By Conor Martin
And then there were four.
The final four clubs remaining in the Go-Ahead Ireland Senior 1 Football Championship battle it out for a spot in the final this weekend.
The last four action gets underway early Saturday evening when Ballymun Kickhams play Cuala at Parnell Park.
Greg Ramsbottom’s side enjoyed a 100% record in Group 3 and that winning momentum was crucial in their quarter-final win over St Vincents, edging out the Vinnies by 0-10 to 1-5.
James Brady had laid down a marker against Ballymun with an early goal, but the ‘Mun came fighting back through captain Dean Rock and Robbie Bolger, as Kickhams worked their way into a half-time lead.
They couldn’t shake their opponents off and it took a late free from Rock- something he is well accustomed to- and an insurance score from Davy Leonard to help Ballymun advance.
The experience of Rock could prove vital this weekend as they come up against a talented Cuala side and look to take one step closer to winning the Clerys Cup for the first time since 2020.
Dalkey’s Cuala have also won every game so far this Championship, topping Group 1 with a points difference of +42 and have the thrashings of St Judes and Fingallians to thank for them having such a positive points difference during the group stage.
However, for large parts of their quarter-final against Castleknock, it was a close affair until Eoin Kennedy ventured up from defence to rattle the net and give them a 1-6 to 0-4 half-time lead.
Luke Keating, Peter Duffy, Niall O’Callaghan all showed what they can do, while Con O’Callaghan found the net to help settle the contest. This weekend they look to repeat a similar performance and book a place in the final.
Defending champions Kilmacud Crokes take on Na Fianna on Sunday afternoon as they look to step up their bid for a fourth title in a row.
Robbie Brennan’s men have looked hit-and-miss at times this season, but have done enough to find themselves in the final four of the Championship.
They were pushed all the way by Ballyboden, who finished the quarter-final the strongest before the defending champions kicked on and dominated extra-time. Tom Fox, Shane Walsh, Craig Dias and Paul Mannion all shined with important scores, with Walsh finishing with 1-4 to his name.
They now will look to step it up a gear against Na Fianna in this weekend’s semi-final but know they’ve got an extremely strong panel to help them get the job done.
The Glasnevin club enjoyed two wins from their first two games of the Championship against Raheny and Castleknock before they played out a thrilling draw against Lucan Sarsfields. They then expertly navigated their last eight clash with Clontarf last time out.
The Mobhi Road men haven’t won a Dublin senior football title since 2001 and have put their group-stage elimination last year behind them as they look to end the lengthy wait for football glory.
Despite the scoreline, Na Fianna didn’t have it all their own way and were pegged back by Clontarf after Conor McHugh and Brian O’Leary had helped Na Fianna make a good start.
Ciaran Reddin raised a green flag, but momentum swung again and Clontarf seized it, getting back into the game before holding an interval lead.
Na Fianna’s defence would dominate the second-half which allowed McHugh (0-10) and O’Leary (0-5) to finish with excellent personal tallies as Na Fianna progressed.
That defence, which includes skipper Jonny Cooper, will be crucial, as they look to book a final appearance for the first time since 2022.