Go Ahead Dublin Senior One Hurling Championship Round-Up: October 8th-9th

GO AHEAD DUBLIN SENIOR ONE HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP: OCTOBER 8-9 

By Daire Walsh 

For the second year in succession, Kilmacud Crokes and Na Fianna will clash in the final of the Go Ahead Dublin Senior One Hurling Championship. 

This is as result of their respective last-four victories at Parnell Park over the course of the weekend. In the Donnycarney venue on Saturday, Crokes recorded a 1-21 to 0-15 triumph over Ballyboden St Enda’s.

On the following day, Na Fianna produced their best performance of the campaign to overcome the challenge of Cuala on a scoreline of 2-18 to 0-17. While this isn’t a novel pairing, the fact that the two clubs are also set to clash in the Dublin Senior One Football Championship this coming Sunday makes it unique in its own right.

Crokes are the current defending champions in both codes and will be seeking to add to the Dublin Senior Ladies Football Championship crown they secured at Parnell Park on September 23.

Ballyboden were Dublin SHC winners for five years in succession from 2007 to 2011, before also claiming the top-tier crown in 2013 and 2018. David Curtin’s men enjoyed a bright start to the action against Crokes with three points from former Sky Blues attacker Paul Ryan and a brace courtesy of Conor Dooley helping them to establish a 0-6 to 0-3 cushion by the 11th minute.

Dara Purcell, Alex Considine and Oisin O’Rorke were on target for Crokes during this juncture and when Considine rattled the net in clinical fashion just shy of the first-quarter mark, it was the catalyst for a strong purple patch from the Stillorgan men.

"What a catch & what a strike!"

This brilliant goal from Alex Considine over the weekend helped @KCrokesGAAClub into the #GoAheadDSH1 final with victory over Ballyboden St Endas! pic.twitter.com/tjz8NZSVlR

— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) October 10, 2022

Unanswered points from Oisin O’Rorke (two) and Fergal Whitely put the title holders into the driving seat and while ‘Boden fired back through cousins Paul and Niall Ryan, Crokes remained in the ascendancy for the rest of the half.

Thanks to two-point salvos by O’Rorke and Ronan Hayes, Crokes brought a convincing 1-12 to 0-10 buffer into the interval. Dead-ball specialist O’Rorke and Purcell increased the gap between the teams on the resumption, but with Niall McMorrow splitting the uprights to supplement a monstrous free from distance by Simon Lambert, ‘Boden were keeping themselves within touching distance.

Paul Ryan and McMorrow were also on target in response to points by substitute Fionn Ó Ceallaigh and O’Rorke, but Crokes weren’t to be denied a second successive semi-final victory.

Although Kevin Desmond added a point for ‘Boden, Kilmacud turned on the style at the opposite end. Davy Crowe, O’Rorke, Ó Ceallaigh (two) and Micheal Roche all raised white flags to leave a team jointly-managed by Kieran Dowling and Donal McGovern with nine points to spare in the end.

The meeting of Na Fianna and Cuala on Sunday was the second clash between the two teams at Parnell Park, following a Group One encounter on August 13. The Glasnevin outfit had led by a single point at an advanced stage in the second half of that game, before Cuala pushed on to earn a 1-25 to 2-15 win.

The Dalkey side had also produced a late flourish to overcome Ballyboden St Enda’s in their final group outing, which ensured their automatic progression to the penultimate phase of the competition. Na Fianna also lost to Ballyboden in Group One, but did enough to seal third spot in the table and progress to a quarter-final showdown against northside neighbours St Vincent’s.

A 1-19 to 0-17 win in the last-eight gave them some much-needed momentum heading into the weekend’s fare and Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s charges came storming out of the block with unanswered scores from Tom Brennan, Peter Feeney and Colin Currie.

Brothers Sean and David Treacy got Cuala up and running, only for Na Fianna to fire back with 1-4 on the bounce. Perfectly complimenting singles courtesy of Donal Burke (two) and AJ Murphy, Diarmuid Clerkin dispatched a close-range shot to the net on 19 minutes.

In the absence of Dublin senior footballer Con O’Callaghan, the gauntlet was being thrown down to Cuala. That said, Liam Murphy was proving himself to be a more than able deputy for the talented dual star and he had three points to his name by the 26th minute.

David Treacy also knocked over a second free, but Na Fianna kept the scoreboard ticking over through Feeney, Micheal Murphy and Colin Currie. The St Mobhi Road side then received a further lift from a most unlikely source in the 27th-minute.

After executing a quick one-two with O’Callaghan’s inter-county colleague Conor McHugh off a puck-out, Na Fianna custodian Jonathan Tracey launched the ball towards the far square and it floated all the way past his opposite number Sean Brennan.

Colum Sheanon and David Treacy did add to Cuala’s tally prior to the interval, but three Burke points in as many minutes left Na Fianna 2-12 to 0-8 in front heading into the second half.

It was anticipated there would be a backlash from Cuala on the resumption, however, and so it proved. Supplementing a brace from Darragh O’Connell, David Treacy added 0-4 from placed-balls to leave his side four points adrift heading into the final 15 minutes of normal time.

Na Fianna initially struggled to replicate the quality of hurling that had put them in such a strong position, before eventually coming to terms with a resurgent Cuala. Courtesy of unanswered efforts from Fergal Breathnach and Sky Blues attacker Burke (two), they were firmly in the ascendancy with the finishing line in sight.

O’Connell, Murphy and David Treacy contributed a combined 15 points for Cuala and all three players enhanced their personal tallies in the closing moments. Yet Na Fianna were never in danger of losing a grip on the proceedings and Burke knocked over three frees to make sure he ended the play with 0-10 to his name.

The likes of McHugh, Donal Ryan and Liam Rushe produced strong defensive displays and having gone so close to claiming a maiden SHC title in 2021 - they lost out 4-26 to 2-25 after extra-time - Na Fianna can now start to put their plans in place for a similar tilt later on this month.