Cuala crowned PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football champions after dominant display

CUALA 3-15 

CASTLEKNOCK 1-6

Cuala secured their second ever PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship title as they accounted for Castleknock by fifteen points in their one-sided decider at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon. 

Despite conceding the first two scores of the game, it was Cuala that dominated the opening-half with a penalty by Con O’Callaghan in the 23rd minute building a healthy 1-9 to 0-2 interval lead. 

A Kevin Stephenson goal towards the end of the third quarter offered some hopes of a Castleknock comeback but they were extinguished as O’Callaghan and Jamie Conroy raised further green flags for an impressive Cuala side.  

It was Lenny Cahill that had the honour of kicking the first score of the game, splitting the uprights within forty seconds before Conor Chawke doubled the Castleknock lead with another tidy point after two minutes.

After a sloppy start, Cuala eventually made inroads on the scoreboard as a strong burst by Charlie McMorrow allowed Niall O’Callaghan sufficient time to point at his ease in the 5thminute. 

The former curled over a point of his own to level matters by the 7th minute but both teams were far from their fluent best in the opening quarter, cancelling each other out to a large degree. 

Cuala did find some rhythm in the 13th minute as Con O’Callaghan palmed over the crossbar to put his side ahead for the first time before taking control of matters in the second quarter. 

A Dan O’Sullivan score doubled the Cuala lead in the 19th minute while an Eoin Kennedy two-pointer soon after reflected their growing superiority.

Con O’Callaghan converted a free after being fouled himself in the 22nd minute and from their next attack, the Dublin captain was fouled close to goal, allowing him the chance to hammer the resultant penalty high past the helpless John Vahey.    

With Castleknock suffering a barren period of 29 minutes, Cuala took advantage of their misfortune in front of goal as both Michael Fitzsimons and McMorrow scored to leave ten points between the teams by half-time. 

Rob Shaw pointed within two minutes of the restart to offer some encouragement for Castleknock but Con O’Callaghan (free) and Eoghan O’Callaghan replied in an instant to keep the Dalkey side on the front foot. 

Castleknock looked to their bench with three quick changes but there was no immediate impact as Fitzsimons raced onto McMorrow’s pass to clip another score in the 40th minute. 

However, they were handed a lifeline three minutes later as a Senan Forker point attempt dropped short but Stephenson turned sharply before crashing home past Darragh O’Dowd from eight yards. 

Any momentum that goal might have generated was stalled as Con O’Callaghan (free) and substitute Jamie Conroy pointed early in the final quarter and the former kicked his third free of the half in the 49th minute to restore his team’s twelve-point buffer.  

Even when the Dublin captain saw his second penalty of the contest cannon off the crossbar in the 53rd minute, the rebound fell kindly into his path and he made no mistake to take his personal tally to 2-5. 

Further salt was added to the Castleknock wounds as Conroy slipped through on goal to calmly slot home past Vahey in the 57th minute. 

Castleknock continued to battle and were rewarded through late scores by Ger McDermottroeand Chawke but they had to concede second best to a Cuala side that look set for an extended run through Leinster.         

Scorers – Cuala: C O’Callaghan 2-5 (1-0pen, 0-4f); J Conroy 1-1; M Fitzsimons, E Kennedy (1 tp), C McMorrow 0-2 each; E O’Callaghan, D O’Sullivan, N O’Callaghan 0-1 apiece.Castleknock: K Stephenson 1-0; G McDermottroe (1 tp), C Chawke 0-2 each; R Shaw, L Cahill 0-1 apiece.

Cuala: Darragh O’Dowd; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy, C McMorrow, David O’Dowd; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy; D O’Sullivan, C Doran, C Dunne; C O’Brien, C O’Callaghan, N O’Callaghan. Subs: C Groarke for O’Sullivan (41), J Conroy for N O’Callaghan (45), D Drummond for D Conroy (53), K O’Shea for Dunne (55), L Tracey for E O’Callaghan (57).  

Castleknock: J Vahey; A Hughes, R O’Shea, T Quinn; R Shaw, C Kilkenny, E Walsh; S Forker, K Stephenson; S Akram, C Chawke, D Clarke; L Cahill, B Galvin, E Sawyer. Subs: S Boland for Walsh (half-time), G McDermottroe for Cahill (half-time), C Boyle for Galvin (35), D Warnock for Hughes (42), E O’Brien for Quinn (56).  

Referee: Ian Howley (O’Dwyer’s).