DUBLIN SFC FINAL Kilmacud Crokes 2-12 St Brigid's 0-10:IN THE end the stretch was too great. St Brigid's, poised to complete a remarkable clean sweep having won junior and added intermediate yesterday afternoon at Parnell Park just before the senior final, had to give way to Kilmacud Crokes, who picked up a fourth Dublin title in seven years.
The Blanchardstown club had emerged from Division Two with a developing team to surprise many with their progress to the final but the task of taking on the All-Ireland champions of two seasons ago wasn’t as forbidding a task as it might have been.
Crokes have been through a horror season with awful injuries to key players. It was a tribute to their panel strength and nerve that they managed to subdue the outsiders in the first half in the teeth of a strong breeze and then clinically take their chances after the break to put the match beyond Brigid’s for most of the second half.
A cautious first half was notable for a succession of wides from Brigid’s and a powerful showing by Paddy Andrews, who met the challenge of Ross O’Carroll full on and exploited the space created by his team to take three points from play off the Dublin hurler. O’Carroll was good in general play though and his brother Rory – having travelled home from college in France despite nationwide industrial action – was excellent in containing the threat of Darcy.
The score ebbed and flowed but the 0-5 to 0-4 half-time advantage never looked sufficient to insulate Brigid’s against the wind. There was no clear winner at centrefield, where Brigid’s used Barry Cahill with the energetic Seán Murray dropping to centre back but the winners had a marked advantage on cleaning up the breaking ball.
Cian O’Sullivan and Brian McGrath connected well with their forwards and centrefielders and Kilmacud always looked more confident in building attacks and likely to exploit the wind.
The key period in the match came in the third quarter, as the Stillorgan club turned around a one-point interval deficit with 1-2 in the three minutes after half-time.
Captain Pat Burke battled in for the opening point and Brian Kavanagh added the second from a free before striking for a goal. The break was made, not for the only time, by Adrian Morrissey cutting through, drawing the cover and hand-passing the ball to Liam Ó hÉineacháin whose quick flick opened the goal for the Longford attacker to palm into the empty net.
Brigid’s responded admirably, pressing hard and not giving up. Two frees by Kenneth Darcy and a 45 from – in the county fashion – goalkeeper Shane Supple redeemed the goal within seven minutes but the arrival of Mark Vaughan off the bench was the trump card for Crokes.
The former Dublin player firstly drilled over in the 41st minute a free from around 50 metres and two minutes later after Morrissey on another rampage was tripped, he stepped up to take the penalty.
It was a bit of a soccer occasion with Supple, having been on the books of Ipswich Town until last year, facing an All-Ireland schools’ medallist. The keeper saved the initial shot but Vaughan followed up to net the rebound.
Another free from Kavanagh and a point from Declan Kelleher after Supple again had to save from Morrissey, who once again found himself free behind the defence, pushed the margin to six, 2-9 to 0-9.
Again St Brigid’s refused to roll over and Philip Ryan sniped a couple of nice points with Darcy earning a 45 with a diving fisted connection on a cross that left the blocking Paddy Duggan in a temporary heap.
But Crokes remained in control. O’Sullivan picked out Vaughan for a point with a fine cross-field ball followed by one for replacement Craig Dias and another for Kavanagh.
“We never at any stage felt any way sorry for ourselves,” said victorious manager Paddy Carr about their imposing injury list – all Dublin panellists. “It is just a huge testament to those coaching all the way up through underage level with the club and when lads come into the senior dressing-room they know how privileged they are.”
He paid tribute to both Rory O’Carroll for his 14-hour odyssey and Vaughan for his critical scores. “Mark Vaughan is not gone away believe you me, he is a serious footballer and we are very lucky to have him in our dressing-room. He certainly had a big impact when he came on.”
He was also predictably vague when asked about the possibility of filling the Meath managerial vacancy. “All I know is what I’ve heard in the papers, I’ve just been completely focused on what has been happening with Kilmacud, we are in the Leinster championship now and that is what I will have to keep going with that.”
KILMACUD CROKES: D Nestor; C Lamb, Rory O'Carroll, Ross O'Carroll; B McGrath, C O'Sullivan (0-1), R Ryan; N Corkery, P Duggan; L Ó hÉineacháin, D Kelleher (0-1), A Morrissey (0-1); B O'Rorke (0-1, free), B Kavanagh (1-4, three frees), P Burke (0-1). Subs: M Vaughan (1-2, one free)for O'Rorke (37 mins), C Dias (0-1)for Morrissey (50 mins), L McBarron for Duggan (59 mins), N McGrath for Ross O'Carroll (60 mins).
ST BRIGID'S: S Supple (0-1, 45); G Norton, Peadar Andrews, A Daly; G Kana, S Murray, D Lally; C Mullins, B Cahill (0-1); K Kilmurray, M Cahill, K Bonner; Paddy Andrews (0-4, one free), K Darcy (0-3, frees), P Ryan (0-2). Subs: D Plunkett for Kilmurray (40 mins), C Kilmurray for Lally (46 mins), C Carr for M Cahill (51 mins), C Freeman for Murray (58 mins), N Davey for Bonner (60 mins).
Referee: K Tighe(St Anne's).
