League of Ireland: Shamrock Rovers 1 (Burke 8) St Patrick’s Athletic 0In these tetchy Dublin derbies, when it is man on man, a moment of brilliance tends to separate Shamrock Rovers from the rest. A healthy Tallaght crowd of 8,661 witnessed Graham Burke at his irresistible best as the Hoops stayed six points clear at the top of the Premier Division.On Monday, it was Enda Stevens rising highest to head a 95th-minute winner that bade farewell to playing Bohemians at the soon to be renovated Dalymount Park. Five days later it was Burke’s sixth goal of the campaign that allowed the champions settle into their unbreakable rhythm after just eight minutes.The goal came from the Jake Mulraney subplot. The former St Pat’s winger moved across town this year to reinvent himself as a wing-back in the Stephen Bradley system. Mulraney began this game in touching distance of the travelling fans who delighted in Barry Baggley and Luke Turner taking lumps out of him in quick succession.Rovers made them pay from the resulting free-kick, which Joe Redmond only managed to clear for Dylan Watts to tee up Burke from the edge of the box. The Republic of Ireland international unleashed his polished left foot, shooting across his body to spear the ball to the top corner of Joey Anang’s net.The southside derby promptly slipped back into a crowded midfield where hints of invention were snuffed out. When Kian Leavy threatened to cut loose, Jack Byrne tripped him and swallowed a yellow card. When Ryan Edmondson spun off Matthew Healy, the Rovers anchor hauled him down, prompting referee Rob Hennessy to flash another yellow.Leavy is having a career season and in St Pat’s Barcelona-style away kit he threatened to draw Stephen Kenny’s side level. The chance fell his way five minutes before the break when Jamie Lennon found Romal Palmer in the pocket, and the Englishman rewarded Leavy’s dart into the Rovers box only for Lee Grace to pull off a goal-saving block.Healy cleared the resulting James Brown corner off the goal line as the difference between the teams at the turn was Burke’s piledriver.Bradley would have been delighted going down the tunnel without his right hand man, as Glenn Cronin was red carded after full-time at Dalymount or his club captain, as Pico Lopes has joined up with Cape Verde for the World Cup.Grace has seamlessly filled in for Lopes while bringing the same authority to the captaincy.Even Rovers teenage stars in the making were off the pitch. Adam Brennan is away to Canada with the Ireland squad, Victor Ozhianvuna hurt his back against Bohs and Michael Noonan was held until the 74th minute, having lost his place in the team to John McGovern.St Patrick's Athletic's Kian Leavy is challenged by Enda Stevens of Rovers. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho St Pat’s only other opportunity was a speculative long-range effort from Redmond. The stalemate forced Kenny to replace Baggley with Aidan Keena as they went with two up front. Keena immediately won a free off Healy.In possession, they began to put serious pressure on Rovers. Without the ball, they looked exposed on the counter.Sean Hoare did put the ball in the Rovers net with 12 minutes to play, from a Brown free, but the linesman flagged early for offside.Bradley reacted to Kenny’s tactical change by replacing Mulraney with 18-year-old prospect Max Kovalevskis. Burke wasted no time exposing Zach Elbouzedi to the teenager’s rapid pace. And Elbouzedi can move.Kovalevskis gave Noonan an earful late on when the striker ignored his Ireland under-17 team-mate only for his shot to be deflected wide.Rovers almost blew the result in injury-time when Grace’s clearance smacked off Healy but the ball floated wide of Ed McGinty’s far post. That was St Pat’s best chance to equalise.Anang came forward to throw himself at four late balls into the box, that came to nothing before the goalkeeper joins the Ghana squad in America.That’s it for the League of Ireland until June 12th, with everyone away on summer holidays for the international break, as Rovers stay six clear of Bohemians with St Pat’s eight points adrift. The Dublin rivals had their chances this week to breathe life into the season but a sixth Rovers title in seven seasons looks a safe bet.Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Sobowale, Grace, Stevens; Mulraney (Kovalevskis 67), Watts (Malley 74), Healy, Byrne (J O’Sullivan 74), C O’Sullivan; Burke (Noonan 74); McGovern (Greene 63).St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Brown (Nzingo 84), Redmond, Hoare, Turner (Breslin 77); Lennon, Baggley (Keena 63); Leavy, Palmer (Nugent 77), Elbouzedi; Edmondson (Mata 77).Referee: Rob Hennessy.