Cuala Hold Off Naas to Secure Spot in Leinster Semi-Finals

Picture courtesy Paul Barrett

CUALA  2-15 

NAAS 1-15

Cuala advanced to the last four of the AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship as they accounted for Naas by three points in their thrilling encounter at Cedral St Conleth’s Park on Saturday evening.

In what was a cracking, attack-orientated clash that went right down to the wire, Cuala’s ability to dictate matters in the third quarter proved decisive as they withstood some late pressure to secure a deserved path to the last four.

A Luke Keating goal in the 4^th minute handed Cuala the early initiative but four points from play by Darragh Kirwan helped Naas to stay in contention as they trailed by 1-7 to 0-9 by the interval.

Niall O’Callaghan’s goal within ten minutes of the restart looked to have handed Cuala a decisive edge but a superb Alex Beirne goal ensured an absorbing conclusion to events.

Despite falling behind to a 3^rd minute point by Darragh Kirwan, Cuala pounced for the game’s opening goal a minute later as the excellent Niall O’Callaghan burst through and while his shot was half-blocked, Keating was on hand to poke over the line from close range.

Naas could well have netted themselves two minutes later but Dermot Hanafin saw his powerful shot cannon off the crossbar with Tom Browne gaining some tangible reward for the hosts as he popped over from the rebound.

Browne repeated the trick to level matters by the 9^th minute and Kirwan’s excellent point a minute later was just reward for Naas’ enterprising opening.

The deadlock was restored by a Con O’Callaghan free soon after but the Dalkey side were guilty of far too many turnovers close to the Naas goal, admittedly against the breeze, undermining their chances in the process.

Niall O’Callaghan and Kirwan exchanged scores to leave the contest delicately poised and while the former doubled his personal tally in the 19^th minute, a brace of Beirne frees restored the hosts’ marginal lead within three minutes.

Another Niall O’Callaghan score restored parity in an instant but Kirwan was proving equally influential at the opposite end, shrugging off Danny Conroy’s challenge before punching over Ryan Scollard’s crossbar.

Naas moved two points clear through Ryan Sinkey, but crucially, the visitors finished the half on the front foot through two Con O’Callaghan points and a David O’Dowd effort to lead by the bare minimum by half-time.

While Cuala resumed in an impressive manner, their only reward initially was a Keating free as Beirne raced through for a smart score for Naas from their first incision of the half into enemy territory.

However, with Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne showing well at midfield, the Dublin champions began to put daylight between the teams with Niall O’Callaghan and O’Dowd on target with cracking points.

Naas looked vulnerable at this stage and were duly punished in the 40^th minute as Con O’Callaghan turned sharply before finding his brother for an emphatic finish beyond the helpless Luke Mullins.

Two Paddy McDermott scores ensured that Naas refused to buckle however as they closed their deficit to two points by the 52nd minute as Beirne jinked through before planting a precise finish into the bottom right-hand corner of Scollard’s net.

Cuala held their nerve in the closing stages with substitute Conor Groarke enjoying a significant impact off the bench with his three points in the final quarter of massive value by the final whistle.

Scorers – Cuala: N O’Callaghan 1-5; L Keating 1-1 (0-1f); C O’Callaghan (2f), C Groarke 0-3 each; D O’Dowd 0-2; R Scolland 0-1 (‘45’). Naas: A Beirne 1-3 (0-2f); D Kirwan 0-5; T Browne, P McDermott 0-2 each; R Sinkey, C Daly, S Hanafin 0-1 apiece.

Cuala: R Scollard; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy, C McMorrow, D O’Dowd; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy; C Dunne, C O’Callaghan, C Doran; L Keating, N O’Callaghan, C O’Brien. Subs: M Conroy for Dunne (half-time), C Groarke for O’Brien (49), C Ó Giolláin for O’Dowd (58), L Tracey for McMorrow (59).

Naas: L Mullins; M Maguire, C McCarthy, R Fitzgerald; B Byrne, E Doyle, E Lawlor; J Burke, Paul McDermott; A Beirne, T Browne, Paddy McDermott; R Sinkey, D Hanafin, D Kirwan. Subs: N Aherne for Browne (35), C Daly for Fitzgerald (42), S Hanafin for Sinkey (44), K Cummins for Paul McDermott (55), E Beirne for Lawlor (55).

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).