Cuala 0-16

Ballymun Kickhams 1-8

Paul Keane reports from Parnell Park

THERE ISN’T MUCH that Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan is still chasing in the game but a county SFC medal has so far eluded him.

That could be about to change for the Cuala colossus who struck eight points at Parnell Park to help secure a first final spot for the Dalkey club since 1988.

Six-time All-Ireland winner O’Callaghan, who has two All-Ireland club medals with Cuala, turned on the style in the second-half with five points in-a-row at one stage to turn the screw.

Ballymun, the 2020 champions, were level with 18 minutes to go but had no answer to Cuala’s power play in the closing quarter as Austin O’Malley’s men reeled off eight points without response.

Boss O’Malley, the former Mayo attacker, will return to Parnell Park tomorrow for the second semi-final between holders Kilmacud Crokes and Na Fianna.

The final, just Cuala’s second-ever, will take place on Sunday, 20 October with Cuala sure to be underdogs for that encounter regardless of who they’re playing.

They approached this semi-final as favourites having won their previous four championship games with a combined 48 points to spare.

Ballymun, meanwhile, had adopted a more cautious approach of soaking up whatever the opposition could throw at them and pouncing on the break, averaging out at 15 points per game.

All of which made for an intriguing game of cat and mouse with Ballymun conceding and stepping off every single kick-out of Cuala’s in the first-half.

The south Dubliners, in contrast, pushed up hard on the Ballymun kick-out at the clubhouse end and reaped a rich reward from it.

O’Callaghan’s 23rd minute point for Cuala was followed by scores from Luke Keating and O’Callaghan again, both of which came off turnovers on the subsequent Ballymun kick-outs.

Neither side looked like running away with it initially though and it was no great surprise that Cuala held a narrow 0-7 to 0-6 half-time lead.

They were level at 0-7 and then 0-8 apiece in the third quarter but it was all Cuala after that with that eight-point blitz killing the contest.

The scoring burst came between the 42nd and 56th minutes, leaving Ballymun’s late goal from Dean Robertson as mere consolation.

Cuala scorers: Con O’Callaghan 0-8 (0-6f, 0-1m), Luke Keating 0-2 (0-1f), Niall O’Callaghan 0-2, Cillian Dunne 0-1, Cal Doran 0-1, Conor Groarke 0-1, Conor O’Brien 0-1.

Ballymun Kickhams scorers: Dean Robertson 1-0, Robbie Bolger 0-2, Dean Rock 0-2 (0-2f), James McCarthy 0-2, Davy Leonard 0-1, Paddy Small 0-1.

Cuala

1. Ryan Scollard

2. Danny Conroy, 6. Charlie McMorrow, 4. Eoghan O’Callaghan

5. Eoin Kennedy, 3. Michael Fitzsimons, 7. David O’Dowd

8. Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, 9. Peter Duffy

10. James Power, 15. Con O’Callaghan, 12. Cal Doran

13. Luke Keating, 14. Niall O’Callaghan, 11. Cathal O Giollain

Subs

23. Cillian Dunne for Duffy (7)
19. Michael Conroy for Danny Conroy (34)
21. Conor Mulally for Power (36)
24. Conor Groarke for Keating (47)
20. Conor O’Brien for O Giollain (55)

Ballymun Kickhams

1. Sean Currie

2. Eoin Dolan, 5. Leon Young, 4. Eamon Hill

7. Cathal Tighe, 6. John Small, 19. Davy Leonard

8. James McCarthy, 10. Aaron Elliot

13. Dean Robertson, 11. Paddy Small, 9. Cameron McCormack

17. Davey Byrne, 14. Robbie Bolger, 15. Dean Rock

Subs

12. Fiach Andrews for John Small (20-26)
12. Andrews for Elliot (HT)
3. Darragh Conlon for Dolan (HT)
24. Dillon Keating for Byrne (46)
18 Ciaran McManus for Leonard (52)
27. Alan Hubbard for Tighe (60)

Referee: Dan Stynes (St Peregrines).