AIB Leinster Club SFC Quarter-Final

KILMACUD CROKES (DUBLIN) 2-17 ST PETER'S, DUNBOYNE (MEATH) 0-7

By Paul Keane at Pairc Tailteann, Navan

Back to back All-Star Paul Mannion helped himself to 2-6 in Navan as Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes returned to the last four of the AIB Leinster club football championship.

The four-time provincial winners and 2009 All-Ireland champions won at their ease at Pairc Tailteann and Mannion effectively sealed the 16-point win with two goals early in the second-half.

His first, in the 40th minute, came from the penalty spot after he himself was fouled and his second arrived three minutes later after a turnover in the Dunboyne defence.

Mannion added three more points after that before being taken off and rested after complaining in recent weeks of a slight hamstring niggle.

The win was achieved without Dublin defender Cian O'Sullivan who wasn't used after flying back into the country just hours before the game from his stag in Spain.

Former Dublin and Clare forward Pat Burke also weighed in with four points for Crokes whose joint manager Robbie Brennan is a Dunboyne resident and both played for and managed the St Peter's club.

Dunboyne were without county forward Donal Lenihan who is away travelling and fell ominously behind as they trailed 0-7 to 0-1 after 20 minutes.

They enjoyed a strong 10 minutes or so before half-time when Craig Lowndes, Robert McCarthy, David McEntee and captain Cathal Finn all pointed.

But that was as good as it got for the Royal County representatives who trailed by 0-10 to 0-5 at half-time before conceding those two goals shortly after, killing the game.

Mannion still had plenty more in the tank on the day and had an exciting personal duel with Meath defender Seamus Lavin though still amassed that 2-6 haul, 1-5 of it coming from placed balls.

Dunboyne, who beat Wexford's Shelmaliers in their previous Leinster outing, could only muster two second-half points while Crokes finished strong with scores from Cian O'Connor, Callum Pearson, Cillian O'Shea and sub Stephen Williams.

Their reward is a semi-final clash with provincial kingpins Portlaoise in a fortnight at Parnell Park.

Scorers for Kilmacud Crokes: Paul Mannion 2-6 (1-0pen, 5fs), Pat Burke 0-4 (4fs), Dara Mullin 0-2, Andrew McGowan 0-1, Cian O'Connor 0-1, Callum Pearson 0-1, Cillian O'Shea 0-1, Stephen Williams 0-1.

Scorers for St Peter's, Dunboyne: Stuart Lowndes 0-2, Robert McCarthy 0-1, David McEntee 0-1 (f), Craig Lowndes 0-1, Cathal Finn 0-1, Seamus Lavin 0-1.

KILMACUD CROKES: David Nestor; Liam Flatman, Andrew McGowan, Cian O'Connor; Aidan Jones, Cillian O'Shea, Ross McGowan; Craig Dias, Conor Casey; Shane Cunningham, Paul Mannion, Shane Horan; Pat Burke, Dara Mullin, Callum Pearson.

Subs: Ronan Ryan for Jones (40), Kevin Dyas for Horan (44), Stephen Williams for Mannion (54), Tom Fox for Cunningham (54), Mark Vaughan for Burke (54), Nathan Nolan for Craig Dias (57).

ST PETER’S DUNBOYNE: Cian Flynn; Gavin McCoy, Liam Byrne, Cian O'Dwyer; Cathal Finn, Seamus Lavin, Craig Lowndes; Shane McEntee, Jack Donnelly; Niall Jones, Stuart Lowndes, Sean Ryan; Robert McCarthy, Ronan Jones, David McEntee.

Subs: Conor Doran for Ryan (24, black card), Jack Scannell for Donnelly (41), David Gallagher for Niall Jones (46), Michael Dunne for David McEntee (54), Shane Comiskey for McCarthy (54), Stephen Moran for Cian O'Dwyer (57).

REFEREE: Maurice Deegan (Laois).