DUBLIN SFC FINAL (replay)/ Kilmacud Crokes 3-6 St Oliver Plunketts 0-13:HOPE LIVES. After a depressing summer for Dublin football, followed by a limp county championship, the game reasserted itself in the capital last night with a wonderful county final replay which was won in the most dramatic of circumstances by a Kilmacud Crokes side whose second half scoring was limited to a couple of fisted goals.
St Oliver Plunketts, seeking a first title, had turned in a superb performance decorated by a remarkable personal display from Bernard Brogan but a vulnerability to the high ball into their own square undid them in the end.
The drawn game last week had a cliffhanger quality to it making it one of the best county finals Parnell Park has presented in years. The old place hummed in anticipation last night as a Dublin GAA audience underwhelmed by a generally poor championship gathered for another hit of the good stuff. They got it. The football was open and fast with just the right amount of niggle and intensity.
There were some extraordinary personal battles not least that between Bernard Brogan and his county team-mate Paul Griffin and some fine attacking play.
Crokes, remarkably, had played and won the county hurling semi-final on Sunday against Crumlin. It's an odd tribute either to the wealth of resources or the state of politics within Glenalbyn that the crossover between the sides was limited to Ross O'Carroll who played on Sunday but was dropped yesterday and the O'Rorke brothers Barry and Shane who rode the bench both days.
Crokes have had a strange year in this championship, looking for the most part less than the sum of their considerable parts, grinding out the results. Most of the time they toil rather than thrill but as in the drawn game they strung together a superb move for their opening goal; a move initiated by the pace and perception of Mark Davoren who fed Corkery who flashed a pass across the goal for Jonny Magee to fist home. There was less than 15 minutes gone and the goal restored a lead which Crokes had established early on in a confident beginning.
The goal showcased not for the first time in this championship the possibilities offered by Crokes forward Davoren. Often an erratic performer at this level in recent years, he has looked like a quality footballer late in this championship. His pace and a decent pair of hands brought a cutting edge to the Crokes attack every time he touched the ball last night and his claims for a blue jersey in the new year will be hard to resist.
Plunketts took the blow of conceding that goal on the chin but went into the break still trailing by two points. Garreth Nesty Smith picked nominally at full forward was playing out deep and picking out either Bernard Brogan or Jason Sherlock with a series of raking passes, The most change was coming out of those balls which found Brogan. Shadowed by an increasingly despairing Paul Griffin his three points from play before the break heralded a virtuoso performance which got even better in the second half when he scored all six of his side's points including another four from play.
Not enough however. With Plunketts three points up with eight minutes left, a high hopeful ball into their square was fisted goalwards by Johnny Magee. The ball came off the chest of Eoin Somerville, the Plunketts' keeper, and was cleared but controversially the umpire signalled immediately that the ball had crossed the line.
Plunketts regrouped but two minutes later lightning struck them again. Another high ball, this time Davoren spiking to the net. Having conceded two scores in the second half Plunketts were a goal behind. They threw themselves into attack. Bernard Brogan inevitably, pulled a point back for them but it wasn't enough. Crokes, last champions in '05 took the title and advanced to meet Celbridge of Kildare in Parnell Park next weekend.
ST OLIVER PLUNKETT'S/EOGHAN RUADH: E Somerville; R OConnor, C Evans, P Curtin; M Brides, T Browne, J Brogan (0-1); R McConnell, D Matthews; A Darcy, D Sweeney, A Brogan (0-2); J Sherlock, G Smith, B Brogan (0-10, three frees). Subs: N Murphy for Browne (25); Paul Brogan for Curtin (ht); K McDonnell for Darcy (44).
KILMACUD CROKES: D Nestor; K Nolan, P Griffin, N McGrath; B McGrath, C OSullivan, A Morrissey; D Magee, N Corkery; P Burke (0-1), L McBarron (0-1), M Vaughan (0-2, frees); M Davoren (1-0), J Magee (2-0), B Kavanagh (0-2). Subs: C Lambe for N McGrath (8 mins); B O Rorke for L McBarron (47 mins); R O Carroll for Corkery (51 mins); K O Carroll for Vaughan (54 mins).
Referee: D Feeney ( Parnells).
