Cuala get the better of Lucan Sarsfields at O'Toole Park

Image courtesy: Mark McDonagh

CUALA 4-27

LUCAN SARSFIELDS 0-14

By Daire Walsh

Con O’Callaghan was in sparkling form at O’Toole Park on Sunday as Cuala enjoyed an emphatic victory over Lucan Sarsfields to ultimately finish top of Group 4 in the PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship.

Coming into this game with 18 points spread evenly across the Dalkey side’s previous encounters with Ballymun Kickhams and St Jude’s, Dublin senior footballer O’Callaghan boosted his championship tally by contributing an outstanding 0-12 – including four majestic two-pointers - over the course of the action.

Following a nail-biting draw with Ballymun in the opening round of the group at the same venue on August 9, back-to-back wins has now set up 2024 champions Cuala with a quarter-final bout against Skerries Harps in the coming weeks. Despite the best efforts of Mark Lavin and Rian Doherty on the day, Lucan Sarsfields will now enter into a relegation play-off in a bid to retain their Dublin Senior 1 status heading into 2027.

Cuala had set out their stall during the early exchanges of this contest with a deadlock-breaker from the ever-adventurous Charlie McMorrow being followed by O’Callaghan’s maiden orange flag score of the day. Lavin got Lucan up and running with a fine contribution off of his right boot in the fifth minute, only for their opponents to respond with another O’Callaghan two-pointer.

Doherty raised a white flag after splitting the uprights in spectacular fashion, but Cuala were in for their first goal of the game when towering wing-forward Cillian Dunne got on the end of a fast-paced move before rolling the ball into the Lucan net on 12 minutes.

O’Callaghan enhanced his already formidable personal haul with a one-pointer just shy of the first-quarter mark and while Lucan corner-back Alan Murphy ventured forward to fist over at a tight left-hand angle, Cuala continued to attack in waves.

Following a similar score from O’Callaghan – thanks in no small part to an excellent catch by his fellow inter-county star Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne – Conor O’Brien also curled over a two-pointer off his left foot on the stroke of 20 minutes.

Another Sky Blues representative in the form of Eoin Kennedy added his name to the scoresheet as the action progressed and wing-forward Conor Mullally subsequently chipped in with a brace of quickfire points to create further daylight between the teams.

Lucan finally interrupted this scoring sequence when Daire Newcombe and Lavin found the range, but Cuala nevertheless brought a commanding 1-13 to 0-5 buffer into the break.

Lucan initially looked like they were capable of substantially eating into their deficit when Lavin and Doherty fired over two-pointers either side of a single from O’Callaghan, only for Cuala to once again reassert their authority in clinical style.

After Peter Duffy and Jamie Conroy fisted scores had preceded yet another O’Callaghan two-pointer, O’Brien fired home off his left boot on 42 minutes for a third Cuala goal. Doherty was on hand to cancel out O’Callaghan’s 11th point of the game, but their Dalkey counterparts were eager to put out a statement of intent in the final-quarter.

All-Ireland senior club champions as recently as January 2025, Cuala registered additional points through Duffy and O’Callaghan, before ex-Dublin stalwart Michael Fitzsimons ghosted into the opposition goalmouth in the 49th minute to fist home a Kennedy delivery.

In advance of Conroy, O’Brien (free) and substitute Jamie Keenan all knocking over points, industrious centre-forward Cal Doran also added a 1-1 salvo for the rampant southsiders.

Lucan eventually fired back with a Newcombe two-pointer and Lavin also recorded his second orange flag score prior to the final whistle. However, Mullally and O’Brien had found the target in between these efforts on a very satisfying day at the office for Cuala.

Scorers – Cuala: C O’Callaghan 0-12 (3 P2, 1 F2), C O’Brien 1-4 (1 P2), C Doran 1-1, M Fitzsimons, C Dunne 1-0 each, C Mullally 0-3, P Duffy, J Conroy 0-2 each, E Kennedy, C McMorrow, J Keenan 0-1 each. Lucan Sarsfields: M Lavin 0-6 (2 F2, 1f), R Doherty 0-4 (1 P2, 1f), D Newcombe 0-3 (1 P2), A Murphy 0-1.

Cuala: R Scallon; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy, C McMorrow, David O’Dowd; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy; C Dunne, C Doran, C Mullally; C O’Brien, C O’Callaghan, J Conroy. Subs: C Groarke for Dunne (42, blood), D O’Sullivan for David O’Dowd (43), J Keenan for C O’Callaghan (49), D Drummond for E O’Callaghan (51), J Fitzsimons for Kennedy (55), L Tracey for Mullally (62).

Lucan Sarsfields: M Griffin; A Murphy, D Cahill, E Seery; J Smith, D Newcombe, M Coogan; C Behan, D Gavin; C Gavin, M Lavin, M Guilfoyle; J Carey, C Coffey, R Doherty. Subs: S Curran for Smith (41), E Kilduff for Seery (45), B O’Sullivan for Carey (51), A Rock for Guilfoyle (55).

Referee: Gareth Walsh (St Peregrine’s).