AFL 1: GAME OF THE WEEK – KILMACUD CROKES V ST OLIVER PLUNKETTS ER
ADULT FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
KILMACUD CROKES: 2-10
ST OLIVER PLUNKETT’S/EOGHAN RUADH: 0-12
Mark Vaughan and Pat Burke were in fine scoring form at Silver Park on Wednesday evening, when Kilmacud Crokes held off a strong challenge from St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh in Division One of the Adult Football League.
The dynamic attacking duo finished with a combined tally of 2-7, and even though they were made to work for a win by their resilient Navan Road counterparts, Gabriel Bannigan’s side continue to find themselves in the race for top-tier honours.
Crokes were hoping to extend their unbeaten league run to seven games, but following their recent 3-15 to 1-10 win over Ballyboden St Enda’s, Plunkett’s posed a significant threat to the southsiders.
Indeed, after Gareth ‘Nesty’ Smith had kicked Paul Curran’s men into the lead with just eight seconds gone on the clock, James Brogan split the posts at the end of a well-worked attacking move.
Plunkett’s were eager to hit the ground running at the Leopardstown venue, but Crokes soon settled with a point of their own from the ever-influential Burke. There was a frantic pace during the early stages of the action, and Crokes centre-forward Stephen Williams was unfortunate to see his goal-bound effort rebounding off the post in the fifth-minute.
They eventually levelled matters with a close-range Vaughan free, and even though Plunkett’s had already replaced corner-back Rory O’Connor because of injury at this point, they moved back in front with a superb individual score by Sean Bugler.
Yet, Craig Dias almost raised a green flag at the opposite end – and the opening goal of the contest eventually arrived at the beginning of the second-quarter. A defence-splitting pass by Vaughan found its way into the path of Burke, and he cooly slotted home off his left-foot.
This was a set-back for Plunkett’s, but thanks to pointed frees by Fermanagh’s Tomas Corrigan and Smith, they quickly cancelled out the slender Crokes advantage. Unanswered points from Vaughan (two) and Shane Horan left them facing into a three-point deficit, but with Ross McConnell winning primary possession in the crucial midfield sector, they had a strong platform in the latter stages of the half.
This yielded scores from Leigh Herron and Paul Brogan, before Craig Dias responded with an excellent point for Crokes. There was a long delay prior to the break as Plunkett’s centre-back Gary Reynolds received extensive treatment, and after the play finally resumed, Crokes held out to bring a 1-6 to 0-7 cushion into the interval.
The tie was still finely balanced upon the resumption, but courtesy of points by the reliable Vaughan and Williams, Crokes were able to further daylight between the teams. However, it would be a full 18 minutes before the Glenalbyn outfit would add to Williams’ effort, and Plunkett’s discovered an extra gear in this time.
It did take initially them a while to find their feet after the restart, but once Corrigan converted a 30-metre free, they gathered serious momentum. Paul Brogan and Corrigan (free) points cut the deficit to a bare minimum, and when full-forward Herron found the target from a tight left-hand angle 12 minutes from the end of normal time, parity had once again been restored.
Smith’s third point edged Plunkett’s back into the ascendancy, but just when the game appeared to be drifting away from them, Crokes replied with the decisive score of the night. Plunkett’s full-back Shane Lyons was enjoying a fascinating battle with Vaughan, but when the latter bore down on goal in the 52nd-minute, he made no mistake with a cool strike to the back of the opposition net.
This was a massive boost for Crokes as they negotiated their way through the final-quarter, and it was quickly supplemented by another point from Burke – who has featured at county level for Dublin and Clare in the past.
Corrigan very nearly connected to a ball that dropped inside the square on the hour mark, but after Vaughan slotted over a free deep into stoppage-time, Kilmacud Crokes registered a hard-earned four-point triumph.
They are now just one point adrift of league leaders St Jude’s heading into their away meeting with Ballyboden St Enda’s on Saturday, while Plunkett’s will be seeking their fourth win of the campaign when they welcome Cuala to Martin Savage Park on the same day.
Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: Mark Vaughan 1-5 (0-4f), Pat Burke 1-2, Craig Dias, Stephen Williams, Shane Horan 0-1 each. St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh: Tomas Corrigan (3f), Gareth ‘Nesty’ Smith (1f) 0-3 each, Paul Brogan, Leigh Herron 0-2 each, James Brogan, Sean Bugler 0-1 each.
KILMACUD CROKES: David Nestor; James Murphy, Eoin Culligan, Andrew McGowan; Nathan Nolan, Ross McGowan, Dan O’Brien; Craig Dias, Ben Shovlin; Karl Dias, Stephen Williams, Shane Horan; Cian O’Connor, Mark Vaughan, Pat Burke. Subs: Tom Fox for Williams (47), Williams for Jones (63).
ST OLIVER PLUNKETT’S/EOGHAN RUADH: Niall Murray; Paddy Curtin, Shane Lyons, Rory O’Connor; James Brogan, Gary Reynolds, David Kelly; Sean O’Connor, Ross McConnell; Darragh Brogan, Sean Bugler, Paul Brogan; Gareth ‘Nesty’ Smith, Leigh Herron, Tomas Corrigan. Subs: Eamonn Clarke for R O’Connor (11), Declan Lally for J Brogan (25), James O’Donoghue for Reynolds (30+5), Padraic Lee for S O’Connor (38), Gerard McCormack for P Brogan (45), Conor Gurn for Herron (47).
Referee: Danny Harrington (St Sylvester’s).
By Daire Walsh