Dublin Boss Micheál Donoghue will have things to work on but will be happy to record first League win
Dublin 0-28
Antrim 2-19
Allianz National Hurling League Division 1B. Round 2
Parnell Park, Dublin
It’s a first League win on the board for new Dublin Senior Hurling manager Micheál Donoghue as Dublin see off Antrim for the second time in 2023. But Antrim pushed the Dubs right to their limits in the second half to run close. The clock eventually ran out leaving Dublin with a three point win.
Dublin held a ten point lead on two occasions in after the half time break and should have coasted over the line comfortably. But two Keelan Molloy goals kept the game hanging in the balance for Antrim leaving things a little more nervy than they should have been for the home team.
In a first half that saw 15 wides and a lot of tunrovers, Dublin hit the first 5 scores on the board. But Antrim soon hit their own purple patch scoring 4 unanswered. Conal Cunning hitting the fourth left only a score between the sides. Dublin got back on top to lead 0-12 to 0-06 with scores from Donal Burke and Fergal Whitely. And by the break they’d added another 0-03 to finish out the half leading 0-15 to 0-08.
Dublin controlled the majority of the second half an by the 50th minutes they were 0-10 clear. Molloy hit the net for his first but Dublin were quick to re-establish their long lead. Antrim registered the last 1-04 of the game without a reponse, but the Dubs had done enough to secure the league win, their first of the campaign.
Scorers for Dublin:
Donal Burke 0-10 (5f)
Chris O’Leary 0-03
Liam Murphy 0-02
Fergal Whitely 0-02
Cian Boland 0-02
Donal Leavy 0-02
Conor Burke 0-02
Conor Donohoe 0-02
Eoghan O’Donnell 0-01
Aidan Mellett 0-01
Darragh Power all 0-01
Scorers for Antrim:
Keelan Molloy 2-01
Conal Cunning 0-06 (2f, 1’65)
Neil McManus 0-05 (2f)
Paddy Burke 0-02
Michael Bradley 0-01
Niall McKenna 0-01
Seaan Elliott 0-01
James McNaughton 0-01
Niall O’Connor all 0-01
Dublin:
Eddie Gibbons
John Bellew
Eoghan O’Donnell
Paddy Doyle
Conor Dohohoe
Conor Burke
Daire Gray
Chris O’Leary
Aidan Mellett
Donal Leavy
Donal Burke
Cian Boland
Fergal Whitely
Liam Murphy
Paul Crummey
Dublin Substitutes:
R Smith for Mellett (Blood Sub 19-22)
D Power for Leavy (Blood Sub 31)
D Sutcliffe for Crummey (46)
A Jamieson Murphy for Whitely (58)
P Smyth for Doyle (60)
D Purcell for Murphy (64)
Antrim:
Ryan Elliott
Paddy Burke
Ryan McGarry
Phelim Duffin
Gerard Walsh
Eoghan Campbell
Conal Bohill
Michael Bradley
Keelan Molloy
Niall McKenna
James McNaughton
Neil McManus
Conal Cunning
Conor Johnston
Seaan Elliott
Antrim Substitutes:
N O’Connor for Duffin (32)
J Maskey for McKenna (47)
P Boyle for McNaughton (57)
R McMullan for Elliott (65)