Walsh makes all the difference as Kilmacud retain their crown

KILMACUD CROKES 0-11 NA FIANNA 0-10

The tale will go that Kilmacud Crokes kept the Dublin senior football title on the southside – but this was very much a westside story.

Crokes retained the Dublin SFC for only the second time, adding to that maiden 2004-05 achievement, and in doing so claimed their 10th county senior crown, moving them to joint third on the overall roll of honour with 10 championships.

However, they would not have edged out Na Fianna in this final at Parnell Park without Shane Walsh – the Galway forward who transferred to the club in August. On a wet and wintry evening where there was little to choose between the sides, Walsh’s class was the difference.

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He finished the game with 0-4, all from play, but also registered as many wides over the course of the game. Still, given the lack of penetration from the rest of the Kilmacud forwards, only one of the other five scored, Walsh’s contribution was game-changing.

It is reasonable to argue had he not returned to the pitch following a head injury in the closing stages of the first half that Na Fianna would have gone on to win their first Dublin SFC since 2001.

Walsh missed the last few moments of the opening period after suffering a knock during what at first appeared to be a strong but innocuous collision.

In true Hollywood fashion before the resumption, and just as Na Fianna were starting to consider the possibility Walsh would not be returning, out from the dressingroom trotted the last Kilmacud player, complete with a resplendent classic of the genre head bandage in the vintage of a Brian Dooher or a John Hayes wraparound.

“There’s a county final to win. I’m not blessed with having played in many of them, so I wasn’t going to let a few stitches keep me out of the second half,” said Walsh. “I just needed to get it done.

“The lads were working so hard. I missed a couple of efforts in the second half. It was tough going. But eventually, it started to go right for me at the right time.”

Timing, it’s everything. Paul Mannion was there, hobbling around on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left foot. Crokes lost Mannion a few weeks back but the Stillorgan outfit had gained Walsh, and somewhere in the middle they broke about even, and it was enough for them to get this job done.

It is Walsh’s first county title, having previously lost two intermediate finals with his home club of Kilkerrin-Clonberne. He might not have grown up dreaming of winning a Dublin SFC, but he did grow up dreaming of becoming a county champion.

“Winning a county final was always part of it,” he admitted. “And today I suppose that was kind of a milestone completed, it doesn’t matter where it is you still have to go and win one and they are never easy won so just delighted to get over the line.”

Na Fianna will have plenty of regrets, though.

They led 0-7 to 0-6 at half-time and when Conor McHugh pointed a free in the 42nd minute they were two points in front. However, they failed to score again until the 67th minute. While the scores dried up for the Mobhi Road side during that spell, Crokes scored four points without reply – three from Walsh and one from midfielder Craig Dias.

Na Fianna had the benefit of the wind in the first half but there was never more than two points between the sides during the entire game. Cooper picked up Walsh at the throw-in, but immediately Eoin Murchan moved over to mark the Galway star.

However, Walsh’s ability to transfer direction whilst injecting a burst of pace caught Murchan and Na Fianna out on several occasions.

Crokes went from the 19th to the 38th minute without scoring. Three of Walsh’s wides came in the second half, but so too did three of his points – the first of those in the 45th minute a wonderful left-footed score after jinking away from tackles to find space.

In the build-up to that score an off-the-ball wrestling match between Dias and Paddy Quinn resulted in the Na Fianna midfielder getting injured and receiving a black card for his troubles. With a numerical advantage, Crokes seized the initiative and hit the front in the 51st minute when Dias raced through the middle to score.

Walsh’s left-footed point from the middle of the 45-metre line pushed Crokes two ahead and as the game entered added time, no doubt with the memory of the All-Ireland club final defeat in their minds, Crokes started to foul further out the field to prevent the concession of a late goal.

“Robbie Brennan had said it all week, there was only going to be a point in it either way and to make sure we were the ones to come out on top,” added Walsh, the man who ensured that indeed was to be the case.

KILMACUD CROKES: C Ferris; C O’Shea, M Mullin, D O’Brien; A McGowan (0-1), R O’Carroll (0-1), A Jones; B Shovlin (0-1), C Dias (0-2); T Fox, S Walsh (0-4), S Horan; H Kenny, D Mullin (0-2, one mark), S Cunningham. Subs: C O’Connor for Fox (36 mins); C Casey for Horan (46 mins); C Pearson for Cunningham (47 mins); A Quinn for Kenny (66 mins)

NA FIANNA: D O’Hanlon; G Farrell, E O’Dea, E Murchan (0-1); A Fitzgerald, J Cooper, A Rafter; M Day (0-1), P Quinn (0-1); D Quinn, A Byrne (0-2), D Lacey (0-2, two frees); G O’Reilly, C McHugh (0-2, two frees), B O’Leary (0-1). Subs: S Caffrey for O’Reilly (41 mins); J Doran for D Quinn (53 mins); D Ryan for P Quinn (56 mins); D Ryan for Rafter (57 mins)

Referee: Barry Tiernan (O’Dwyer’s)