There will be a new All-Ireland football champion this year as defending champions Dublin were defeated by Galway 0-17 to 0-16 in the All-Ireland quarterfinals at Croke Park.
Dublin came out firing as Con O'Callaghan, Paul Mannion and Seán Bugler were among the scorers as Dublin raced to an early four-point lead. Galway were able to keep the gap at four points and not let Dublin extend their lead with some fine scores from Shane Walsh.
Further free kick scores from Cormac Costello meant Dublin went into the break with a 0-11 to 0-07 lead.
The second half was a different story however as a valiant Galway came fighting back as Walsh, player of the match Cillian McDaid and Cian Darcy drew the scores level with just under 10 minutes left.
That left a blockbuster finish as both sides fired in scores before substitute Tomo Culhane became the unlikely hero, scoring what would be the winning point just as the clock ticked past 70 to give Galway their first Championship win over Dublin in 90 years.
Dublin's regrets
It was an atypical performance from Dublin as they've proved themselves ruthless in those vital Championship minutes over the past 13 years but tonight, their execution abandoned them in the final 10 minutes, with the game level.
At throw-in, the big talking point from a Dublin perspective was the frontloading of Dublin's senior star power. While the likes of Jack McCaffrey, James McCarthy and Paul Mannion have been utilised largely as impact subs this season, today Farrell opted to start all three.
Dublin started the much stronger team but Galway slowly had clawed their way back into the game.
Farrell began to empty the bench around the 60th minute but the impact was not decisive.
In his analysis on GAAGO after the game, Michael Murphy identified one vital passage of play in the final minutes that called into question Farrell's strategy with subs.
In the 65th minute, with the game all square, Dublin won a free just outside their own 22, out on the right channel.
It's a relatively straightforward free for a left-footed kicker. It's the kind of free we've seen Paul Mannion convert endless times in his brilliant career. However, Paul Mannion was on the bench. And while Cormac Costello is hugely reliable, he is right footed and the kick was clearly outside his comfort zone.
On GAAGO commentary, Dave McIntyre noted the awkward situation Dublin found themselves in immediately, and his words proved salient.
The free strayed to the right. Galway would score the next two points in the game, and eventually win.
Interestingly, Costello was subbed off a minute or so later for Paddy Small, himself a decent left-footed freetaker.
Murphy said:
The starting team they went with... We were delighted, or at least I was delighted just to see McCaffrey out there, McCarthy out there, and Mannion out there. But when it came to that clutch period in the second half when they were struggling, they didn't have that quality to come in. I think they'll look back on it...there was a free kick on the right hand side. Costello took it. It was in the Mannion pocket. It was a left-footed effort. They just didn't have a left-footed freetaker.
Ultimately, Dessie Farrell felt his side would have a stronger chance of beating Galway by getting more minutes from his more senior players. Hindsight is always going to be 20/20, but the lack of bench impact will likely be a regret for Dublin as they look back on where it went wrong for them today. Someone like Dean Rock was hugely missed.
It will be a difficult post-mortem for Dublin, who finish the season with only the Leinster title to their name. They were rocked by Derry in the League final, middling in Leinster and capable in the round robin. Galway was a difficult match-up for them and now they face a whole lot of uncertainty.
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