DUBLIN SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:

KILMACUD CROKES 4-26

NA FIANNA 2-25

(after extra time)

Daire Walsh reports from Parnell Park

IT MAY have required extra time to get the job done, but Kilmacud Crokes kept their double hopes alive by securing the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship title at Parnell Park this evening.

Trailing first-time finalists Na Fianna by nine points – 2-23 to 1-17 – with just 10 minutes of normal time remaining, the Stillorgan outfit looked set to miss out on a sixth success at this grade. That was until Crokes (for whom inter-county star Ronan Hayes accumulated an outstanding haul of 1-14) embarked on an extraordinary goal blitz to deny their opponents at the death.

Momentum now behind them, they proceeded to outscore Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s charges by 0-8 to 0-1 in the additional periods. With a Dublin Senior Football Championship decider to look forward to against St Jude’s next weekend, it is becoming a winter to remember for Kilmacud.

Crokes attacker Alex Considine and Dublin senior hurler Donal Burke traded goals during the early exchanges, but it was Na Fianna who initially played the slicker hurling. Thanks to the scoring prowess of Burke (1-4), Sean Currie (0-6) and Micheál Murphy (0-2), they brought a 1-15 to 1-11 cushion into the interval.

Paul O’Dea, two-time All-Star Liam Rushe and AJ Murphy also found the range on the resumption and a convincing triumph looked to be on the cards for Na Fianna when Burke bagged his second goal on the stroke of 50 minutes.

Yet despite firing a penalty wide of the target, Hayes joined Fergal Whitely and Oisin O’Rorke in rattling the net during a frantic finale — Hayes’ major coming all of five minutes into time added on.

Largely deflated as a result of not closing out the game, Na Fianna’s only score beyond normal time arrived through full-back Kevin Burke. By contrast, Hayes added six more points to his outstanding tally and with O’Rorke also knocking over a brace, Kilmacud claimed the county crown for the first time since 2014.

Scorers for Kilmacud Crokes: Ronan Hayes 1-14 (0-8f, 0-1 ’65′), Oisin O’Rorke 1-3, Fergal Whitely, Alex Considine 1-1, Caolan Conway 0-3, Lorcan McMullan 0-2, Dara Purcell, Davy Crowe 0-1 each.

Scorers for Na Fianna: Donal Burke 2-7 (1-0 pen, 0-6f), Sean Currie 0-8 (1 s/line), AJ Murphy, Micheál Murphy 0-2 each, Kevin Burke, Paul O’Dea, Liam Rushe, Peter Feeney, Shane Barrett, Colin Currie 0-1 each.

Kilmacud Crokes

1. Eddie Gibbons

2. Davy Crowe

3. Brian Sheehy

4. Mark Grogan

5. Padhraic Linehan

6. Bill O’Carroll

7. Cian Mac Gabhann

8. Oisin O’Rorke

9. Dillon Mulligan

12. Caolan Conway

11. Fergal Whitely

10. Dara Purcell

13. Lorcan McMullen

14. Ronan Hayes

15. Alex Considine

Subs:

23. Marc Howard for Purcell (41)

21. Shane Veale for Conway (47)

18. Cian O Cathasaigh for Mac Gabhann (52)

20. Jamie Clinton for O’Carroll (61)

10. Dara Purcell for Whitely (71)

17. James Dillon for Considine (75)

Na Fianna

1. Jonathan Tracey

18. Sean Burke

3. Kevin Burke

8. Feargal Breathnach

5. Paul O’Dea

6. Liam Rushe

7. Donal Ryan

4. Sean Baxter

20. Micheál Murphy

10. Peter Feeney

14. AJ Murphy

12. Shane Barrett

11. Donal Burke

13. Colin Currie

15. Sean Currie

Subs:

26. Conor McHugh for Baxter (40)

2. Conor Kelly for S Burke (49)

9. Martin Quilty for Feeney (49)

22. Eoghan McHugh for AJ Murphy (57)

24. Hugh Fenlon for O’Dea (62)

23. Kieran Murphy for M Murphy (67)

5. Paul O’Dea for C Currie (70)

Referee: Chris Mooney (St Patrick’s, Palmerstown).