Flashback: Ballyboden St Endas five-in-a-row 2007-2011

By Conor Martin 

A five-in-a-row is a rare feat in the world of Gaelic Games, and when it comes to the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior Hurling Championship, it’s only happened three times since the Championship’s inception. 

Commercials were the first to do it in the 1800s- winning five titles in-a-row (1895, 1896, 1897, 1898 and 1899). 

30 years later, Garda would repeat Commercials' impressive achievement. They would claim the Dublin crown in 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 with their fifth coming in 1929. 

The wait for another five in-a-row would last until the 21^st century, when Ballyboden St Endas completed their own between 2007 and 2011.

Ballyboden would top Group D with maximum points in a group that also featured Cuala, Dublin South 2, and Kilmacud Crokes.

They would dispatch Dublin North 2 in the quarter-finals by 11 points before beating Lucan Sarsfields in the semi-finals to book a place in the final, looking to claim a first-ever Dublin senior hurling title after losing out to Craobh Chiaráin in the 2006 finale by just two points. 

St Vincents would await Liam Hogan’s men in the final, after they overcame O’Toole’s in their semi-final. 

Many had predicted a close encounter, but Ballyboden- inspired by past close calls- swept the Vinnies aside as they ran out 2-13 to 1-5 winners. 

Malachy Travers and David Sweeney were reliable in front of the posts, with Sweeney scoring the game’s best score from the sideline, while Conal Keaney and Enda Kinsella both found the net.

As Vincents faltered at the other end, Shane Durkin and David Curtin added scores as Ballyboden ended their long wait for the Dublin hurling crown in style.

Ballyboden would go on to beat Oulart-The Ballagh in the Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship before being beaten by Birr in the final by a single point.

After waiting so long for Championship success, Ballyboden followed up their maiden title by winning the 2008 Championship.

After impressing in the group stages and the knock-out rounds, the Southsiders found themselves in the final once more, with Kilmacud Crokes standing in the way of them and a second successive title.

Emmett Carroll got Ballyboden up and running before they let Kilmacud take control of proceedings. David Curtin, however, dragged his side level before they went into the break a point up.

Boden came out firing in the second-half and points from David Durkin, Sweeney, Curtin and Paul Ryan ensured the Championship trophy had blue and white ribbons on it once again as it finished 0-17 to 1-7.

Birr would end Ballyboden’s year again, just like they did in 2007, when they comfortably beat them in the Leinster Senior Club Quarter-Final.

2009 would see Ballyboden St Endas become the first club to win three senior titles on the bounce since O’Tooles hat-trick of titles in 1995, 1996, and 1997. 

In their defence of the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship, Boden laid down a marker in the first game of the campaign, as they beat Na Fianna by 15 points before beating Dublin North East 3-22 to 1-14. They finished the group with a massive win over St Patricks Palmerstown.

With victories over Crumlin and O’Tooles in the knock-out rounds, Ballyboden found themselves 60 minutes from a third title in-a-row.

They would get revenge for their 2006 final defeat against Craobh Chiaráin as Boden’s Paul Ryan top-scored with an incredible personal tally of 1-11, with Travers, Darragh Spain and Tim Sweeney performing well in defence as it finished 1-16 to 0-12 to the Firhouse Road men. 

In the Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship, they would lose to Ballyhale Shamrocks, who would go on to claim the Leinster title and win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Club Championship.

2010 would see Ballyboden secure four-in-a-row as they beat St Vincents 3-17 to 1-10 at Parnell Park.

Conor McCormack used his pace to evade and shrug off Vincents defenders before firing home past Thomas Carroll after eight minutes.

Curtin would step up just like he had in previous finals and was clinical with his free-taking.

Quick-fire goals in the 39^th and 40^th minutes from Niall McMorrow and Keaney would knock the wind out of Vinnies sails and put Boden on course for title number four.

Despite a Thomas Connolly goal, he and his brother Diarmuid couldn’t get their side close to Ballyboden as Vincents failed to register a score in the final 18 minutes and Ballyboden left Parnell Park as deserved winners once more.

Despite it being another successful year for the Firhouse Rd men, they saw the year end earlier than they would have liked once again as they were beaten by O’Loughlin Gaels in the Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship.

The fifth title under Hogan was against O’Tooles as the men in blue and white stripes put in another dominant performance in the final. 

Emmett Carrol’s goal set the tone for the final, while the reliable Ryan picked up a goal, as did McCormack. O’Tooles were wasteful in front of goals as they hit 15 wides and were never really a threat to Ballyboden’s drive for five. 

A narrow win over Clonkill in the Leinster Senior Hurling Club Championship saw Ballyboden meet manager Hogan’s native club, Coolderry. Despite six points from Ryan, Coolderry were too good for the Dublin champions, and the club from Offaly progressed to the final. 

Ballyboden St Enda’s reign as Dublin’s top hurling club ended in 2012 as they went out in the group stage before Kilmacud Crokes ended a 27-year wait for a Dublin Senior Hurling Championship.