Bracks roasted by rampant Dunshaughlin

Team in green and gold have no answer to high-flying rivals

Dunshaughlin...4-13

Ballinabrackey..0-5

In the opening minutes of the second-half in this SFC encounter at Trim this evening a large hot air balloon floated serenely over St Loman's Park and off into sunset.

The balloon wasn't the only thing that reached the heights on a tropical evening. Dunshaughlin's performance in this one-sided affair was right up there. Outstanding, impressive, powerful.

Ruairi Kinsella, Tommy Kinsella, Conor Duke and Ciaran McCarrick found the net for the black and ambers but more than the margin of victory it was the Dunshaughlin players attitude that was the most significant aspect of the evening.

This was in effect a meaningless game as far as Richie Kealy's team was concerned. Dunshaughlin were already through to the knock-out phase but you would never think that with the attitude the players brought to the assignment.

They approached the game like it was a county final, an All-Ireland final. They won their opening two games and they were fully fired up to keep the run going. No question of easing up, even a little.

It's that attitude that will ensure Dunshaughlin will be there or thereabouts at the end of the championship.

The word is that Dunshaughlin put in massive efforts into their preparations with in-house games and training sessions augmented by meetings and analysis of all kinds. It shows.

Ballinabrackey have a relegation play-off to worry about and this kind of shellacking will do little for their morale as they scrap for their senior survival. They battled manfully but they simply couldn't live with their opponents' intensity.

Niall Smullen was their chief marksman with two points, both frees. Sean Coffey, Sean Kavanagh and Barry Thompson others who contributed to their meagre tally but everything had to be dug out of rock. Laboured.

By the seventh minute when Ruairi Kinsella took a pass from Conor Duke and fired to the net it was obvious who was going to win. By the 20th minute it was 1-5 to 0-1 and by the interval, 1-9 to 0-2.

The attitude of the players was reflected in the calls coming from the Dunshauglin bench - "Hold the shape," "Attack the space" "Don't let up," "Keep it going." There's always room to improve was the message.

Dunshaughlin do the simple thing better than most with a speed and craft that is hard to deal with.

The pick of the goals was arguably the third when Mathew Costello and Tommy Kinsella waltzed their way through the Ballinabrackey defence exchanging passes with the latter firing to the net. Brilliant.

Ruairi Kinsella hit 1-5, two frees. Aaron Murphy capped a tour de force display with three fine points while Duke finished with 1-2.

They were the main score-getters in a Dunshaughlin display that really hit the heights.

Dunshaughlin - Tim O'Sullivan; Niall Byrne, Darryll McKenna, Fursey Blake (0-1); Ciaran McCarrick (1-0), Jared Rushe, Adam Kealy; Charlie O'Connor (0-1), Conor Grey; David Fildes, Conor Duke (1-2 frees), Ben Duggan; Aaron Murphy (0-3), Mathew Costello (0-1), Ruairi Kinsellla 1-5 two frees). Subs - John McDonagh for McKenna, Alastar Doyle for R Kinsella both 35m, Tommy Kinsella (1-0) for Blake 41m, Neil Byrne for Duggan 43m, Ryan Robinson for Costello 51m.

Ballinabrackey - Dean Pluck; Conor Ennis, Chris O'Connor, Adam O'Brien; Mark Coffey, Nicky Judge, Sean Fitzpatrick; Damien Carroll, Sean Coffey (0-1); Niall Smullen (0-2 frees), David Carroll, Michael Kearney; Seamus Curry, Aidan Fitzpatrick, Sean Kavanagh (0-1). Subs - Barry Thompson (0-1) for Curry 35m, Simon Finn for O'Brien 40m, Ben Monahan for Kearney 50m, Adam Dockery for Ennis 55m.

Referee- Derek Ryan (Na Fianna).