January 22 – Parnell Park

Then, just as we are feeling good about ourselves, along comes the old enemy. The first day that feels like Spring and them bastards have to ruin it. Parnell Park is full to the brim for the O’Byrne semi-final with Meath. Children are free so the official attendance of around 8,000 is more likely to be 12,000. Certainly it is a long time since there was such a big crowd packed behind the Craobh Ciarain’s end of the pitch, and that people were sent away from the gates.

As in the previous matches, Dublin field an experimental line-up leavened with the experience of Cahill, Goggins and Quinn at strategic points. We note the absence of Alan Brogan and if put to the pin of one’s collar, or asked to put money on it, would fancy the Royals. Mind you, after the two earlier games this team, or at least many of the players on it, are beginning to acquire a familiarity. A player probably knows he has ‘arrived’ when the crowd  starts to call him by his surname. On that basis certainly Kevin Bonner and Denis Bastic have been taken to the collective azure breast.

Sean Boylan is here. Patrick says something about giving him a slap to make up for all the heartbreak that he has caused us over the years. But there is the deference and stolen glances that betokens someone special is among us. Hannibal might have received a similar reception had he wandered into a Roman wine bar in 200 BC.

Meath start better and always look that little bit sharper. They move the ball quicker and get it to where it is needed. Also, they seemed to have discovered a potentially valuable free taker in Peter Curran from Duleek. Curran survives the early trauma of missing a relatively easy free into the Church end – home of the ‘mini-Hill’ - and ends up with a total of nine points, eight of them from frees.

Mind you some of them were from easy enough range but they all have to be put over. Laois referee Maurice Deegan awards Curran with to what seem to us rather dubious chances, but in fairness Dublin benefit too from Deegan’s pernicketyness but are unfortunately not as clinical in taking advantage of them. In general Mossy has a good game, and scores the only goal from the penalty spot. In return he misses some frees that might have made the difference.

Nigel Crawford at midfield is the main play maker for the Royals, despite a good performance from Bastic in the first half. The inexperience of the newer players on both teams is most evident in the manner in which they often appear slow or unsure when in possession. Novice forwards seldom find the sort of room that makes the difference at the highest level. Having said that, Kevin Bonner has proven to be an exception to that over the three games. Against Meath he scores four points, including one excellent effort from just in front of us in the stand into the Church goal. Of the ‘rookies’ he is the one we may expect to see more of.

So the game ends with a victory for the other half of the ‘old firm’. Much to the delight of a fairly sizeable band who have come down for it. As much as we might tell ourselves that’s it’s only the O’Byrne Cup, we know that we would be just as pleased. Anyway, we don’t resent it that much. What we’ve seen over the past fortnight has been encouraging. The likes of Mossy and Brogan and Cahill look sharp, and there is hope for the future.