Allianz Football League Division One

Dublin 2-19 (2-1-17) Galway 2-13 (2-1-11)

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

Sean Bugler capped his return to the Dublin team with a brace of goals to keep the Sky Blues well on course for an Allianz Football League final place.

Remarkably, the in-form attacker was named Man of the Match for the fourth time this season having been brought back into the team after missing the defeat to Armagh with a calf injury.

The comeback that raised the biggest cheer among Dublin supporters in the 17,476 crowd, however, was goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton’s.

The veteran, who made his Dublin debut 24 years ago, hadn’t played for his county since last June’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to the Tribesmen, a result that spelled Dublin’s earliest exit from the Championship since 2009.

So getting one over on the westerners will have felt particularly sweet for Cluxton and all concerned.

Cormac Costello’s five-point haul was significant too while Luke Breathnach and Con O’Callaghan split eight points evenly between them.

Galway arrived in Dublin as the only team in the top three divisions with an unbeaten record but that is gone now.

They did at least get to welcome back Damien Comer who came on for the first time this year and struck 1-2, lending his power and ability to a second-half fightback that got Galway back within two points early in the final quarter.

Dublin ultimately had too much scoring ability for the 2024 All-Ireland finalists and will be guaranteed a final place if they beat Tyrone in Omagh next weekend. Galway are still very much in the title hunt too and will host Kerry in Salthill next weekend.

Dublin kept the Cluxton comeback well under wraps with the 43-year-old not named among the 26-man squad but able to slot in at the 11th hour due to the apparent unavailability of Evan Comerford.

This season’s new directive that all kick-outs must travel beyond the 40m arc placed a fresh microscope on his distribution skills.

It was a mixed bag for the Parnells stopper who struggled for a spell late in the first-half as Galway fought back after a slow start.

Matthew Thompson, making his full NFL debut for Galway, kicked a score after a turnover on Cluxton’s 26th minute kick-out. Cluxton then went short with the subsequent kick-out only for a Galway player to intercept, the move ending with Thompson getting another point attempt away. This time Hawk-Eye intervened to save Dublin.

Earlier in the half, an errant Cluxton kick ended with a Galway goal chance but the hosts escaped on that occasion too.

Still, no goalkeeper is going to have anything like a 100% record on kick-outs this season with so many going long to 50-50 contests.

And Dublin made enough use of the possession they did win to hit the interval break with a commanding 1-10 to 0-6 lead.

Bugler’s return was one of five changes to the Dublin team from the eight-point Round 5 loss to Armagh.

His first goal came in the 12th minute to put Dublin 1-3 to 0-2 ahead, providing a platform for the joint 2021 league winners to push on.

Ross McGarry, making his seasonal return to the team, was terrific up front initially, helping to set up points for Cormac Costello, Luke Breathnach and Niall Scully.

McGarry pinched a score for himself too while Con O’Callaghan closed out the half for Dublin with two points.

Rob Finnerty started well for Galway, scoring from play and a free, but palmed wide when Shane Walsh placed him for an open goal in the seventh minute and later struck two wides and dropped two short. He was whipped off in the 32nd minute and Walsh, who surprisingly dropped a 30m free short at one stage, was also replaced at half-time.

Walsh, remarkably, came into the game with 15 two-pointers to his credit but he couldn’t add another and Galway only scored one all evening, from Daniel O’Flaherty in the third quarter.

Galway did benefit from the new advanced mark rule though, Matthew Tierney having a shot cleared off the line by Greg McEneaney before play was brought back for the Galway attacker to clip a point.

An already entertaining contest took a turn for the extraordinary between the 47th and 53rd minutes.

Bugler began the dramatic few minutes with his and Dublin’s second goal, blasting to the net after playing a clever 1-2 with Tom Lahiff.

Leading 2-13 to 0-9, Dublin looked virtually home and hosed but Comer’s introduction had an immediate impact for Galway. Already energised by O’Flaherty’s two-pointer, Galway then worked a ball in to Comer who secured an advanced mark though the ball ended up in the net from the move, when John Maher’s shot was deflected in off Dublin full-back Theo Clancy.

Comer then netted himself in the 53rd minute, capitalising on great work by Cillian O Curraoin and Cillian McDaid. Comer’s rocket shot almost took the net off the pegs and suddenly Dublin led by just 2-13 to 2-11.

Comer kept the gas down and fired over two more points late on, one from an advanced mark, but Dublin couldn’t be caught. Four Dublin points in a row from Costello, Killian McGinnis, McGarry and Cian Murphy between the 55th and 60th minutes ultimately gave them a vital cushion to see it out.

Scorers for Dublin: Sean Bugler 2-0, Cormac Costello 0-5 (2fs, 1 45), Luke Breathnach 0-4 (1 tp), Con O’Callaghan 0-4, Ross McGarry 0-2, Niall Scully 0-1, Killian McGinnis 0-1, Cian Murphy 0-1, Lorcan O’Dell 0-1.

Scorers for Galway: Damien Comer 1-2 (1m), John Maher 1-0, Rob Finnerty 0-2 (1f), Daniel O’Flaherty 0-2 (tp), Matthew Tierney 0-2 (0-1m), Matthew Thompson 0-1, Dylan McHugh 0-1, Cein Darcy 0-1, Liam O Conghaile 0-1, Cillian McDaid 0-1.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; David Byrne, Theo Clancy, Conor Tyrrell; Brian Howard, Sean MacMahon, Cian Murphy; Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Tom Lahiff; Niall Scully, Con O’Callaghan, Sean Bugler; Ross McGarry, Luke Breathnach, Cormac Costello.

Subs: Killian McGinnis for O Cofaigh Byrne 43, James Maddenfor Scully 54, Lorcan O’Dell for Breathnach 54, Kevin Lahiff for McGarry 62, Davy Keogh for Costello 68.

Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Sean Fitzgerald, Daniel O’Flaherty; Dylan McHugh, Liam Silke, Sean Kelly; Paul Conroy, John Maher; Matthew Tierney, Cillian McDaid, Cein Darcy; Rob Finnerty, Shane Walsh, Matthew Thompson.

Subs: Liam O Conghaile for Finnerty 32, Cillian O Curraoin for Walsh h/t, Jack Glynn for McHugh 40, Damien Comer for Conroy 46, Sam O’Neill for Fitzgerald 58.

Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).