Fri, 15th November 2024
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By Conor Martin
Image courtesy Paul Barrett
After retaining their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship title in dramatic style last month, Na Fianna are back in action this Sunday at Parnell Park as they begin their provincial journey against Laois senior champions Clough-Ballacolla in the AIB Leinster Club Senior Hurling Quarter-Final.
The Glasnevin club progressed from Group 1 of the Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship into the quarter finals with two wins to their name against St Brigids and Cuala while playing out a draw with Kilmacud Crokes and suffering defeat to Lucan Sarsfields in their final group game.
In the quarter-final they swept aside Ballyboden St Endas before being pushed all the way in their semi-final against St Vincents and doing just enough to book their place in the final with a two-point win.
It was a final for the ages as Na Fianna finally got the better of Kilmacud Crokes in the county final.
Those at Parnell Park and those watching on TV got full value in this end-to-end encounter, which saw Kilmacud enjoy the better of the first-half, but Conor McHugh’s goal before the break kept their ambitions of retaining their title alive.
A converted penalty from Dónal Burke early in the second-half helped Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s men kick on and put the squeeze on Crokes; Colin Currie was in inspired form as he hit nine points for himself while Paul O’Dea and substitute Jack Meagher had no issue in splitting the posts.
Oisín O'Rorke was Kilmacud’s driving force and his efforts had looked like they were going to see Kilmacud reclaim the Dublin hurling throne. But there was to be late drama when, in injury-time, Ciarán Stacey found himself free at the back post as the ball broke to him from a free and he fired home to claim a successive county title for Na Fianna.
Their attention now turns to the Leinster Championship and having come so close to provincial glory in last year's final, losing by just a point to O’Loughlin Gaels, the men from Mobhi Road will be determined to go one better this year.
But it won’t come easy and they first must overcome this weekend’s hurdle in the form of Laois champions Clough-Ballacolla.
But they know that they have a strong squad featuring the likes of Burke, the Currie brothers Colin and Séan, as well as the likes of AJ Murphy and Stacey to provide a considerable attacking threat whilst also having strong defensive options such as McHugh and Liam Rushe, as they look to get over the line and into the last four.
Clough–Ballacolla will be a tough test for Na Fianna when they take to the pitch at Parnell Park on Sunday.
The 12-time Laois Senior Hurling champions won Group A this year with comfortable wins over Abbeyleix and The Harps, winning by 11 and seven points in those two games, respectively, before they received a walkover in their final group game from Rosenallis.
Finishing top of Group A, they advanced straight into the semi-finals, where they were given a considerably sterner test by Camross but were able to advance into the Laois decider with a four-point victory.
In the final, they would win the Laois Senior Hurling Championship for the fourth time in the last five seasons, beating Rathdowney-Errill 2-22 to 0-22.
Despite a first-half goal from Stephen Bergin, Clough-Ballacolla found themselves trailing 0-15 to 1-8 at halfway.
Lee Cleere would trouble the scorers list but Stephen Maher was the hero for Clough-Ballacolla and will be one Na Fianna will need to keep an eye on this weekend. He scored a huge 1-14 for himself and stood up for his side when it mattered, with 1-11 of those scores coming in the second-half, including his goal, which he finished off neatly after Cillian Dunne had done well to create the goal chance.
Cleere and Maher would round off the scoring for their club as they won in ultimately comfortable style and just like Na Fianna, their attention now turns to the Leinster Championship as they too begin their bid for a first-ever provincial title.
