ROUND UP: Go-Ahead Ireland Senior 1 Football Championship Round 1

Picture courtesy Paul Lundy

The 2024 Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship commenced on Friday night with holders Kilmacud Crokes starting their title defence with a hard-fought 2-15 to 3-10 win against an impressive Skerries Harps outfit at Parnell Park.

Kilmacud looked vulnerable in defence, especially during a first-half that saw Harps plunder three goals with Paddy Kelly’s brace augmented by a superb team goal from Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan.

Hugh Kenny replied at the opposite end for Crokes and with Paddy O’Connor kicking three first-quarter points on his debut, they trimmed their arrears to 3-3 to 1-7 by half-time.

Paul Mannion also caught the eye for the champions as he kicked four second-half points and with Shane Cunningham netting in the 37^th minute, they did just enough to prevail, with Killian McGinnis’s three sublime points for Skerries proving in vain by the final whistle.

Earlier in the evening at Donnycarney, Na Fianna impressed in the first-half as they did just enough to defeat last year’s semi-finalists Raheny by 1-17 to 1-13.  

Conor McHugh’s goal in the first-quarter was just reward for a dominant Na Fianna while David Lacey kicked four points from play as the Glasvenin side eased into a 1-11 to 0-6 interval advantage.

They struggled to replicate that supremacy after the break as Raheny found their form through a Sean Grenham goal but McHugh clipped over a trio of second-half scores to confirm his team’s victory, despite the dismissal of substitute Vinny Flynn in the closing stages.

On Saturday afternoon, goals in either half by Luke Breathnach and Donnacha Carey helped Ballinteer St John’s to a 2-14 to 1-10 victory over St Sylvester’s at Parnell Park.

Despite Alex Wright flicking home from close range in the 9^th minute for Syls, it was Ballinteer that largely controlled the first-half with Breathnach’s goal in the 17^th minute helping build a healthy buffer of 1-8 to 1-5 by half-time.

A brace of Wright frees and an excellent Cian Whitney point saw the Malahide outfit edge to within two points but Carey’s goal in the 49^th minute and two Oisín Grady points saw St John’s home with a fair degree of comfort.

It proved far tighter in the other part of the double-header as Ballymun Kickhams did just enough to edge Ballyboden St Enda’s by 1-12 to 1-11.

After a tight opening-half, Boden received a double blow as Cathal Flaherty was dismissed in the 29^th minute while Paddy Small netted in added time to leave Kickhams 1-4 to 0-3 ahead by the interval.

Ballymun dominated the third quarter as scores from Dean Rock, Fiach Andrews and Cameron McCormack pushed them seven points clear only for St Enda’s to hit back through a quickfire 1-1 by Daire Sweeney in the 53^rd minute.

Andrews, Carl Keeley and Sean Tuke kicked vital scores in the closing stages and while Kickhams were reduced to fourteen themselves following the sending-off of James McCarthy, they withstood some concerted late pressure to prevail by the bare minimum.

Across the city in O’Toole Park, Con O’Callaghan kicked 2-4 from play as Cuala finished strongly to defeat Clontarf by 2-14 to 1-12.

O’Callaghan’s goal at the end of the first quarter helped Cuala to a narrow 1-7 to 0-9 interval lead but that advantage was eroded as Charlie Meehan netted for Clontarf within seven minutes of the restart.

Kieran McKeon kicked scores at regular intervals for ‘Tarf, finishing the game with 0-8 to his name, but they only managed one point in the final quarter as Luke Keating (0-4) and Niall O’Callaghan (0-2) saw Cuala pull away by the final whistle.

In Balgriffin, goals from Daragh Rooney, Eoin Kenny and Simon King saw St Jude’s impress after the break as they defeated Fingallians by 3-15 to 1-11, with Oisín Lynch netting a late consolation for the Swords outfit.

Elsewhere, St Vincent’s defeated Thomas Davis by 1-16 to 1-10 while Castleknock beat Lucan Sarsfields by 0-17 to 1-12.

SFC1 Group 1: St Jude’s 3-15 Fingallians 1-11; Cuala 2-14 Clontarf 1-12.

SFC1 Group 2: Raheny 1-13 Na Fianna 1-17; Castleknock 0-17 Lucan Sarsfields 1-12.

SFC1 Group 3: Ballinteer St John’s 2-14 St Sylvester’s 1-10; Ballyboden St Enda’s 1-11 Ballymun Kickhams 1-12.

SFC1 Group 4: Kilmacud Crokes 2-15 Skerries Harps 3-10; Thomas Davis 1-10 St Vincent’s 1-16.