The second of the Dublin ladies' Croke Park double headers takes place tonight as they take to the field to face Mayo. Throw-in is at 5pm, preceding the men's game at 7pm. Cuala's Martha Byrne fears that taking Dublin out of Croke Park could be a "regressive" move. Byrne is aware of suggestions that the men's team could revert to playing league games in Parnell Park again, but the two-time All-Ireland winner points out that for the Dublin Ladies, it's a symbol of how far they have come that they are playing league games at GAA Headquarters. This year two of their fixtures were pencilled in for Croker and, having lost to Donegal there in the opener, they want to make amends against Mayo in an exciting double-header on Saturday night. "We've worked so hard, our county board have worked so hard to get us into Croke Park," said Byrne. "At the same time, Parnell Park is still Dublin's home ground so to even get to play there (would be good). "When I first came onto the Dublin team we were playing our league matches in Naomh Mearnog, and five or six years down the line our league opener is in Croke Park. "So it's come a massive way. I suppose you could see it as being slightly regressive. "If you have more people in Parnell Park, it seems fuller compared to Croke Park - so you'd kind of take either." Keep it here with Dublin Live for all the updates from the game! Dublin : C Trant; M Byrne, N Collins, E McDonagh; A Kane, S McGrath, L Magee; L Collins, O Carey; N Owens, S Woods, H O’Neill; O Whyte, L Davey, N McEvoy. Mayo: L Brennan; N O’Malley, R Flynn, D Caldwell; K Sullivan, Ciara McManamon, N Moran; Clodagh McManamon, D Finn; S Cafferky, E Needham, N Kelly (capt. ); F Doherty, R Kearns, G Kelly.<doc-sep>Dublin 1-12 Mayo 0-7 Fintan O’Toole reports from Croke Park A PAIR OF defeats in their opening three league ties marked an unusually slow start to a Division 1 campaign for Dublin but they were back hitting their stride tonight at Croke Park as they swept past Mayo. An eight-point winning margin at the final whistle was reflective of their superiority as Jim Gavin’s side were in command and brought Mayo’s unbeaten run to date in 2019 to an end. 35,213 spectators in Croke Park witnessed a game that never exactly got the pulses racing between two sides who have served up some thrillers in recent seasons. Cormac Costello’s 19th minute goal helped create daylight between the teams and Dublin were never seriously threatened thereafter. Costello finished with 1-4 to his credit and the goal was a clinical strike as he moved in from the left wing. It was the only time that Robbie Hennelly was beaten all night as he produced six saves in a heroic display of goalkeeping to frustrate the likes of Costello, Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey. Dublin were ahead 1-6 to 0-3 at the interval, Mayo’s struggles in front of goal reflected in the fact that they grabbed a point from play in the opening half courtesy of Fionn McDonagh with Hennelly finished with a pair of points from placed balls. They were denied a goal in the 33rd minute, Jason Doherty drilling a low shot from penalty after being fouled himself but Evan Comerford darted to his side to tip the ball around the post. Mayo did grab the opening score of the second half through Matthew Ruane but that was not the launchpad for a recovery mission. Dublin took a firm grip on the contest and were ahead 1-9 to 0-5 entering the final quarter when Brian Fenton notched a point. The match petered out to an inevitable conclusion from there with Dean Rock coming off the bench to weigh in with a brace, Jason Doherty pushing up Mayo’s scoring levels with a pair of frees and Hennelly standing firm to protect his goal in front of Hill 16. Dublin head to Roscommon next Sunday while Mayo will entertain Galway on Saturday night. Scorers for Dublin: Cormac Costello 1-4 (0-2f), Dean Rock (0-1f, 0-1 mark), Paul Mannion (0-1f), Jack McCaffrey, Brian Fenton, Con O’Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny 0-1 each. Scorers for Mayo: Robbie Hennelly (0-1f, 0-1 ’45), Jason Doherty (0-2f) 0-2 each, Matthew Ruane, Fionn McDonagh, Kevin McLoughlin 0-1 each. Dublin 1. Evan Comerford (Ballymun Kickhams) 2. David Byrne (Naomh Olaf) 3. Michael Fitzsimons (Cuala) 4. Eoin Murchan (Na Fianna) 5. James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams) 6. Jonny Cooper (Na Fianna) 7. Jack McCaffrey (Clontarf) 8. Brian Fenton (Raheny) 9. Darren Gavin (Lucan Sarsfields) 10. Brian Howard (Raheny) 11. Cormac Costello (Whitehall Colmcille) 12. Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street) 13. Paul Mannion (Kilmacud Crokes) 14. Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams) 15. Con O’Callaghan (Cuala) Be part of the team Access exclusive podcasts, interviews and analysis with a monthly or annual membership. Become a Member Subs 14. Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams) for Kilkenny (49) 17. Paddy Andrews (St Brigid’s) for Mannion (58) 20. Darren Daly (Fingal Ravesn) for Fitzsimons (64) 19. Seán Bugler (St Oliver Plunkett’s Eoghan Ruadh) for Howard (64) 22. Michael Darragh MacAuley (Ballyboden St Enda’s) for Gavin (67) Mayo 1. Rob Hennelly (Breaffy) 2. Brendan Harrison (Aghamore) 3. Ger Cafferkey (Ballina Stephenites) 4. Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis) (captain) 5. Lee Keegan (Westport) 6. Colm Boyle (Davitts) 7. Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels) 8. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy) 9. Donal Vaughan (Castlebar Mitchels) 10. Fionn McDonagh (Westport) 11. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy) 12. Ciaran Treacy (Ballina Stephenites) 13. Andy Moran (Ballaghaderreen) 14. Brian Reape (Bohola Moy Davitts) 15. Jason Doherty (Burrishoole) Subs 18. Chris Barrett (Belmullet) for Cafferkey (inj) (20) 25. Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore) for Treacy (inj) (35) 23. Seamus O’Shea (Breaffy) for Durcan (half-time)| 24. Fergal Boland (Aghamore) for Moran (59) 21. Stephen Coen (Hollymount-Carramore) for Reape (69) Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry) Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:<doc-sep>Defending champions Dublin moved to the summit of the Lidl National Football League Division One table with an impressive comeback victory over Mayo at Croke Park. St Sylvester’s forward Niamh McEvoy ended the contest with an impressive personal haul of 1-5 and was instrumental in steering the Metropolitans towards a second consecutive top-flight triumph. Trailing by six points (3-2 to 1-2) after 20 minutes, Mick Bohan’s charges slowly reeled in their Connacht rivals. After the westerners stormed in front with unanswered points from the Kelly sisters – Niamh and Grace – full-forward Rachel Kearns rattled Ciara Trant’s net with a powerful strike. Dublin’s initial response to this set-back was immediate – Niamh McEvoy’s unstoppable effort raised a green flag at the opposite end – but they suffered a further blow on 11 minutes. Despite hitting the post off a close-range free, Kearns bagged her second goal off the ensuing rebound. The holders narrowed the gap with a second Davey point, only for Fiona Doherty to subsequently fire home from a tight-angle for Mayo’s third major of the half. The early introductions of Siobhan Killeen and Jennifer Dunne – Player of the Year Sinead Aherne followed in the second half – added an extra spark to the Dublin play, and they helped to reduce their deficit to 3-4 to 1-6 at the interval. Nicole Owens and McEvoy split the posts on the resumption to bring the gap down to two, but they breathed a sigh of relief when Kearns' 38th-minute penalty blazed over the crossbar. Although full-back Niamh Collins was sin-binned as a result of the latter incident, Dublin out-scored their opponents 0-4 to 0-1 in her absence. McEvoy (two), Carla Rowe and Killeen found the range in this period, while Clodagh McManamon mustered a solitary Mayo score. The returning Aherne and McEvoy edged Dublin in front for the first time with consecutive frees, before Doherty’s two-point salvo levelled matters moving into the home stretch. Dublin never panicked though, and McEvoy and Davey raised white flags in the dying moments to see off the Mayo challenge. Dublin: C Trant; M Byrne, N Collins, K Fitzgibbon; A Kane, S McGrath, L Magee; L Collins, O Carey; H O’Neill (0-01), S Woods, N Owens (0-02); O Whyte, L Davey (0-03, 0-01f), N McEvoy (1-05, 0-03f). Subs: R Ruddy for Fitzgibbon (22), S Killeen (0-02) for Whyte (23), J Dunne (0-02) for Collins (26), C Rowe (0-01) for Woods (h-t), S Aherne (0-01, 0-01f) for O’Neill (46), S Fagan for Kane (47). Mayo: L Brennan; N O’Malley, R Flynn, D Caldwell; K Sullivan, Ciara McManamon (0-01), N Moran; Clodagh McManamon, D Finn; N Kelly (0-01), S Cafferky, E Needham; G Kelly (0-03, 0-02f), R Kearns (2-02), F Doherty (1-02). Subs: R Durkin for Needham (26), C Whyte for Clodagh McManamon (48), N Gaughan for G Kelly (48), G Kelly for Moran (52), M Reilly for Kearns (58), A Duffy for Ciara McManamon (59). Referee: B Rice (Down).<doc-sep>
A return to familiar surroundings at Croke Park brought a typical win for Dublin, who ended Mayo's 100% start to the Allianz Football League Division 1 campaign with a commanding display. Man of the match Cormac Costello led the scoring for the holders with 1-04 as Mayo once again came up short against the Dubs in a significant game at GAA Headquarters. Dublin have lost their two away games in Division 1 so far and came into the contest off the back of a one-point defeat to Kerry in Tralee but thrived and led virtually throughout. Mayo kicked themselves for failing to convert a first-half penalty but in truth were playing catch up all evening as they slipped to a first league loss in James Horan's second stint in charge. Ciarán Kilkenny was also on the mark for Dublin in his first action of the season after an extended break. Cian O'Sullivan and David Byrne also started in defence while Darren Daly came on, bringing to 32 the number of different players that have featured for Dublin in just four games so far. Mayo, with three wins from three beforehand, came to Croke Park looking to reignite their old rivalry with the Dubs whom they lost All-Ireland finals to in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Yet Dublin supporters could question the legitimacy of that rivalry given that no team under Jim Gavin has lost a game to Mayo. And after taking the opening 20 minutes or so to gauge Mayo this time, Dublin turned on the afterburners and surged clear. Keith Higgins and Colm Boyle tackle Dublin's Cormac Costello It was 0-02 apiece in the 19th minute when Costello scored Dublin's opening goal, leaving Keith Higgins for dead on the left before darting clear and beating Rob Hennelly at his near post. Paul Mannion, Kilkenny, Costello and Jack McCaffrey all added points to put Dublin seven points ahead and they held a commanding 1-06 to 0-03 lead at the interval, most of the damage done when Lee Keegan was spending ten minutes in the sin-bin for a cynical body collide. It could have been so much more with three Dublin point attempts dropping short and Mayo 'keeper Hennelly pulling off no less than four top-drawer first-half saves. Mayo scored just one point from play in the first-half, an 18th minute score from talented newcomer Fionn McDonagh with Hennelly converting their other two scores from placed balls. Lee Keegan gets a black card Mayo did have their chances but also dropped a number of point attempts short while Andy Moran blazed a shot wide and Jason Doherty had a 33rd minute penalty saved. The second-half was a damp squib with Mayo needing a goal to make it interesting but failing to provide one. Matthew Ruane narrowed the deficit with a Mayo point after the restart but they only scored another 0-03, through sub Kevin McLoughlin and free-taker Doherty, as their attack misfired badly on the evening. Dublin weren't exactly at their free-flowing best, adding points from Costello, Con O'Callaghan, Brian Fenton and substitute Dean Rock, but it was more than enough to secure the win that keeps them in the race for a final place. The second-half stretched to 77 minutes due to a bizarre incident when an umpire was accidentally floored by Mayo's Colm Boyle, requiring treatment for the official. Mayo's Aidan O'Shea goes flying under pressure from Dubs Cian O'Sullivan and Brian Fenton Dublin: Evan Comerford; Jonny Cooper, David Byrne, Michael Fitzsimons; Jack McCaffrey (0-01), Cian O'Sullivan, Eoin Murchan; Brian Fenton (0-01), Darren Gavin; Niall Scully, Con O'Callaghan (0-01), Brian Howard; Paul Mannion (0-02, 0-01f), Ciaran Kilkenny (0-01), Cormac Costello (1-04, 0-02f). Subs: Dean Rock (0-02, 0-01m, 0-01f) for Kilkenny 49, Paddy Andrews for Mannion 58, Sean Bugler for Howard 64, Darren Daly for Fitzsimons 65, Michael Darragh Macauley for Gavin 67. Mayo: Rob Hennelly (0-02, 0-01f, 0-01 45); Keith Higgins, Ger Cafferkey, Brendan Harrison; Lee Keegan, Colm Boyle, Patrick Durcan; Matthew Ruane (0-01), Donal Vaughan; Fionn McDonagh (0-01), Aidan O'Shea, Ciaran Treacy; Andy Moran, Brian Reape, Jason Doherty (0-02, 0-02f). Subs: Chris Barrett for Cafferkey 20, Kevin McLoughlin (0-01) for Treacy 35, Seamus O'Shea for Durcan h/t, Fegal Boland for Moran 58, Stephen Coen for Reape 70. Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry).