Go Ahead Dublin Senior One Football Championship Round-Up: September 3-4

GO AHEAD DUBLIN SENIOR ONE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP: SEPTEMBER 3-4 

By Daire Walsh 

Champions Kilmacud Crokes recorded a comprehensive 3-25 to 1-6 success over Templeogue Synge Street at Parnell Park on Sunday to claim top spot in Group One of the Go Ahead Dublin Senior One Football Championship.

Although Galway footballer Shane Walsh was initially held in reserve, former Sky Blues ace Paul Mannion was selected in the Crokes starting line-up on his return from a recent stay overseas. He kicked three excellent points in the early exchanges, but it was a brace of goals from the raiding Rory O’Carroll that really helped Crokes to establish daylight over TSS.

Ger Vickery’s superb 16th-minute finish to the net breathed fresh life into the Synger challenge, but Crokes proceeded to knock over eight points on the bounce to lead 2-12 to 1-2 at the interval.

Mannion bagged an outstanding haul of 0-7 in the opening 30 minutes, including five scores from open play. Lorcan O’Dell added to earlier TSS points from his inter-county colleague Niall Scully and Killian O’Gara on the resumption, only for Hugh Kenny, Shane Cunningham and Cillian O’Shea to all find the range at the opposite end.

Walsh was introduced for his Crokes debut in the 42nd-minute and posted a trademark point in the middle of a powerful scoring blitz that also featured a palmed goal from full-forward Dara Mullin.

Even though Mannion emerged as Crokes’ scorer-in-chief with a final haul of 0-9, he was ably-assisted by the aforementioned triumvirate of O’Carroll (2-0), Mullin (1-3) and Cunningham (0-4). It wasn’t to be for TSS on the day, but earlier draws with Ballinteer St John’s and Raheny have nevertheless secured their Senior One status for 2023.

The latter two clubs clashed on the same day at O’Toole Park, where a 1-13 to 1-8 victory was enough to help Ballinteer advance into the next phase of the competition.

Both teams had a point apiece to their name from previous outings against TSS and there was to be no separating the teams at the midway stage of their duel in the Kimmage venue. In spite of Raheny raising a green flag in the first half, Ballinteer picked off some fine points to leave the scoreline at 0-7 to 1-4 heading into the second period.

St John’s shook the net themselves on the resumption and this was the catalyst for the Marley Park men to seal a crucial triumph.

In Group Two, Ballyboden St Enda’s and Cuala progressed to the final-eight courtesy of their respective successes over Clontarf and Ballymun Kickhams on Sunday.

After both teams shared the spoils on the opening weekend of the championship, ‘Boden and their Dalkey counterparts subsequently registered maximum points in the second round of fixtures. Kenny Naughton’s Firhouse Road outfit entered their showdown with Clontarf at O’Toole Park knowing that a win would be enough to keep their quest for a first county title since 2019 alive for another day at least.

They were well on their way towards achieving this objective by the time the half-time whistle sounded - a 0-10 to 0-5 cushion placing them firmly in the driving seat. Clontarf did their best to stem the tide, but Ballyboden ultimately came through with 12 points to spare (1-16 to 0-7).

In the second game to take place at Parnell Park on Sunday, Cuala came out on the right side of a stern test against Ballymun. Dublin SFC1 champions in 2020, ‘Mun twice held the lead early on thanks to points from Dean Rock either side of a Luke Keating effort for Cuala.

Keating was a constant threat to the opposition rearguard, however, and his 11th-minute goal edged Austin O’Malley’s charges into the ascendancy for the first time. Fiach Andrews contributed a 0-2 salvo for Ballymun in a cagey opening period, but a similar tally from Keating propelled Cuala towards a 1-3 to 0-4 interval buffer.

The ever-dependable Rock came to the fore after the restart with three points in as many minutes to bring ‘Mun back on level terms. Yet Cuala didn’t panic and a Niall James goal - following a memorable run by Peadar O’Cofaigh-Byrne - left them within sight of the finishing line in this winner-takes-all affair.

Andrews and Dillon Keating stepped up to the mark for ‘Mun with two points each inside the final-quarter, but dead-ball scores from Luke Keating and Dublin senior star Con O’Callaghan were enough to squeeze Cuala over the line.

Back-to-back Senior Two champions in 2020 and 2021, Cuala will now switch their focus to a forthcoming quarter-final meeting with Kilmacud. Ballyboden, on the other hand, will take on Ballinteer in another southside derby.

At Parnell Park on Saturday, an outstanding haul of 3-3 from Aaron Byrne propelled Na Fianna towards a 4-15 to 0-5 victory against Skerries Harps at Parnell Park.

Having accounted for Thomas Davis and St Jude’s in the earlier rounds of the group, this latest win helped the Glasnevin men to finish at the summit of the Group Three table. The foundations for this success were laid in the opening eight minutes of the action, when Na Fianna effortlessly raced into a six-point lead.

Brian O’Leary (two), Byrne, Michael Day, Glen O’Reilly and marauding wing-back Ali Fitzgerald were all on target in this juncture for Lar Norton’s side, before Skerries finally opened their account through a Stephen Smith free. McGinnis and Smith were also on target in response to a Vinny Flynn effort at the opposite end, but Na Fianna subsequently pushed into overdrive.

Thanks to goals from Byrne in the 18th and 26th minutes - in addition to a plethora of points - Na Fianna were 2-13 to 0-4 in front at the interval. In difficult conditions, scores proved harder to come by for the St Mobhi Road outfit on the resumption.

Nevertheless, Seamus Smith hammered home a third goal in clinical style before Byrne completed his hat-trick with 12 minutes left on the clock. Brian O’Leary tagged on his third score of the day, in advance of Skerries grabbing a late consolation point courtesy of Ethan Dunne’s long-distance free.

On the far side of the city at a rain-soaked O’Toole Park, Aaron Shorten kicked a stoppage-time goal to earn Thomas Davis a dramatic 2-9 to 2-8 triumph over neighbours St Jude’s. This result - coupled with their defeat of Skerries Harps a fortnight earlier - ensured the Kiltipper men finished second in the group and have thus progressed to the knockout stages of the competition.

2021 finalists Jude’s had looked in line for a place in the last-eight when they led 2-5 to 0-4 at the midway stage in the contest. Alan Connolly and Liam Connerton (penalty) were amongst the goals for the Templeogue-based outfit in the opening half, while Mark Sweeney, Simon Murphy, Darragh Rooney and Dublin senior hurler Danny Sutcliffe posted fine points.

Fionn Murray and Eoin Kirby kicked 0-2 apiece for Davis’, but the dismissal of Mark Nolan seemingly left them with a mountain to climb after the restart. Yet Murray’s dead-ball prowess kept them within touch and a superb major from raiding corner-back Adam Fallon suddenly presented them with a fighting chance of success.

Murray (two) and Ryan Deegan also raised white flags and even though similar efforts by Tom Lahiff, Pat Spillane Jr and Connerton kept Jude’s two points in front, there was to be a sting in the tail. There were two minutes of stoppage-time played when Shorten - named in the full-back line alongside Fallon - fired home to help Ciaran Farrelly’s charges to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In Group Four of the Senior One Championship, Castleknock claimed a 1-11 to 0-6 win at the expense of Round Tower Lusk to finish on top of the pile. 

In spite of their reversal to Whitehall Colmcille in the last round, a superior head-to-head record gives them an edge over both the northsiders and Lucan Sarsfields after all three teams ended the group on four points.

Following early traded scores between Round Towers attacker James Hanratty and Tommy McDaniel, Eoin Sawyer arrowed a shot to the top left-hand corner of the net on 10 minutes for a Castleknock goal. While a brace of Kieran McKitterick points kept their Lusk counterparts in the running, three unanswered points from the impressive Ger McDermottroe offered Castleknock a 1-4 to 0-3 advantage heading into the break.

McDermottroe ended the opening period with three points to his name and went on to double his tally when the action resumed. McDaniel and Kevin Stephenson also added points in advance of the returning Ciaran Kilkenny contributing two impressive scores off the bench.

McKitterick, Killian Healy and Adam Caul split the uprights for a spirited Round Towers in the second half, but they ultimately suffered their third defeat of the campaign.

Despite coming out on the wrong side of their duel in a curtain-raiser at O’Toole Park on Saturday, a slender 1-14 to 1-13 reversal was enough to keep Whitehall Colmcille’s hopes alive at the expense of Lucan Sarsfields.

Inter-county stalwart Cormac Costello flew the flag once again for Whitehall by kicking an outstanding 10 points - including three excellent efforts from play.

His Dublin colleagues Eoghan O’Donnell and Lee Gannon also contributed a point each, but a combined haul of 1-10 from Conor and Brendan Gallagher had Lucan within reach of the big win they craved to remain in the championship hunt.

Conor’s 26th-minute goal had Lucan 1-7 to 0-6 in front during the interval and they led by the same margin at the end of normal time. However, Whitehall persevered with their challenge and a late Rory Kerins goal left the bare minimum between the sides at the end.

As a result, Colmcilles can now look forward to a quarter-final clash with local rivals Na Fianna, whereas Castleknock will take on Group Three runners-up Thomas Davis.