Allianz Hurling League Division One, Group B
Dublin 0-28  Antrim 2-19

AS Neil McManus headed for the Antrim dressing room after the Saffrons had almost completed the most unlikely of comebacks at Parnell Park on Sunday, he muttered "Groundhog Day" with a sigh.

Yet again, Antrim got close, but not close enough, to a big League win, but they had just given themselves too much to do after underperforming for the majority of this game.

With 65 minutes played, the Dubs had a 10-point lead and were full value for that having been much the better side, but Keelan Molloy's second goal of the afternoon suddenly sparked Antrim to life and they rattled off four points straight after to leave them a goal adrift, but they ran out of time with momentum and energy coursing through them.

Indeed, had they taken some opportunities for points in this spell, they could have come away with a draw but this was perhaps a feature of their afternoon with 16 wides and half a dozen shots dropped short, while the crossbar and goalkeeper Eddie Gibbons also prevented earlier Antrim goals. 

In truth, Dublin were also just as wasteful on the day with 15 shots outside the posts and numerous balls short, but they had been much better in terms of creating scoring opportunities and ultimately had put enough on the board to escape with the win.

This was yet another Jekyll and Hyde display from Darren Gleeson's charges and although they showed plenty of spirit to almost rescue the situation, he wasn't glossing over what gone before.

"It would be the easy out to focus on the last 20 minutes, but what happened in the preceding 50 wasn't up to what we were looking for," he said.

"No real intensity, didn't lay a glove on them physically in the middle section of the field. Dublin dictated that middle area of the field and we made a few changes: Conall (Bohill) out to the middle of the field; Paul Boyle brought some great energy in there and Joe (Maskey) was a bit of a focal point after that but prior to that was disappointing.

"The heart part at the end was good with the guys showing a bit of pride, but the scoreboard is all that matters."

Antrim had a couple of chances, but a pair of Conal Cunning frees went past the posts as they struggled to make any headway in attack.

The surface was tricky for both sides, but things weren't sticking at all for the Saffrons until a nice move resulted in a Cunning point from play to get them on the board after 11 minutes and while Chris O'Leary replied immediately, the Saffrons began to enjoy a decent spell.

They hit four on the spin through Michael Bradley, James McNaughton, Niall McKenna and Cunning to get to within one, but they failed to press home their advantage with a couple of opportunities missed.

Dublin had gone 12 minutes without a score until Burke fired over out on the left and this opened a spell where Dublin out-scored Antrim by six to one, pushing the gap out to six.

Antrim seemed to have put themselves in a good position at the break with Paddy Burke initiating a move from the back and continuing his run to finish with Cunning adding another, but the hosts would finish the half better with Conor Burke landing from range and his brother Donal converting a pair of frees to leave Dublin 0-15 to 0-8 ahead.

James McNaughton is challenged by Conor Burke
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James McNaughton is challenged by Conor Burke

Although Cunning pointed an early free for Antrim after the break, the hosts would score six of the next eight points to push them 10 clear on 46 minutes.

Antrim were already needing goals but first, Neil McManus was denied by a brilliant Gibbons save after plucking Seaan Elliott's line ball for the sky, and then a minute later, the crossbar saved Dublin and denied McManus's rasping shot.

Cunning did point a 65 and the goal would finally come on 51 minutes as Conor Johnston put Keelan Molloy in to score after forcing a turnover, but Dublin wiped this out with the next three points in quick succession through Darragh Power, Liam Murphy and Adrian Mellett.

They would maintain this gap with Burke the focal point, although they did have 11 different scorers on the day and leading 0-28 to 1-15 with 65 minutes gone, it appeared that was that as another goal chance had gone for Antrim with Conall Bohiill bursting in from the right, but the angle was too tight as his shot flashed across the face of goal.

It appeared this game was petering out, but then the route-one approach paid off with Joe Maskey making a nuisance of himself on the edge of the square and the ball broke for Cunning to play Molloy in for his second.

Suddenly, there seems an energy about Antrim that was absent for too much of this game as Paddy Burke floated over and McManus converted a pair of frees.

Molloy then split the posts to leave just a goal in it, but in this time, there had been shots for points rushed and missed that could have left the Saffrons not needing another goal, but with one last throw of the dice, Gerard Walsh sent in a Hail Mary, but the ball carried out and to the right as Dublin survived and Antrim were left to rue another near miss.

Gerard Walsh tries to get to grips with Fergal Whitely
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Gerard Walsh tries to get to grips with Fergal Whitely

"You can't play at this level with six or seven balls short to the goalkeeper - it's like giving it to a quarterback now," Gleeson reflected on his side's wastefulness. 

"He feeds it out and we're on the back foot straight away as we're out of shape. 

"The consistency throughout the game and teams dictating the shape against us instead of us dictating the shape on teams. We'll look at it and see what we can do. It's not for the want of trying.

"We're digging into it all the time, but we just have to stay at it. It's an area we really need to pick up on and what happens where we get big scores in a game.

"We got a goal that tighten in and put the nerves on there, bringing it back to six but then give away the next two points. Straight away their number 12 is standing on his own. It's reset mentality, but playing at the highest level you have to learn quick."

DUBLIN: E Gibbons; J Bellew, E O'Donnell (0-1), P Doyle; C Donohoe (0-2), C Burke (0-2), D Gray; C O'Leary (0-3), A Mellett (0-1); D Leavy (0-2), D Burke (0-10, 5 frees), C Boland (0-2); F Whitely (0-2), L Murphy (0-2), P Crummey.
Subs: D Power (0-1) for D Leavy (31), D Sutcliffe for P Crummey (45), A Jameson-Murphy for F Whitely (58), P Smyth for P Doyle (60), D Purcell for L Murphy (64)

ANTRIM: R Elliott; P Burke (0-2); R McGarry, P Duffin; G Walsh, E Campbell, C Bohill; M Bradley (0-1), K Molloy (2-1); N McKenna (0-1), J McNaughton (0-1), N McManus (0-5, 2 frees); C Cunning (0-6, 2 frees, 1 65), C Johnston, S Elliott (0-1)
Subs: N O'Connor (0-1) for P Duffin (32), J Maskey for N McKenna (47), P Boyle for J McNaughton (58), R McMullan for S Elliott (65)

REFEREE: Colm Lyons (Cork)