Cuala Claim Leinster Final Berth With Victory Over Tullamore

CUALA 1-10 

TULLAMORE 0-10 

Cuala progressed to their first ever AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship final following a hard-fought three-point victory over Tullamore at Parnell Park on Saturday evening.

A 10^th minute goal from Peter Duffy was the pivotal moment of a tense and defensively-orientated first-half that saw the hosts lead by 1-3 to 0-3 by half-time.

Cuala looked to have done enough to pull away as they dominated around the three-quarter mark but they were forced to dig deep as they advanced to next Saturday’s decider in Croke Park.

Cuala could, and should, have made a dream start in the 4^th minute as Conor O’Brien was blocked close to goal after Luke Keating’s shot had hit the upright but Cal Doran struck the crossbar with the goal at his mercy.

The deadlock was finally broken through a Harry Plunkett free for Tullamore in the 9^th minute but the hosts hit back in an instant as Duffy poked home from close range after the visitors had failed to deal with a David O’Dowd attempt that dropped short.

Both teams were proving wasteful in possession but a series of patient play from Tullamore was rewarded at the start of the second quarter as Niall Furlong popped over from an acute angle.

With Keating denied a second Cuala goal as the hosts failed to avail of an enterprising counter-attack, they were punished as Michael Brazil restored parity when converting a 19^th minute free.

It was at this stage that Con O’Callaghan began to exert a strong influence on proceedings as he regained the lead for Cuala when kicking a 20^th minute free before curling a fine point from play three minutes later.

O’Callaghan kicked his third score on the bounce, this time off his left foot, with three minutes of the half remaining as Cuala entered the break with a deserved three-point advantage.

The second-half resumed with the visitors making an early impression through Nigel Bracken’s fine score before Cillian Dunne immediately restored Cuala’s buffer with an attempt that clipped the upright before falling over the crossbar.

However, the hosts were playing second fiddle at this stage, turning the ball over far too often, and their lead was whittled down to the bare minimum by the 39^th minute as Plunkett kicked two frees on the bounce.

Another Plunkett free saw the deadlock restored by the 42^nd minute but Cuala’s response to parity was to completely control the ensuing ten minutes, with Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne hugely influential during this period of dominance.

Con O’Callaghan regained the lead with his third points from play and both Niall O’Callaghan and Keating shot over when close to goal to push Cuala three-points clear by the start of the final quarter.

Fisted efforts from Michael Fitzsimons and Duffy kept that momentum going but the visitors refused to accept their perceived fate as they hit back in the closing stages through scores from John Furlong and Plunkett.

Charlie McMorrow added an insurance score for Cuala in the 59^th minute to stem the Tullamore tide and while Plunkett took his personal tally to six points in injury time, it proved insufficient by the final whistle.

Scorers – Cuala: P Duffy 1-1; C O’Callaghan 0-4 (1f); M Fitzsimons, C McMorrow, L Keating, C Dunne, N O’Callaghan 0-1 apiece. Tullamore: H Plunkett 0-6 (5f); N Bracken, J Furlong, M Brazil, N Furlong 0-1 apiece.

Cuala: R Scollard; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; D O’Dowd, C McMorrow, E Kennedy; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy; N O’Callaghan, C Doran, C Dunne; L Keating, C O’Callaghan, C O’Brien. Subs: C Ó Giolláin for O’Brien (42), C Groarke for Dunne (42), M Conroy for Kennedy (49), S Mangan for O’Dowd (57), J Power for Doran (59).

Tullamore: C White; P McConway, J Furlong, D McDaid; N Bracken, D Hogan, O Keenan-Martin; C Bourke, A Hensey; M Brazil, D Egan, N Furlong; H Plunkett, C Egan, D Fox. Subs: L Egan for D Fox (half-time), A Leavy for Hensey (39), C Burns for McConway (43), M Fox for N Furlong (52).

Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).