Blood-stained Galway star Shane Walsh sublime as Kilmacud Crokes retain Dublin SFC title with win over Na Fianna

Daire Walsh

GALWAY superstar Shane Walsh did not let a bloody ear stop him from dominating yesterday’s Dublin SFC final.

His club’s recent addition had to be heavily bandaged after picking up a nasty-looking injury before half-time.

But he came back on and kicked three majestic points in the second half to help Kilmacud Crokes hold on to their Dublin crown.

Robbie Brennan’s side were pushed all the way by Na Fianna in an intense battle at Parnell Park yesterday but survived for a one-point win.

Having defeated St Jude’s by the same margin in last year’s final, the Stillorgan side once again displayed cool heads in the heat of battle.

Two points adrift — 0-9 to 0-7 — with 42 minutes on the clock, Crokes took over in the final quarter.

Man of the match Walsh was wonderful in attack — even if he also hit four wides — while Crokes also had big performances from Rory O’Carroll and Craig Dias.

They now have an opportunity to secure a second consecutive senior double when their hurlers also lock horns with Na Fianna in this weekend’s Dublin SHC decider.

Playing in their first final since 2005, Na Fianna stormed ahead with early points from Paddy Quinn and Aaron Byrne.

Crokes eventually settled into their customary stride, however, and had edged in front by the tenth minute courtesy of unanswered efforts by Dara Mullin, former Dublin star O’Carroll and the brilliant Walsh.

Na Fianna issued a swift response to the latter score with a free from David Lacey, before Crokes wing-back Andrew McGowan and Conor McHugh traded points in a lively opening quarter.

While Crokes kicked back-to-back points through Dias and Mullin, it was the Glasnevin men who were happier at the interval as points from Michael Day, Lacey from a free and Byrne saw them take a 0-7 to 0-6 advantage into the dressing room.

Day’s fellow Galway native Walsh was forced off with a blood injury towards the end of the opening period but he was patched up for the start of the second half.

It was vital for Crokes that they were able to get the Footballer of the Year nominee back on the pitch, given they were already without six-time Celtic Cross winner Paul Mannion.

Eoin Murchan and county colleague McHugh — who is set to feature for the Na Fianna hurlers at the same venue on Sunday — were on target in the third quarter.

But Ben Shovlin and Walsh cancelled out these efforts with points of their own.

TRAPPED IN THE WIND

Facing into a stiff breeze, Lar Norton’s challengers were finding scores increasingly hard to come by and left the door open for Crokes with some wayward kicks at goal.

The loss of Paddy Quinn to a black card on 46 minutes was also keenly felt as Crokes made good use of their temporary numerical advantage.

Walsh made it a brace of points before Dias registered his second of the day to put the title-holders ahead.

And Walsh then split the uprights from 40 metres to give Crokes breathing space, so despite Brian O’Leary reducing the deficit to the bare minimum in the seventh minute of stoppage-time, last season’s All-Ireland finalists held out.

Having gone so close to earning a third national title earlier this year, losing out to Down’s Kilcoo in extra-time at Croke Park, Crokes will certainly fancy their chances of making a big splash in the forthcoming Leinster championship and potentially the All-Ireland series after that.

The absence of Mannion might become more pronounced as time goes by but, with the talent of Walsh and O’Carroll, they still have plenty of quality to call upon as they move out of the capital.

Subs: C Casey for Walsh 30 mins-ht blood; C O’Connor for Fox 39; Casey for Horan 47; C Pearson for Cunningham 47; A Quinn for Kenny 65.

NA FIANNA: D O’Hanlon; G Farrell, E O’Dea, A Fitzgerald; J Cooper, E Murchan 0-1, A Rafter; M Day 0-1, P Quinn 0-1; D Quinn, A Byrne 0-2, D Lacey 0-2f; G O’Reilly, C McHugh 0-2f, B O’Leary 0-1.

Subs: S Caffrey for O’Reilly 41 mins; J Doran for D Quinn 52; Dean Ryan for Rafter 57; Donal Ryan for P Quinn 57.

REFEREE: B Tiernan (O’Dwyers).