Dublin 2-19 Louth 0-12 - LMFC Final, Croke Park
Dublin won their first Leinster Minor Football Championship since 2014 on Sunday as they defeated Louth by 2-19 to 0-12 at Croke Park. The Dubs did much of the damage inside the opening ten minutes, as goals from James Madden and James Doran put clear daylight between the sides early on.
It was the Ballyboden show inside the opening six and half minutes as points from Ross McGarry, around a superb point from John Gallagher for Louth, were followed up by Madden's goal.
When Dublin got the next score, and again it was a three pointer, this time for Doran, the writing was on the wall for the Wee County.
Dublin were nearly in for another goal shortly afterwards, but Alan McGauley put his body on the line to save from Madden, and the Louth keeper required treatment thereafter. He would later be taken off, but another McGarry point had Dublin eight points clear with ten minutes on the clock.
But Wayne Kierans's side then settled, and two frees from Ciarán Keenan, were followed up by a fine Fearghal Malone point from play to close the gap to five.
Crucially though, Louth didn't push on from there. When David Lacey kicked a forty-five for The Metropolitans, and this was followed up by a Kieran Kennedy point from play, the underdog's momentum was broken. Lacey slotted over his own from play as the half entered its final five minutes, and Dublin were seven clear at that point.
The first Dubs point by a player not playing club football for Ballyboden or Na Fianna, came in the twenty-sixth minute, as Seán Hawkshaw fisted over. The Naomh Mearnóg kicked his second point moments later.
The Boys in Blue took a twelve point lead into the break, after Eoin O'Dea got on the scoresheet, and Lacey added points from play and a placed ball.
The second-half started in the complete opposite style to the first. O'Dea and Daniel Brennan for Dublin, and Gallagher, from placed balls, traded points. Brennan showed great strength and composure to finish from thirty yards.
Mark Tracey became the ninth different Dublin scorer, but the edge was long gone as the game entered its final ten minutes. Adam Byrne from Naomh Olaf scored a beaut for the Blues to extend the lead to thirteen with just over five minutes left on the clock.
And so the final Leinster Minor title goes the way of the Boys in Blue, a thirty-third title at the grade.
It was the Ballyboden show inside the opening six and half minutes as points from Ross McGarry, around a superb point from John Gallagher for Louth, were followed up by Madden's goal.
When Dublin got the next score, and again it was a three pointer, this time for Doran, the writing was on the wall for the Wee County.
Dublin were nearly in for another goal shortly afterwards, but Alan McGauley put his body on the line to save from Madden, and the Louth keeper required treatment thereafter. He would later be taken off, but another McGarry point had Dublin eight points clear with ten minutes on the clock.
But Wayne Kierans's side then settled, and two frees from Ciarán Keenan, were followed up by a fine Fearghal Malone point from play to close the gap to five.
Crucially though, Louth didn't push on from there. When David Lacey kicked a forty-five for The Metropolitans, and this was followed up by a Kieran Kennedy point from play, the underdog's momentum was broken. Lacey slotted over his own from play as the half entered its final five minutes, and Dublin were seven clear at that point.
The first Dubs point by a player not playing club football for Ballyboden or Na Fianna, came in the twenty-sixth minute, as Seán Hawkshaw fisted over. The Naomh Mearnóg kicked his second point moments later.
The Boys in Blue took a twelve point lead into the break, after Eoin O'Dea got on the scoresheet, and Lacey added points from play and a placed ball.
The second-half started in the complete opposite style to the first. O'Dea and Daniel Brennan for Dublin, and Gallagher, from placed balls, traded points. Brennan showed great strength and composure to finish from thirty yards.
Mark Tracey became the ninth different Dublin scorer, but the edge was long gone as the game entered its final ten minutes. Adam Byrne from Naomh Olaf scored a beaut for the Blues to extend the lead to thirteen with just over five minutes left on the clock.
And so the final Leinster Minor title goes the way of the Boys in Blue, a thirty-third title at the grade.
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