Ballyboden St Enda's man converted.

SCORERS - Galway: C Mannion 3-3, J Canning 2-3, J Flynn 0-9 (0-7f), A Smith, C Donnellan, A Harte, P Brehony 0-1 each. Dublin: P Ryan 0-7 (0-3 '65', 0-3f), E Dillon 1-1, D O'Connell, D Treacy (0-1f) 0-2 each, D Sutcliffe, S Lambert (0-1f), R O'Dwyer, M Schutte, C Boland, L Rushe 0-1 each.

GALWAY: C Callanan; J Coen, J Hanbury, P Mannion; D Collins, I Tannian, Daithi Burke; J Cooney, A Harte; A Smith, C Donnellan, J Glynn; C Mannion, J Canning, J Flynn. Subs: David Burke for Cooney (45), P Brehony for Donnellan (46), F Moore for Mannion (58), G Lally for Coen (58), D Glennon for Smith (65).

DUBLIN: A Nolan; C O’Callaghan, M Carton, P Schutte; C Crummey, S Lambert, C Keaney; S Durkin, D O’Connell; R O’Dwyer, L Rushe, D Sutcliffe; M Schutte, D Treacy, D O’Callaghan. Subs: P Ryan for Treacy (35), E Dillon for O’Callaghan (36), C Boland for O’Dwyer (51), J McCaffrey for Carton (53), C Dooley for Ryan (69).

REF: B Gavin (Offaly).