Galway<\/a> defenders at that stage as they struggled to withstand a Dublin onslaught in the closing stages of this All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.<\/p>\nIn the last 15 minutes, Dublin outscored Galway 1-8 to 0-1. When John Maher bundled home Galway\u2019s goal in the 55th minute to put them six points ahead, it appeared the contest had swung decisively in the Tribesmen\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n
But they managed just a single point thereafter and the game\u2019s decisive moment would actually arrive on the hour mark.<\/p>\n
Dublin had responded positively to the Galway goal with points by Con O\u2019Callaghan (2) and Paddy Small reducing the deficit but the Tribesmen still led by three when Scully arrowed a pass to Colm Basquel, sending him goalwards.<\/p>\n
As he tried to sidestep Liam Silke, the Galway defender dragged Basquel down just outside the 20-metre line, denying a goalscoring chance. Black card. Penalty. Double whammy \u2013 a punch to the guts for Galway followed by an uppercut to the jaw.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Callaghan smacked his effort to Connor Gleeson\u2019s left and while the Galway goalkeeper got a hand to it, the ball spun over the goal-line. Level. And Dublin would have a numerical advantage for the remainder of the game.<\/p>\n
Shane Walsh, who had been held scoreless by Se\u00e1n MacMahon until the Dublin defender was forced off injured, popped over his only score of the match in the 64th minute to edge Galway back in front. But that was to be their lot.<\/p>\n
Scully, whose first two shots of the afternoon had sailed wide, blazed over a two-pointer moments later to put Dublin ahead again for the first time since half-time. And then the surge.<\/p>\n
Basquel adds a point. At the other end of the pitch, Davy Byrne makes a great dispossession. Scully races forward again and gets fouled, his arms outstretched in celebration at the free. O\u2019Callaghan pops it over.<\/p>\n
![\"Con](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DRV35H5XVUWLRSRVKKSTULEQSE.jpg\")
Con O\u2019Callaghan of Dublin in action against Liam Silke of Galway. Photograph: James Lawlor\/Inpho <\/p>\n
Peadar \u00d3 Cofaigh Byrne soars skyward and fetches the resulting kickout \u2013 the entire momentum of the game is with Dublin. Galway are all at sea. Newcomer Se\u00e1n Guiden ices the game with a point in the dying seconds to put Dublin four ahead. The Hill is singing and swaying. Like the rare auld times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge as a new management and a new squad is to find that blend between the experience and skill-set of the more experienced guys and blending that with the youthfulness, energetic freedom that comes with being a new guy into the panel,\u201d said Ger Brennan afterwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought all the fellas we brought in today, again, they really put in a huge shift. But again, I have to just acknowledge the work of the whole panel.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Galway, it is the latest season that ends with a massive amount of unfulfillment.<\/p>\n
Their inability to get hands on the ball from kickouts, especially in the first half, was a significant factor in the flow of the game.<\/p>\n
Overall, Dublin won 17 of their 23 kickouts while Galway won just 15 of their 31 restarts.<\/p>\n
P\u00e1draic Joyce cut a frustrated figure at the final whistle and speaking afterwards he argued some big decisions had gone against his side.<\/p>\n
In particular, he was annoyed at the decision in the 65th minute when advantage was being played for a foul outside the large arc. The advantage play ended when Maher had been stopped inside the Dublin square. Galway had to take the free from where the initial infraction had been awarded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an advantage on a two-pointer that John Maher catches inside the big square,\u201d said Joyce.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is clearly pulled to the ground from what I can see, and the free is not given because the referee told the linesman that it wasn\u2019t a foul, so go back to the two-point free.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot taking away from what Dublin did at the end there. We can put a bit of blame on ourselves to score only once when we were six up and lose by four.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Galway's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GTNVTOO7KSSAKMZTQBSPM7D2KU.jpg\")
Galway’s Shane Walsh evades Dublin’s S\u00e9an MacMahon. Photograph: James Crombie\/Inpho <\/p>\n
Dublin were boosted at the start of the game by the availability of Con O\u2019Callaghan and despite pulling up with a hamstring strain last weekend, the team captain led by example all afternoon.<\/p>\n
The Dubs used him as a direct target inside and his physical presence and directness caused panic in the Galway rearguard throughout. O\u2019Callaghan finished the game with 1-5.<\/p>\n
\u201cCon is a warrior,\u201d said Brennan. One of many in blue here.<\/p>\n
Se\u00e1n Kelly did not start for Galway because of a shoulder injury and the opening stages of the game ebbed and flowed like a pair of chess players trying to figure out where the weak points were in the opposition\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n
It was clear early on that Galway were struggling in the kickout department and they lost ten of their own restarts in the first half. Dublin led 0-14 to 0-13 at the turnaround.<\/p>\n
Galway did get a handle on the middle third in the second half where Cein D\u2019Arcy got through a mountain of work and Finnian \u00d3 Laoi was excellent on breaks.<\/p>\n
They brought more intensity and energy in the third quarter and when Maher goaled in the 55th minute it put them 1-20 to 0-17 ahead.<\/p>\n
But Dublin\u2019s the game, and the season, turned in the fourth quarter. Dublin managed the extra man superbly, Ciar\u00e1n Kilkenny orchestrating controlled passages of possession and up top Scully, O\u2019Callaghan and Basquel making hay in the extra space.<\/p>\n
At the end of his press conference, a smiling Brennan joked that perhaps Dublin\u2019s All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry could be played in Parnell Park. In some ways, it\u2019s hard to comprehend the trajectory of their form over the last fortnight.<\/p>\n
But it was Scully\u2019s reaction to the late free, his arms outstretched at the altar of the believers upon the Hill, that captured the story of their season.<\/p>\n
Christ, the redemption of Dublin football continues.<\/p>\n
Dublin: Evan Comerford; Se\u00e1n MacMahon, Eoin Kennedy (0-0-1), David Byrne; Lee Gannon, Theo Clancy, Charlie McMorrow; Peadar \u00d3 Cofaigh Byrne, Brian Howard; Ciar\u00e1n Kilkenny, Niall Scully (0-2-0), Colm Basquel (0-1-2); Paddy Small (0-1-2), Con O\u2019Callaghan (1-0-7; 1-0 penalty, 0-3f), Cormac Costello (0-0-4; 0-2f). Subs: Ross McGarry for Costello (49 mins); Josh Bannon for MacMahon (55 mins); Tim Deering for Kennedy (59 mins); Liam Smith for McMorrow (69 mins); Se\u00e1n Guiden (0-0-1) for Small (65 mins)<\/p>\n
Galway: Connor Gleeson; Jack Glynn, Cian Hernon, Liam Silke; Dylan McHugh (0-0-2), John Daly, Kieran Molloy (0-0-3); Paul Conroy (0-1-0), John Maher (1-0-0); Cein D\u2019Arcy (0-1-2), Finnian \u00d3 Laoi (0-0-2), Cillian McDaid (0-0-1); Robert Finnerty (0-2-2; 0-1f), Matthew Tierney, Shane Walsh (0-0-1). Subs: Damien Comer for McDaid (47 mins); Se\u00e1n Mulkerrin for Molloy (60 mins); Shane McGrath for \u00d3 Laoi (65 mins); Johnny McGrath for Conroy (67 mins)<\/p>\n
Referee: David Gough (Meath)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All-Ireland SFC quarter-final: Dublin 1-25 Galway 1-21 Niall Scully stretched out his arms and bellowed a guttural roar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":523194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[30883,2179,110979,61,60,112],"class_list":["post-523193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-galway-gaa","tag-dublin-gaa","tag-football-championship","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}