Kildare push Dublin to brink in tense Leinster semi-final

A 13th consecutive Leinster football championship success is still very much on for Dublin, but Kildare exposed more than a few chinks in the armour of Dessie Farrell's men, pushing them to the wire before eventually falling short.

That the Lilywhites didn’t quite get there was largely due to scoring just one point after Jack Robinson’s free put them three in front after 47 minutes, but there have been instances in the past where Dublin might capitalise on that and rack up a run of scores.

Instead, Kildare’s defensive integrity held up, and supporters witnessed that most unusual of sights, poor shot selection and decision making from shooters in light blue jerseys.

In the first half, it was very simple to diagnose what was happening. Kildare were wired for the battle right from the off, while it was much harder to detect the same sense of urgency and fire in Dublin.

Darragh Kirwan kicked the opening score, Paddy Woodgate nailed some incredible frees, and Ben McCormack was a real livewire, playing a role in every phase and in every aspect of the contest. It was defensively however, where Kildare were at their best.

Mick O'Grady nullified Con O’Callaghan’s threat, while the half-back line of Kevin Flynn, Shea Ryan and David Hyland focused on their core job of covering off space and concentrating on their man marking duties, to great effect.

When Paul Mannion fired over from distance after 24 minutes to make it 0-3 apiece, the Kilmacud Crokes man was the only Dublin man on the scoresheet, and while some of that was down to Kildare pressure, sloppiness on the Dublin side was a factor too.

Brian Fenton was a shadow of himself, pushing what would normally be a 'gimme’ wide of the target, while Ciarán Kilkenny, James McCarthy and Lee