LAST UPDATE | 5 Oct

The 42

Dublin senior football championship semi-finals

• Na Fianna 3-11 Kilmacud Crokes 1-16
• Ballyboden St Endas 3-21 Cuala 2-22

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- Paul Keane reports from Parnell Park

ALL-IRELAND CLUB SFC title holders Cuala, and 2023 winners Kilmacud Crokes, both crashed out of the Dublin championship on a dramatic afternoon of semi-final action in the capital.

Healthy second-half leads turned to dust and ended in nightmare defeats for both outfits with Ballyboden St Enda’s picking Cuala’s pockets and Na Fianna advancing at Crokes’ expense.

As a result, it will be a Ballyboden versus Na Fianna final back at Parnell Park next Saturday week under the lights at 8pm.

Cuala will wonder just how they let victory, and just a third-ever final place, slip through their fingers.

They led by eight points with 11 minutes to go and were still seven ahead with 55 minutes played before being hit for an unanswered 2-3 by 2023 finalists ‘Boden.

Daire Sweeney finished with a terrific 2-8 for Firhouse Road side Ballyboden and it was his first goal in the 56th minute that got the 2016 All-Ireland winners going.

Dublin’s Ross McGarry added a point before Callum O’Dwyer nailed a two-pointer to leave just a point in it.

Sweeney then took centre stage again in the second minute of stoppage time, capitalising after great work by county man Alex Gavin and O’Dwyer to grab the crucial winning goal.

Ballyboden St Enda’s Daire Sweeney celebrates scoring a goal. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

Con O’Callaghan had drilled 1-7 for Cuala, bringing his championship takings to 6-24, and looked set for another final.

Cuala led by 1-14 to 0-11 at half-time with O’Callaghan feeding Conor O’Brien for their 10th minute goal.

O’Callaghan bundled a goal after great work by Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne to leave Cuala sitting pretty with a 2-18 to 1-15 lead.

They extended it to eight points in the final quarter but were powerless to prevent that late Boden surge.

There was similar drama in the first of the semi-finals as Crokes coughed up a six-point lead early in the second-half against Na Fianna.

Tom Gray’s Na Fianna came from 11 down to defeat Ballymun at the quarter-final stage and pulled off another smash and grab with a terrific second-half.

First-half goals from David Quinn and Darragh Kennedy had kept the Glasnevin side just about in it with Crokes leading 1-11 to 2-3 at the interval.

Galway’s Shane Walsh scored 1-7 of that 1-11 for Crokes, and 1-11 overall, though was handled better after the break by Na Fianna.

Kilmacud Crokes' Shane Walsh and James Doran of Na Fianna. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

Quinn’s second goal for Na Fianna in the 35th minute ignited them and back-to-back scores from both Brian O’Leary and dual star Conor McHugh helped them to draw level late on – teeing up James Doran to strike the winning point for the second game running.

Dublin’s Eoin Murchan was taken off with a quad injury for Na Fianna and is a doubt now for the final.

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Ballyboden St Enda’s scorers: Daire Sweeney 2-8 (4f), Colm Basquel 1-2, Ross McGarry 0-4, Ryan Basquel 0-2 (tp), Ryan O’Dwyer 0-2 (tp), Callum O’Dwyer 0-2 (tp), James Madden 0-1.

Cuala scorers: Con O’Callaghan 1-7 (1 tpf, 1 45, 1f), Niall O’Callaghan 0-6, Conor O’Brien 1-0, Eoin Kennedy 0-3, David O’Dowd 0-2, Charlie McMorrow 0-1, Cilian Dunne 0-1, Conor Mullally 0-1, Cal Doran 0-1.

Ballyboden St Enda’s

1. Hugh O’Sullivan

3. Shane Clayton, 4. Cathal Flaherty, 2. Brian Bobbett

5. Alex Gavin, 6. Peter Healy, 7. Harry Donaghy

8. Cein Darcy, 9. James Holland

12. James Madden, 17. Ross McGarry, 14. Ryan O’Dwyer

13. Ryan Basquel, 11. Colm Basquel, 15. Daire Sweeney

Subs

• 20. Patrick Warren for Donaghy (HT)
• 25. John McGuire for R Basquel (HT)
• 22. Kieran Kennedy for Healy (44)
• 24. Callum O’Dwyer for Ryan O’Dwyer (53)
• 10. Darren O’Reilly for Sweeney (63)

Cuala

1. Darragh O’Dowd

4. Eoghan O’Callaghan, 3. Michael Fitzsimons, 2. Danny Conroy

5. Eoin Kennedy, 6. Charlie McMorrow, 7. David O’Dowd

8. Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, 9. Peter Duffy

10. Cillian Dunne, 11. Cal Doran, 12. Oscar Hussey

13. Niall O’Callaghan, 14. Con O’Callaghan, 15. Conor O’Brien

Subs

• 24. Conor Groarke for Hussey (HT)
• 22. Conor Mullally for O’Brien (44)
• 26. Liam Fitzgerald for O Cofaigh Byrne (53)
• 25. Michael Conroy for Danny Conroy (64)

Referee: Ian Howley.

Na Fianna celebrate. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

Na Fianna scorers: David Quinn 2-0 (1 pen), Conor McHugh 0-4, Darragh Kennedy 1-0, Brian O’Leary 0-3, Ciaran Reddin 0-2, James Doran 0-1, Sean Caffrey 0-1.

Kilmacud Crokes scorers: Shane Walsh 1-11 (3tp, 0-4f), Hugh Kenny 0-2 (tp), Paddy O’Connor 0-2, Andy McGowan 0-1.

Na Fianna

1. David O’Hanlon

2. Fiachra Potts, 3. Jonny Cooper, 4. Adam Rafter

5. Oscar Donohoe, 6. Eoin Murchan, 7. Niall McGovern

8. Conor Early, 9. James Doran

10. Killian Deeley, 11. Brian O’Leary, 12. David Quinn

13. Ciaran Reddin, 17. Conor McHugh, 15. Sean Caffrey

Subs

• 21. Darragh Kennedy for Murchan (10)
• 18. Vinny Flynn for Deeley (HT)
• 14. Keelan Sexton for Caffrey (47)
• 19. Conor Baxter for Quinn (59)
• 22. Seamus Smith for Reddin (62)
• 20. Adrian Neville for Cooper, blood (63)

Kilmacud Crokes

1. David Higgins

4. Dan O’Brien, 2. Michael Mullin, 3. Theo Clancy

5. Aidan Jones, 6. Andy McGowan, 7. Leo Fearon

8. Paddy O’Connor, 9. Craig Dias

10. Cian O’Connor, 20. Luke Ward, 12. Dara Mullin

14. Shane Walsh, 13. Padraig Purcell, 27. Hugh Kenny

Subs

• 30. Darragh Dempsey for Purcell (17)
• 23. Niall Comerford for Ward (HT)
• 17. Cillian O’Shea for McGowan (HT)
• 22. Ben Shovlin for O’Connor (59)
• 18. Rory O’Carroll for Shovlin (63)

Referee: Dave Feeney.

Written by Paul Keane and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.