Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 2-18

Clough Ballacolla (Laois) 1-12

Paul Keane reports from Parnell Park

AN EARLY WOBBLE aside, Kilmacud Crokes secured AIB Leinster club SHC revenge with relative ease at Parnell Park to move confidently through to a Croke Park semi-final in a fortnight.

First-half goals from Brendan Scanlon and Oisin O’Rorke, who finished with 1-11 for the hosts, put Crokes in a commanding position and they strode from there to a nine-point win, setting up a 27 November last-four clash with St Mullins of Carlow.

Clough Ballacolla pulled off a memorable win when the sides met at the semi-final stage of the 2021 provincial competition in Portlaoise last December.

And Declan Laffan’s men hinted with a strong start that they might engineer a repeat win but ultimately faded out and finished with 13 players.

The 25th-minute dismissal of defender Brian Corby was a turning point and experienced forward Willie Dunphy was sent to the line in second-half stoppage time.

Clough Ballacolla were 3/1 outsiders for last season’s semi-final and came into the rematch as underdogs again, perhaps explaining their charged up start as they surged into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead. Their feverish support raised the roof in the main stand with each score.

Dunphy was a key man for Clough Ballacolla in this period and converted one sumptuous line ball during the early spell of dominance.

Stephen ‘Picky’ Maher weighed in with two points also, both from frees, though they only added two more points in the half, another couple of converted frees by Maher.

The game turned on a moment of brilliance from Scanlon in the 17th minute when he took possession around 15 metres out and elected to shoot for goal, his low shot sneaking in just inside the right upright.

The influential Fergal Whitely added a Crokes point moments later before Brian Hayes took off on a terrific solo run through the centre of the Clough Ballacolla defence and laid off to O’Rorke who rippled the net again from the right of goals.

O’Rorke wrapped up the Crokes mini-scoring blitz of 2-2 with a point from long range and suddenly the Dublin champions led by 2-4 to 0-5.

Clough Ballacolla lost Corby to a straight red card shortly after the second Crokes goal. Referee Richie Fitzsimons acted after his attention was drawn to an apparent off the ball incident by the umpire.

After a relatively slow start, Crokes were now in a terrific position and hit the interval with a commanding 2-6 to 0-7 lead.

They might have enjoyed a greater advantage had inter-county attacker Ronan Hayes, a danger on the edge of the square any time a high ball came his way, not hammered his ground stroke just wide in the second minute.

Clough Ballacolla needed a fast start to the second-half but it was Crokes that reeled off four points in a row between the 33rd and 36th minutes to put significant daylight between the teams with an eight-point lead.

They retained that avantage with 20 minutes to go but Stephen Bergin’s 42nd minute goal for Clough Ballacolla, after a short free from Dunphy, made it interesting again and helped cut the deficit to just four.

Crokes weren’t about to let this one slip though and bursts of three and then four points without reply eased them to an impressive win.

Substitute Fionn O Ceallaigh was among the late scorers and will hope he has done enough to line out against St Mullins in a fortnight.

Kilmacud Crokes scorers: Oisin O’Rorke 1-11 (0-9f, 0-1 65), Brendan Scanlon 1-0, Fergal Whitely and Dara Purcell 0-2 each, Fionn O Ceallaigh, Brian Hayes and Cian MacGabhann 0-1 each.

Clough Ballacolla scorers: Stephen Maher 0-8 (0-7f), Stephen Bergin 1-1, Willie Dunphy 0-2 (0-1 s/l), Kevin Mulhall 0-1.

KILMACUD CROKES

1. Eddie Gibbons;

2. Brian Sheehy, 7. Cian O Cathasaigh, 3. Darragh Butler;

5. Cian MacGabhann, 6. Mark Grogan, 23. Bill O’Carroll;

8. Brian Hayes 9. Davy Crowe;

11. Oisin O’Rorke, 12. Fergal Whitely, 10. Caolan Conway (Captain);

19. Brendan Scanlon, 14. Ronan Hayes, 15. Dara Purcell

Subs: 17. Rob O’Loughlin for O’Carroll (h/t), 21. Fionn O Ceallaigh for Crowe (38), 13. Micheal Roche for Scanlon (54), 4. Cian Ryan for Brian Hayes (59), 22. Tom Stakelum for Butler (62)

CLOUGH BALLACOLLA

1. Cathal Dunne;

2. Diarmaid Conway, 3. Darren Maher, 4. Eoin Doyle;

7. Ronan Broderick, 6. Lee Cleere, 5. Brian Corby;

8. Willie Hyland, 9. Aidan Corby;

10. Robbie Phelan, 11. Tom Delaney, 12. Stephen Bergin;

14. Stephen Maher (Captain), 15. Willie Dunphy, 13. Cillian Dunne

Subs: 19. Lochlainn Conway for Delaney (37), 17. Kevin Mulhall for Hyland (41), 20. Mark Hennessy for Phelan (44), 18. Padraig Brennan for Aidan Corby (52)

Referee: Richie Fitzsimons (Offaly).