By Conor Martin
All eyes will be on Parnell Park this Sunday as Cuala and Kilmacud Crokes feature in the final of the Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship Final.
Cuala have enjoyed a brilliant Championship this year and are in their first Dublin senior final in 36 years.
They won Group 1 in comfortable style with wins over Clontarf, St Judes and Fingallians, finishing with a massive positive points difference of +42.
Out of the two teams, Cuala still have a 100% win record this Championship and were able to see off Castleknock and Ballymun Kickhams in the last eight and semi-final to make sure they are one win from making history with a first-ever Dublin Senior Football title.
This Cuala team have a chance to put the ghosts of the 1988 final to bed at last and put Cuala’s name on the Clerys Cup for the first time.
Cuala manager Austin O’Malley enjoyed Dublin senior football championship glory back in 2006 with UCD and he has a lot of talent in his panel to bring joy to the south of the capital.
Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan and Michael Fitzsimons have been impressive this year and provide a spine of huge experience to the team. Cillian Dunne impressed in midfield in their semi-final win against Ballymun and Luke Keating is another figure in attack who can help Cuala to victory this Sunday and stop Kilmacud Crokes’ bid for four senior Dublin titles in a row.
Yet again, Kilmacud Crokes find themselves in the Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship Final and are looking to be the first Dublin club to win four Dublin Senior Football Championships in succession since St Vincents first did it in the late 1950s/early 1960s.
Since ending a long wait for senior football glory back in 2018, the men from Stillorgan have been constantly at the business end of the Championship. They were semi-finalists in 2019 & 2020 before winning the last three editions of the Dublin Senior Football Championship.
Just like Cuala, Crokes topped their group, but unlike their opponents this Sunday, they were unable to maintain a 100% record, beating Skerries Harps and St Vincents in their first two games before they drew with Thomas Davis in their final group game.
In the quarter-final, they beat Ballyboden St Endas by seven points AET before they edged out Na Fianna in the semi-final 1-12 to 0-12- Mark O’Leary’s goal proving the difference between the two sides.
Paddy O’Connor notched up four points for himself and Kilmacud in that closely fought win against Na Fianna, and of course, they have the likes of Paul Mannion and Shane Walsh to bring plenty of flair and quality to their attack.
Having the likes of Hugh Kenny and Dara and Michael Mullin available show the strength in depth in this Kilmacud Crokes panel.
However, they will need to be on form; they went 18 minutes without a score against Na Fianna at one point and they can’t afford that given the prowess Cuala possess.
History will be made regardless on Sunday. Either Cuala will be crowned Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship champions for the first time-ever or Kilmacud Crokes will complete a historic four in a row, it’ll certainly be a final to remember!
You can buy tickets here:
Cuala road to the final:
Round 1: Cuala 2-14 (20) – 1-12 (15) Clontarf
Round 2: Cuala 2-15 (21) – 0-8 (8) St Judes
Round 3: Fingallians 0-9 (9) – 4-21 (33) Cuala
Quarter-Final: 2-13 (19) – 1-10 (13) Castleknock
Semi-Final: Ballymun Kickhams 1-8 (11) – 0-16 (16) Cuala
Kilmacud Crokes road to the final:
Round 1: Kilmacud Crokes 2-15 (21) – 3-10 (19) Skerries Harps
Round 2: St Vincents 0-8 (8) – 0-17 (17) Kilmacud Crokes
Round 3: Kilmacud Crokes 0-11 (11) – 0-11 (11) Thomas Davis
Quarter-Final: Kilmacud Crokes 1-17 (20) – 0-13 (13) Ballyboden St Endas
Semi-Final: 1-12 (15) – 0-12 (12) Na Fianna