Conor Whelan stars as Galway beat Dublin to book Leinster final berth against Kilkenny

The Irish Sun

25-05-2025

MICHAEL DONOGHUE says Galway remain a work in progress despite surging through to the Leinster SHC final.
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Conor Whelan starred for Galway in the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship against Dublin at Parnell Park on Sunday
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Galway manager Micheál Donoghue praised their opponents after his side's triumph
The sides were tied at half-time but Galway sped clear from there to leave Dublin as a speck in their rear view mirror.
Captain Conor Whelan was terrific, as was 2017
And Cathal Mannion provided eight more points, all from frees, to bring his provincial takings to a whopping 2-45.
Tom Monaghan and Brian Concannon weighed in with nine points between them also as Galway lorded it in virtually every sector.
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It was Galway's first ever win over Dublin in a Championship game on Dublin soil.
Dublin looked flat and jaded after an epic encounter with Kilkenny a week earlier.
They only really got it going for a couple of minutes in the first-half, when they reeled off 1-3 without reply, and late on when they pinched two consolation goals.
Aside from that it was all Galway who took full advantage of the stiff wind after the break.
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That's four provincial wins on the bounce since their Round 1 defeat to Kilkenny - but it remains to be seen if they really are a better team now.
Boss Donoghue said: "Dublin showed their quality and took their goals really well but we'd be really disappointed with the way we conceded those goals.
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"It just illustrates the work we still have to do with the lads and the inexperience that's still there.
"For us, it's been a really good trajectory over the last couple of weeks and we're glad we're going into a Leinster final.
"It will give less experienced fellas the chance to be involved in a Leinster final, a huge day, and that can only be good for them as they move forward as players.
"Overall, the lads worked hard and prided themselves on that but there's still a lot to learn."
Donoghue was the only manager across the two Division 1 groups in this year's league to hit the 40 mark for players used.
And at times throughout the provincial campaign he's looked like he's still trying to find his favoured fifteen.
He made five more changes for this game after hitting Antrim for 6-27 in Round 4.
Their shape and balance looked good and they were clever with how they got bodies back in the first-half, when Dublin had the strong wind.
Dublin still had scoring opportunities but blasted eight wides, leaving the scores tied at 1-7 to 0-10 at the break.
Dubs boss Niall O Ceallachain reckoned that to stand any chance of winning, they needed to be six or seven clear at that stage.
But the hosts never looked like getting it going despite finishing strongly against Kilkenny the previous weekend.
They fought back from 16 points down at one stage against Kilkenny to trail by just two late on but couldn't carry that momentum into this one.
Captain Chris Crummey pucked a stray pass to a Galway player who set up Concannon for an easy score at one stage in the second-half. It summed up a lot of Dublin's difficulties on the day.
Donoghue said: "The wind was a massive factor. We were happy enough with where we were at half-time, even if we weren't happy with conceding the first goal.
"Then obviously with the strength of the wind in the second-half we could push up on their puck-outs, force them to go long.
"I thought in the first 15 minutes of the second-half we dominated and that was reflected on the scoreboard."
Dublin supporters hoped for a performance like the one in 2019 when they beat Galway at Parnell Park and knocked them out of the Championship.
But, if anything, this was more like the beating Dublin took from Galway in Tullamore in 2017.
Galway won the All-Ireland that year and their captain fantastic David Burke is still going strong.
He blasted three points despite coming back from a career threatening injury just last year.
Boss Donoghue said: "Why wouldn't every young fella love being involved in the county set up when you have role models like David and Daithi Burke, and three or four others.
"So today was a good day but we have a tough one coming around the next time."
All is not lost for Dublin who are still through to a June 14/15 All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Laois or Kildare, in Portlaoise or Newbridge.
Galway 0-29
Dublin 3-15
Galway: D Fahy; P Mannion, F Burke, D Burke; C Fahy 0-2, G Lee, TJ Brennan 0-1; D Burke 0-3, S Linnane 0-1; J Fleming, T Monaghan 0-4, C Whelan 0-3; B Concannon 0-5, C Mannion 0-8, 8f, A Burns 0-1.
Subs: C Cooney 0-1 for Fleming 22-25, blood, J Grealish for Daithi Burke 48, T Killeen for Fleming 60, Cooney for Burns 60, R Glennon for Linnane 70.
Dublin: S Brennan; P Smyth, C McHugh, J Bellew; C Donohoe 0-1, C Crummey 0-1, P Doyle 0-1; C Burke, B Hayes 0-1; R McBride 1-1, C O'Sullivan 0-3, D Power; S Currie 1-6, 1-0pen, 4f, 1 65, J Hetherton, A Jamieson-Murphy 0-1.
Subs: R Hayes for Murphy 46, C Currie for Power 51, D Lucey for Bellew 55, F Whitely for Burke 58, C O Riain 1-0 for Doyle 68-69, blood, O Riain for B Hayes 70.
Ref: C Lyons (Cork).