Dublin SFC: Ballyboden and Na Fianna come from behind to secure final spots

​Dublin senior football championship semi-finals

Ballyboden St Endas 3-21

Cuala 2-22

Na Fianna 3-11

Kilmacud Crokes 1-16

By Paul Keane

Cuala's reign as Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland club SFC champions is over after crashing out of their county championship on a dramatic afternoon of semi-final action.

Daire Sweeney's 2-8 haul helped Ballyboden St Endas to come from seven points down with just five minutes of normal time remaining and win by two.

Cuala surely thought they were through to just a third ever county decider as they led from the first score of the game until until the 62nd minute when Sweeney smashed the match-winning goal.

Sweeney's first goal arrived in the 56th minute and was followed by a point from Dublin attacker Ross McGarry and a two-pointer from Callum O'Dwyer.

Cuala were still a point ahead in stoppage time but when Alex Gavin and O'Dwyer combined to set Sweeney free again, he didn't disappoint and rippled the net to secure a memorable two-point win for the Firhouse Road team.

Con O'Callaghan finished with 1-7 for Cuala but still finished on the losing side while there were strong cameos too from wing-backs Eoin Kennedy and David O'Dowd.

Cuala led by 1-14 to 0-11 at half-time and increased that lead to eight points at one stage in the final quarter before 'Boden upped the ante and pulled off a win that keeps them in line for a potential fifth Dublin SFC title.

Eamonn O'Reilly's side will play Na Fianna in the final next Saturday week, October 18, under lights at Parnell Park.

Na Fianna pulled off their own come-from-behind win at the expense of 2023 All-Ireland winners Kilmacud Crokes.

For the second game running, James Doran scored the winning point for Na Fianna having previously punished Ballymun Kickhams with a late score at the quarter-final stage.

Na Fianna were 11 points down at one stage against Ballymun and found themselves five points behind at half-time here, 2-3 to 1-11.

David Quinn and Darragh Kennedy grabbed the first-half goals to keep Na Fianna in it.

Quinn's second goal in the third quarter ignited them and back-to-back points from both Brian O'Leary and dual ace Conor McHugh helped them to draw the game on the hour mark.

Doran then came good, striking the winning point at the end of a sweeping counter-attack for Na Fianna who were last county champions in 2001.

Na Fianna manager Tom Gray will carefully monitor a quad injury picked up by county star Eoin Murchan ahead of the decider.

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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: David O'Hanlon; Fiachra Potts, Jonny Cooper, Adam Rafter, Oscar Donohoe, Eoin Murchan, Niall McGovern; Conor Early, James Doran; Killian Deeley, Brian O'Leary, David Quinn; Ciaran Reddin, Conor McHugh, Sean Caffrey

Subs: Darragh Kennedy for Murchan (10), Vinny Flynn for Deeley (HT), Keelan Sexton for Caffrey (47), Conor Baxter for Quinn (59), Seamus Smith for Reddin (62), Adrian Neville for Cooper, blood (63).

Kilmacud Crokes: David Higgins; Dan O'Brien, Michael Mullin, Theo Clancy; Aidan Jones, Andy McGowan, Leo Fearon; Paddy O'Connor, Craig Dias; Cian O'Connor, Luke Ward, Dara Mullin; Shane Walsh, Padraig Purcell, Hugh Kenny.

Subs: Darragh Dempsey for Purcell (17), Niall Comerford for Ward (HT), Cillian O'Shea for McGowan (HT), Ben Shovlin for O'Connor (59), Rory O'Carroll for Shovlin (63).

Referee: Dave Feeney.

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Ballyboden St Endas 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 Endas: Hugh O'Sullivan; Shane Clayton, Cathal Flaherty, Brian Bobbett; Alex Gavin, Peter Healy, Harry Donaghy; Cein Darcy, James Holland; James Madden, Ross McGarry, Ryan O'Dwyer; Ryan Basquel, Colm Basquel, Daire Sweeney

Subs: Patrick Warren for Donaghy (HT), John McGuire for R Basquel (HT), Kieran Kennedy for Healy (44), Callum O'Dwyer for Ryan O'Dwyer (53), Darren O'Reilly for Sweeney (63)

Cuala: Darragh O'Dowd; Eoghan O'Callaghan, Michael Fitzsimons, Danny Conroy; Eoin Kennedy, Charlie McMorrow, David O'Dowd; Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy; Cillian Dunne, Cal Doran, Oscar Hussey; Niall O'Callaghan, Con O'Callaghan, Conor O'Brien.

Subs: Conor Groarke for Hussey (HT), Conor Mullally for O'Brien (44), Liam Fitzgerald for O Cofaigh Byrne (53), Michael Conroy for Danny Conroy (64)

Referee: Ian Howley.