Kilmacud Crokes 2-12
Na Fianna 3-4
KILMACUD CROKES HAVE won their second consecutive Dublin senior ladies football championship title after a five-point win over Na Fianna at Parnell Park.
The reigning Dublin and Leinster champions held off a huge second-half fightback from Na Fianna in their fourth final in five years. 2019 and 2020 ended in defeat to all-conquering Foxrock-Cabinteely, but Kilmacud are now back-to-back champions.
Cork’s Niamh Cotter and Mia Jennings bagged first-half goals for the southside outfit, who had to dig deep as they were reduced to 13 players for much of the second half. Jennings was sin-binned, before Dublin star Lauren Magee was shown a red card.
Éabha Rutledge was excellent, finishing up with 0-5 (2f) and the Player of the Match award, while captain Emer Sweeney lifted the trophy aloft for the second year on the spin.
Congratulations to Éabha Rutledge of @KCrokesGAAClub on her player of the match award after her sides victory over Na Fianna in the Go-Ahead Senior Ladies Football Final 💪#GoAheadDSC pic.twitter.com/p7uPbTVbov
— DublinLGFA (@dublinladiesg) October 6, 2023
Leah Caffrey, in the running for 2023 TG4 LGFA Senior Players’ Player of the Year, and double goalscorer Laura Grendon were among Na Fianna’s brightest lights, with Hannah Tyrrell growing into the game.
Kilmacud raced into a 1-5 to 0-0 lead by the 13th minute, with Cotter bagging an early goal. Grendon responded with a Na Fianna goal, but Crokes held the upper hand and were 2-9 to 1-1 ahead at the break. Jennings raised their other green flag, while Rutledge pointed the way.
Grendon reduced the deficit with another goal after the restart — 2-9 to 2-2 — and the Glasnevin side, who last appeared in the final in 2021, were handed a major boost with the quickfire dismissals.
Na Fianna plugged away, despite losing Sophie Ahern themselves to a yellow, and Claire Kelly hit home to make it 2-9 to 3-2 with a little over 10 minutes to play. Tyrrell brought the gap to three points as the clock ran down, but that was as close as they came.
An end-to-end finish followed, with fine score-taking and shot-stopping at both ends.
Aoife Kane’s interception on Grendon was crucial and Julia Buckley had the last say as Kilmacud saw the game out and Na Fianna’s fightback fell agonisingly short.
Elsewhere tonight, Eadestown were crowned Kildare senior champions after a 5-11 to 0-12 win over rivals Sarsfields.
Last weekend, Donaghmoyne won their 21st Monaghan senior championship title in-a-row; Clann Eireann reigned supreme in Armagh and Termon triumphed in Donegal; Drumlane enjoyed an historic first success in Cavan and Ballymacarbry were crowned Waterford champions for an astonishing 42nd year in-a-row after an extra-time win over Comeragh Rangers.
Mourneabbey and Éire Óg face off in the Cork senior A final next weekend.
