Cuala and Ballyboden to clash in Dublin SFC last four

​​PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship quarter-finals

SUNDAY

Thomas Davis 1-16 Ballymun Kickhams 1-13

Cuala 1-21 Skerries Harps 0-19

SATURDAY

Ballyboden St Enda's 0-17 Clontarf 0-14

Castleknock 0-17 Kilmacud Crokes 0-14

By Paul Keane at Parnell Park

Cuala and Ballyboden St Endas, both AIB All-Ireland club champions within the last decade, will meet in a glamour county SFC semi-final tie early next month.

Holders 'Boden and 2025 national champions Cuala both pulled through their respective PTSB Dublin SFC 1 quarter-final ties across the weekend to advance to the penultimate stage.

They will be joined in the last four by Ciarán Kilkenny's Castleknock and 2019 finalists Thomas Davis who will clash in the other semi-final.

Castleknock have never won the Dublin SFC and only contested a single final, exactly 10 years ago.

They overcame another former All-Ireland winner, Kilmacud Crokes, by 0-17 to 0-14 in Saturday's first quarter-final.

Rob Shaw top scored for the Somerton outfit who saw off a Crokes side minus the services of Galway star Shane Walsh again.

Paul Mannion was fit to line out for Crokes and struck five points for the David Nestor managed side, including a two-pointer, but late Castleknock scores from Ger McDermottroe and Cian Boyle secured the win.

Thomas Davis also won their quarter-final by three points, beating 2020 champions Ballymun Kickhams 1-16 to 1-13 in the last of the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon.

But the narrow margin flattered Séamus O'Shea's Ballymun who trailed from the opening score of the game, a Fionn Murray two-pointer for Thomas Davis.

Murray added two more points at Parnell Park before they pounced for a goal, punishing an errant kick-out by Ballymun and Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford. County man Cian Murphy intercepted the Comerford kick-out and worked the ball to Mark Nolan who slotted in to make it 1-6 to 0-1.

Seán Farrelly got the margin out to nine points shortly after and Thomas Davis were full value for their 1-9 to 0-4 half-time lead.

Kickhams had the diagonal wind with them after the break and enjoyed a couple of bursts of scoring.

Dean Rock, who top scored with 0-8, registered a 39th minute two-pointer but it was their only orange flag score of the day.

Ballymun were still seven behind at the hour mark but clawed back 1-1 through Cameron McCormack and goalscorer Dillon Keating to make it a nervy final few moments for Thomas Davis.

"For large parts of the game we did control it and played some excellent stuff," said Thomas Davis manager Ciarán Farrelly, the former Dublin U-20 boss. "We played some really, really good football and took some good scores. We won key kick-outs at really important times so from all those aspects, we're obviously delighted."

It's club stalwart Farrelly's second spell as senior manager having been a player when they last reached the decider in 2019.

"We'll just decompress now for a while and then we'll start preparing for Castleknock," said Farrelly. "The win they had yesterday was absolutely phenomenal. They're an excellent team with excellent players."

In Sunday's earlier game at Parnell Park, Con O'Callaghan's eight points were crucial in Cuala's 1-21 to 0-19 defeat of Skerries Harps.

Fresh off a big group win over 2025 finalists Na Fianna, up-and-coming Skerries led for much of the first half but Conor O'Brien's goal for Cuala nudged the Dalkey side 1-9 to 0-11 clear at the interval.

They remained in pole position throughout the second half with Dublin defender Eoin Kennedy contributing an important two-pointer.

Dublin and Leinster title holders Ballyboden took care of Clontarf on Saturday, maintaining their winning run in the competition with a 0-17 to 0-14 triumph.

But the Eamonn O'Reilly managed southsiders had to come from four points down at half time to advance.

Late scores from Ryan O'Dwyer and Dublin's Ross McGarry were vital for a 'Boden side that had to dig deep to shrug off a Clontarf team that included Dubs great Jack McCaffrey.