Dublin LGFA senior semi-final

Daire Walsh

Kilmacud Crokes reached their third Dublin Senior Ladies Football Championship decider in four years with a convincing semi-final victory over St Sylvester’s at Páirc de Búrca last Wednesday.

Thanks in no small part to a combined haul of 1-12 from the attacking triumvirate of Michelle Davoren, Kate Murray and Mia Jennings, the Stillorgan side had the measure of their Malahide counterparts on home soil.

Having lost out to Foxrock/Cabinteely in 2019 and 2020, Crokes will now look to go one better against Thomas Davis in Friday’s final at Parnell Park.

Dublin footballer Kate Sullivan contributed 0-7 for Sylvester’s, but last season’s All-Ireland intermediate champions ultimately fell short in this last-four affair.

Lining out minus the services of experienced duo Niamh McEvoy and Nicole Owens, Syls conceded an opening-minute point to Crokes inside forward Julia Buckley.

Sullivan levelled matters after former Sky Blues captain Sinéad Aherne was fouled close to goal, only for the hosts to hit their first purple patch of the action.

Courtesy of unanswered scores by Murray (two), Jennings and Davoren, Crokes established a firm stranglehold on this penultimate-round clash.

The play was subsequently halted for seven minutes as Sullivan received treatment for an injury, though she ultimately recovered to resume her place in the Syls forward line.

Following this hold-up, Sullivan knocked over two frees to keep the visitors in touch.

Crokes eventually fired back with a second point from Jennings and while a floodlight failure caused a further disruption, this issue was resolved in lightning quick time.

After Syls attacker Katie O’Sullivan added a score at the beginning of stoppage-time (which ran for nine minutes), Murray (two) and Jennings contributed three points in succession.

Squeezed in between a 0-2 salvo from Sullivan, a speculative Davoren strike drifted into the net to give Crokes a commanding 1-9 to 0-6 interval buffer.

This put Paddy O’Donoghue’s charges in pole position for this week’s showpiece and their lead was extended on the restart when the full-forward line of Buckley, Davoren and Murray all split the uprights.

A sixth point from Sullivan helped Syls to interrupt this scoring sequence, but Kilmacud continued to dictate the flow of the game.

Laura Kane capped an industrious display with a fine point, before a Davoren brace moved Crokes into an unassailable 1-15 to 0-7 cushion.

Scores were at a premium in the closing moments, although the hard-working Aherne opened her account with four minutes of normal time remaining.

Crokes tagged on points through Eabha Sweeney and substitute Jo Timmins either side of this effort from the five-time Celtic Cross holder to ease their way into another senior championship final.

Match file

Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: M Davoren 1-4; K Murray 0-5 (3f); M Jennings 0-3; J Buckley 0-2; L Kane, Eabha Sweeney, J Timmins 0-1 each. St Sylvester’s: K Sullivan 0-7 (6f); K O’Sullivan, S Aherne 0-1 each.

KILMACUD CROKES: D Gower; P Greene, Emer Sweeney, C Regan; L Magee, M Lamb, A Kane; G Kos, K McDaid; L Kane, Eabha Sweeney, M Jennings; J Buckley, M Davoren, K Murray. Subs: J Timmins for L Kane (48), C Sultan for McDaid (54), A Conroy for Murray (59), S O’Donoghue for Kos, L Bedford for Greene (both 61).

ST SYLVESTER’S: S Brennan; C Fitzpatrick, K White, L Harrold; L Murphy, D Lawless, E Lynch; L Hughes, G Twomey; K Sullivan, G McGinty, S McGlynn; K O’Sullivan, S Aherne, L Ryan. Subs: C Fox for Lynch (38), A Leahy for McGlynn, R Hanratty for McGinty (both 49), K Slattery for Twomey (56).

MENTORS – Kilmacud Crokes: Paddy O’Donoghue, Imelda Callaghan, Terry Jennings, Peter Ward, Eoin Moran. St Sylvester’s: Anthony Cooke, Peter Hickey, Noel McStay, Mick Stuart, Paddy Miskelly.

Referee: Ray McBride (Round Tower Clondalkin).

WIDES – Kilmacud Crokes: 7 (1+6). St Sylvester’s: 3 (2+1).

CONDITIONS: Dry weather throughout.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Michelle Davoren (Kilmacud Crokes).