Galway heading for Leinster final as Dubs make championship exit

Late injuries to former captains David Burke and Padraic Mannion were the only damper for Galway as they advanced to a Leinster SHC final showdown with Kilkenny after easing to victory over Dublin at Pearse Stadium.

And the Dubs paid the price for another poor display as they bowed out of the championship on scoring difference without ever getting on top in Salthill in front of a crowd of 10,583.

Henry Shefflin will also feel there is ample room for improvement as he prepares for another clash with his former manager Brian Cody in a fortnight's time.

Dublin had the wind in the opening half but went in trailing by 0-12 to 0-11 with sides guilty of missing chances on a blustering evening in Salthill.

Their failure to build a lead with the elements left them chasing the game, but Galway pulled away and even a missed penalty when Conor Cooney's effort was saved by Sean Brennan didn’t derail the Tribesmen, with Conor Whelan hitting 0-05 in the second-half to see them home.

The sides were level eight times in that opening half, but it was stop-start throughout with little fluency with referee Johnny Murphy constantly blowing for frees.

Conor Cooney, who became Galway’s second top scorer in the championship behind Joe Canning when he landed the second of his 13 points, got his radar on target and kept the scoreboard clicking.

Once more Dublin depending a lot on Donal Burke for scores and while he landed five from play in addition to nine frees, they rarely looked like getting a goal which would ignite their campaign.

A free from Burke four minutes from the break levelled the sides before Cooney struck three in a row for the Tribesmen but just when it looked like they would pull away, Dublin finished the half strongly with a couple of