Powerful Galway beat Dublin by 1-21 to 1-12 in today's Croke Park curtain-raiser.

Minor specialists Galway fielded a skilful and physical team, and had outstanding displays from captain Shane Maloney (1-9), Padraig Mannion and Padraig Brehony as they won at ease to collect the Irish Press Cup once more.

Winning manager Mattie Murphy has now led the westerners to six All-Irelands at this level, his first success coming in 1992.

A combination of nerves, difficult underfoot conditions and a swirling breeze conspired to make things very awkward for the players in the first half. After an even start, the visitors took control of proceedings in the second quarter to pull away with five successive points to lead by six at the interval, 0-10 to 0-4.

There was nothing to separate the sides inside the opening quarter, with six points shared. But, worryingly for Dublin manager Shay Boland, his charges had needed eight chances to get their three points, while the Tribesmen pointed three times from five attempts. Galway would 'win' the second quarter by seven points to one…

Captain Shane Maloney's pointed free made it 0-4 to 0-3 in favour of the westerners after 16 minutes.

At the other end, Dublin were unlucky when full forward Aodhán Clabby struck an upright before the influential Maloney doubled Galway's advantage with a point from play.

Colm Cronin had fired the Dubs into a first-minute lead before Maloney levelled. Cronin and Jonathan Glynn swapped points (as did Adrian Tuohy and Ciaran Kilkenny) as neither side managed to seize the initiative inside the first quarter.

Paul Winters' routine free ended a thirteen-minute scoreless run for the Leinster champions, making it 0-4 to 0-5, and Galway goalie Shane Mannion then did well to deal with an under-hit Winters effort that dropped in dangerously around his square.

Jason Quinn struck a lovely point from play on the run to re-establish Mattie Murphy's team's two-point cushion, 0-6 to 0-4 with six minutes left in the first half. Ninety seconds later, Maloney popped over his fourth point of the day - his second from play - to put a bit of daylight between the teams.

Flynn fired over the next Galway point following an excellent Padraig Brehony pass but Cormac Ryan dealt well with Billy Lane's effort, which dropped in around the crossbar. Maloney (free) notched the fourth consecutive Galway point and then missed a simple free from in front of the posts. But midfielder Dean Higgins added to the Galway tally with an injury-time point from play.

Galway were very much in the boss seat at the short whistle…

Clabby gave Dublin an ideal start to the second half with a super point from play inside 20 seconds but Maloney replied quickly with a pointed free - his sixth score of the final. We then saw a flurry of poor misses at both ends as the wides tally rose to seven apiece.

Galway full back Paul Killeen was having an excellent afternoon but he was powerless to prevent wing back Matthew McCaffrey from stealing forward to knock over Dublin's sixth point. But Maloney made it double scores: 0-12 to 0-6.

A soft free culminated in Maloney's eighth point: 0-13 to 0-6 after 38 minutes. Kilkenny replied with an exceptional Dublin point from the left wing but it was all to no avail as midfielder Brehony eased through to add to the winners' tally, making it double scores again.

Maloney arrowed over another facile free and Gerard O'Donoghue made it a nine-point game in the 43rd minute. A Winters '65' gave the Leinster champions slight hope but barely raised a cheer as they trailed by eight coming up to the three-quarters mark.

Winters (free) closed the gap further but time was very much against the hosts with just twelve minutes left. Dublin needed a goal but the Galway full-back line - led by Padraig Mannion - was in scintillating form. At the other end, full forward Jack Carr landed a point from distance to make it 0-17 to 0-9.

Cormac Costello - Dublin's semi-final hero - reduced the arrears to seven after 51 minutes. But Brehony pointed again from an acute angle and Flynn added another within seconds to leave the score at 0-19 to 0-10 with five minutes to go.

Substitute Darragh Dolan added to the winners' tally after Dublin pointed a central free. Kilkenny pulled back a consolation free two minutes from time, but the brilliant Brehony - in his third year as a county minor - replied with his fourth point of the match.

Eight minutes from the end, the game's outstanding performer - Maloney - collected a pass from Brehony and drilled a scorching shot from distance to the roof of the net, 1-21 to 0-12.

Kilkenny fired a low shot to the back of the Galway net three minutes into injury time, but it was too late and Galway were convincing winners on the day.

Galway - S Mannion, C Diviney, P Killeen, P Mannion; A Tuohy (0-1), S Sweeney, J Hanbury, P Brehony (0-4), D Higgins (0-1), J Flynn (0-3), J Glynn, B Lane, G O'Donoghue (0-1), J Carr (0-1), S Maloney (1-9, 6f). Subs - M Mullan for Hanbury, K Cullinane for Higgins, D Dolan (0-1) for O'Donoghue, P Flaherty for Carr.

Dublin - C Ryan, E Lowndes, C O'Callaghan, S McClelland; C Crummey, J Desmond, M McCaffrey (0-1), C Cronin (0-2), G Whelan, E Ó Conghaile, C McHugh, C Kilkenny (1-3, 1-1f), C Costello (0-1), A Clabby (0-2, 1f), P Winters (0-3, 2f, 1 '65). Subs - D Gormley for Desmond, O O'Rourke for McHugh, C Boland for Winters.

Ref - J Ryan (Tipperary). Tweet

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