KILMACUD CROKES 1-12
PORTARLINGTON 0-4
Paul Keane reports from Croke Park
CRAIG DIAS MADE another pressing case for a Dublin recall with a powerful midfield performance as Kilmacud Crokes cruised through to another AIB Leinster club SFC final.
The provincial holders made short work of a Portarlington side that had caused them plenty of bother at the same stage of the competition, and on the same Croke Park pitch, last December.
Crokes had to fight back from four points down at half-time on that occasion but with 2011 All-Ireland winner Dias lording the middle third, they led virtually throughout this time with Andrew McGowan’s seventh minute goal setting the Stillorgan side on the road to victory.
The win raises the distinct possibility of both Crokes clubs featuring at Croke Park on 4 December in a provincial senior football and hurling decider. The hurlers have to firstly overcome Carlow’s St Mullin’s in their semi-final but if they manage that then both sides will play in a December 4 double bill, potentially a problem for their one dual player, Brian Sheehy, who was a late substitute in this nine-point win.
Shane Walsh, returning to the venue where he struck nine points for Galway in July’s All-Ireland senior final, contributed three points and went close with a first-half goal chance though was taken off at the three-quarter stage having suffered from a virus in the lead up to the game.
With Portarlington scoring just two first-half points, and not hitting a point from open play until the 47th minute, Crokes could afford to take off goalscorer McGowan and man of the match Dias well before full-time too.
Manager Robbie Brennan made a series of changes to his Crokes lineup before throw-in, handing starts to Aidan Jones along with former inter-county duo Shane Horan and Cian O’Connor.
The switches worked out nicely because while an utterly professional looking Crokes didn’t exactly shoot the lights out, they were typically efficient and hit the interval with a commanding 1-5 to 0-2 lead.
Aside from the three goals they scored against both Templeogue Synge Street in the Dublin championship, and Naas last time out, that’s pretty much how experienced Crokes have been going about their business all season, dominating the possession stakes and winning most of their games with relatively low tallies.
They paid Portarlington full respect because aside from last year’s provincial meeting, they were also mindful of the 3-19 that Martin Murphy’s side put on the board against Palatine in the recent provincial quarter-finals, a result that followed Port’s 1-10 to 0-10 Round 1 win over Wexford’s Castletown.
The Crokes backs held Portarlington scoreless from play for the entire first-half, free-taker Colm Murphy sniping fifth and 24th minute scores from placed balls.
Crokes got the perfect start when McGowan, part of the Dublin squad last season, netted in the seventh minute, putting them into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Walsh then added a point before playing a precise pass to captain Shane Cunningham who claimed the Mark and converted. Dara Mullin, twice, and Cunningham again then scored to leave the Glenalbyn side 1-5 to 0-1 ahead. Already it looked ominous for the underdogs who needed an injection of inspiration, and quickly as they hit the interval trailing by six points.
Crokes lost Jones for 10 minutes following a black card late in the first-half, for a drag down on Rioghan Murphy, so a window of opportunity presented itself for Portarlington but they couldn’t take advantage and conceded two more points during that sin-bin period.
Adam Ryan eventually hit Portarlington’s first point from play early in the final quarter and the attacker added a second in the 56th minute. But that was it for Port’ who were powerless to prevent Crokes finishing with gusto, O’Connor, Paraic Purcell and dual player Brian Sheehy all stroking over late scores to gloss the scoreline.
Kilmacud Crokes scorers: Andrew McGowan 1-0, Shane Walsh 0-3 (0-1f, 0-1m), Dara Mullin 0-3 (0-1f, 0-1 mark), Shane Cunningham 0-2 (0-1m), Paraic Purcell 0-2, Cian O’Connor 0-1, Brian Sheehy 0-1.
Portarlington scorers: Colm Murphy 0-2 (0-2f), Adam Ryan 0-2.
KILMACUD CROKES
1. Conor Ferris
2. Micheal Mullin 3. Theo Clancy 4. Dan O’Brien
17. Aidan Jones 6. Rory O’Carroll 7. Andrew McGowan
8. Craig Dias 9. Ben Shovlin
19. Shane Horan 11. Shane Cunningham 21. Cian O’Connor
13. Hugh Kenny 14. Dara Mullin 15. Shane Walsh
Subs:
12. Tom Fox for Walsh (44)
24. Paraic Purcell for Horan (46)
5. Cillian O’Shea for Cunningham (51)
20. Jeff Kenny for McGowan (56)
25. Brian Sheehy for Dias (58)
PORTARLINGTON
1. Scott Osbourne
2. Cathal Bennett 3. Diarmuid Bennett 4. Alex Mohan
5. Stuart Mulpeter 6. Robbie Piggott 7. Jason Moore
8. Paddy O’Sullivan 9. Sean Byrne
10. Adan Ryan 11. Ronan Coffey 12. Rioghan Murphy
13. Jake Foster 14. David Murphy 15. Colm Murphy
Subs:
20. Darragh Galvin for Coffey (43)
17. Darragh Slevin for Mulpeter (47)
21. Eoin McCann for Foster (50)
19. Colin Slevin for Galvin (52)
23. Johnny Fullam for Ryan (62)
Ref: David Hickey (Carlow).
