Seniors beat Na Fianna to reach Semi Final
Saturday 27th September 2008 at Parnell Park
As Crokes crossed the line in their Dublin senior hurling quarter final clash with Na Fianna the thought entered several Glenalbyn heads that to win ugly is better than not winning at all.
This was a hard fought game that went to the wire. Crokes, playing with the breeze, were first to attack. By the second minute, courtesy of an Eoin Fitzgerald 65, the Stillorgan men were a point to the good. Within two minutes a loose ball in front of the Kilmacud goal was pulled over and the sides were level. Almost immediately, a sibling combination, saw Daithi set up Aodhan de Paor for a long range minor. The Moibhi Road men segued with two wides, setting a pattern that was to cost them dearly.
On the quarter hour a Fergal Armstrong line ball was sent to Ross O’Carroll. The centre forward made it three to one. Two minutes later a quick thinking Armstrong hit a line ball to James Burke, took the return and pointed. Within a minute Eoin Fitzgerald, visibly hobbling, pointed a free from 60 metres. At 0-5 to 0-1 Crokes seemed well on top. Three Na Fianna points in the space of four minutes, interspersed by a Ross O’Carroll single, brought it to 0-6 to 0-4 and dispelled that impression.
A twenty fourth minute Armstrong 65 was cancelled by a point from a free by the Glasnevin side. Corner forward Neil Casey won the puck out, ran and tapped over. The Na Fianna No 8 did the same from their puck out. Just before half time Armstrong pointed a 20 metre free to leave it 0-9 to 0-6.
By the sixth minute of the second half Na Fianna had reduced the margin to two, only after posting two wides. Shortly after, a long Dave Mahony clearance found Casey. The engineering student caught and superbly restored the goal lead. The attendance had to wait over ten minutes for the next score. During this time Na Fianna three times added to their wide tally in a fashion that must have left their mentors scratching their heads. In the same period Crokes lost Shane O’Rorke to injury and failed to impose themselves on the game, making a number of elementary errors.
Captain Armstrong’s 55 metre conversion in the fifty second minute gave Crokes relief. Then, following a short passing movement involving Casey, substitute Conor Clinton, Adrian Grogan and Armstrong, the latter made it 0-12 to 0-7. Crokes were looking good, or so their supporters thought. In fact that was their last score of regulation time. Na Fianna again came at them and had it at 0-12 to 0-10 with normal time up.
At this stage the tackling and harassing by some of the Crokes forwards had improved immeasurably and an excellent block by Donal McGovern, resulted in a Crokes sideline. From an acute angle the maker cut a wonderful point. Na Fianna attacked. Another good Mahony clearance found Clinton. The youngster ran at his man and drew the foul. Armstrong caused the white flag to flutter. Not the first soft Na Fianna point from the puck out brought the score back to 0-14 to 0-11. Another Na Fianna point frayed the Crokes nerves even more and it was a relieved Kilmacud side the heard the final whistle in the sixty fifth minute, two points to the good.
Apart from the obvious achievement of progressing to the semi final for the first time in ten years, one of the main positives to be taken from the game was the harassing, tackling and sheer hard work by some of the forwards at the end. If this aspect could be spread and implemented from the off and instances of detachment from proceedings cut out Crokes would be a very hard team to beat. In the other quarter final played on 27th September Crumlin overcame Craobh Chiaran and now await Crokes in the semi final that is scheduled for the weekend of 11/12th October 2008.
Team: R Sweetnam, W Ryan, D Mahony, Rory O’Carroll, A de Paor (0-1), N Corcoran, D de Paor, F Armstrong (0-6, 65-1, f-3), A Grogan, J Burke, Ross O’Carroll (0-2), S O’Rorke, N Casey (0-2), E Fitzgerald (0-2, 65-, f-1), B O’Rorke. Subs: P Graham for E Fitzgerald (inj 24 min), D McGovern (0-1, sideline) for S O’Rorke (inj 49 min), C Clinton for B O’Rorke (52 min), MacD O’hOgain, D Byrne, B Motherway, R Mangan, A Tiernan and M Dalton.