Naomh Barrog overcome St Judes in their final group game

NAOMH BARRÓG 1-23 

ST JUDE’S 0-11

Naomh Barróg completed their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship Group 1 campaign on a positive note when easily defeating St Jude’s by fifteen points at Parnell Park on Friday night. 

In doing so, they secured their spot in the knockout stages of the championship and the final margin of victory didn’t flatter them whatsoever as they looked the more cohesive and aggressive outfit from the first whistle.  

It was Barróg that held the ascendancy at the break as Joe Flanagan impressed with four points from play to push his team into an 0-13 to 0-9 advantage. 

It was one-way traffic upon the resumption and the cherry on the icing of their cake was provided in added time as substitute Finn McDonald powered home a cracking goal to complete their resounding success. 

There was bright opening to proceedings as Flanagan opened the scoring for Barróg inside thirty seconds while Conor Nolan levelled matters in an instant with a sublime strike. 

A brace of Flanagan points reflected his side’s more settled start but they were dragged back to parity by the 11th minute as Callum Graham and Nolan (free) spilt the uprights for Jude’s. 

The Kilbarrack outfit never trailed throughout the half as they regained the initiative through successive scores from Paddy Doyle and Flanagan and Nolan and Flanagan exchanged frees by the start of the second quarter.  

Dual player Kevin Lahiff swept forward for a well-taken score for St Jude’s but Mícheál Tierney sprung into life with a quickfire brace as Barróg pushed four points clear by the 22ndminute. 

St Jude’s replied impressively with an excellent John Carty score preceding two Nolan frees but crucially, they struggled for the remainder of the half as Harry Nolan sparked his side back into life with a classy solo score. 

Flanagan added another sumptuous effort from deep and his team regained their four-point buffer by the interval as Nathan Kidd and Seán Doyle made St Jude’s pay for their loose finish to the half.  

That momentum was maintained in the early stages of the restart as a Flanagan free was quickly augmented by a Séadhna Ryan point and another excellent Nolan score. 

An Oisín Costello finally opened the St Jude’s second-half account in the 40th minute but it proved an isolated moment of encouragement for the Templeogue outfit as they fell further behind to points from Doyle and Flanagan. 

The normally reliable Conor Nolan spurned a number of presentable frees as Barróg pushed on impressively with Flanagan on song with 0-11 over the hour, including seven points from play, while the hugely influential Paddy Doyle finished with three points to his name.    

Scorers – Naomh Barróg: J Flanagan 0-11 (4f); P Doyle 0-3; F McDonald 1-0; M Tierney, H Nolan 0-2 each; S Gallagher, N Kidd, S Doyle, S Ryan, E Hart 0-1 apiece. St Jude’s: C Nolan 0-6 (5f); C Graham, K Lahiff, J Carty, O Costello, J McManus (f) 0-1 apiece.

Naomh Barróg: J Rooney; L Glynn, S Duggan, C Gibson; A O’Donoghue; P Doyle, H Nolan; S Gallagher, C Gallagher; S Ryan, S Doyle, J Flanagan; M Tierney, N Kidd, D Moore. Subs: E Hart for Moore (37), F McDonald for S Doyle (59), A Rooney for Nolan (61). 

St Jude’s: R O’Reilly; S Wiley, G McManus, C Langan; K Lahiff, E Dolan, P Fitzgerald; D McLoughlin, D Malone; C Nolan, J Carty, D O’Connor; C Graham, O Costello, J McManus. Subs: E Costello for Wiley (11), F Wardick for Fitzgerald (41), P McNally for O Costello (52), 

Referee: Damien Burnett (Craobh Chiaráin).