Cuala advance after epic duel with Brigid’s

CUALA 3-14 ST BRIGID’S 2-15

Reigning Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland club champions, Cuala, had to dig deep and show all their big-game experience before finally seeing off the challenge of St Brigid’s in Sunday’s Dublin SHC quarter-final at O’Toole Park.

Cuala are on the trail of a third Dublin SHC in-a-row but they teetered on the brink before coming with a winning surge in the concluding minutes to set up a semi-final against St Vincent’s in two weeks.

St Brigid’s started very well with a goal from the impressive Cian O’Sullivan following a powerful run by Eoghan Dunne.

In the ninth minute both sides were reduced to 14 men when Paul Winters (Brigid’s) and John Sheanon (Cuala) were red-carded.

Cuala eventually began to find their feet with Con O’Callaghan’s 18^th minute strike past Alan Nolan.

Eight minutes later Con drove his second goal to the net to help his side to a 2-6 to 1-8 interval lead.

Dublin senior Darragh O’Connell, absent through injury of late, made a telling introduction as a sub for the second period with a point just 30 seconds into the half.

Cuala had a chance to kickstart a drive for home but David Treacy’s 39^th minute penalty was brilliantly repelled by Nolan in the Brigid’s goal.

Points from O’Sullivan and Johnny McGuirk put Brigid’s back in front but Cuala were not finished as David Treacy and Jake Malone scored to bring the sides level in this titanic battle with four minutes to play.

David Treacy pointed a free preceded before his younger brother Seán scored an important goal – it gave Cuala enough breathing space despite Aodhán McInerney’s late, late goal.

SCORERS– Cuala: D Treacy 0-9 (0-4f, 0-2 ‘65’), Con O’Callaghan 2-0, S Treacy 1-0, S Moran, J Malone, N Kenny, M Schutte, D O’Connell 0-1 each. St Brigid’s: C O’Sullivan 1-9 (0-6f, 0-1 ‘65’), A McInerney 1-1, J McGuirk 0-2, J O’Loughlin, D Plunkett, P Winters (0-1f) 0-1 each.

CUALA: S Brennan; S Timlin, Cian O’Callaghan, O Gough; S Moran, J Sheanon, P Schutte; J Malone, C Waldron; S Treacy, C Sheanon, D Treacy; N Kenny, Con O’Callaghan, C Cronin. Subs: R Tierney for Cian O’Callaghan (22), Cian O’Callaghan for Tierney (ht), D O’Connell for Waldron (ht), M Schutte for Kenny (ht), S Stapleton for C Sheanon (53).

ST BRIGID’S: A Nolan; C Doyle, D Ryan, N Scanlon; E McKeigue, D Plunkett, J O’Neill; E Dunne, C Dolan; B McInerney, P Winters, J O’Loughlin; A McInerney, C O’Sullivan, J McGuirk. Subs: D Hawkshaw for Dolan (35), C Morris for B McInerney (41).

REF: D Ryan (St Pat’s, Palmerstown).