Dublin Senior Football Championship Final

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS 1-19 BALLYBODEN ST ENDAS 0-8

By John Harrington at Parnell Park

Ballymun Kickhams won their first Dublin Senior Football Championship since 2012 and fourth in their history with surprising ease in Parnell Park this afternoon.

We expected a clash of heavyweights, but reigning champions Ballyboden never really laid a glove on a Kickhams outfit that beat them to the punch throughout the bout.

The winners were so good in the first half that they led 10 points at the break, and in the second half free-wheeled downhill to victory.

In the early running it looked like we might have the competitive encounter most expected because Ballyboden actually started the match quite well. Conal Keaney, especially, looked sharp in attack.

Thanks partly to two nice points from him Ballyboden were still in the match by the 11th minute with the teams tied at 0-4 apiece, but their day unravelled rapidly thereafter.

Ballymun scored 10 points without reply during the remainder of the half as they moved through the gears like a high-powered sports car.

During this period their superiority was total in all areas of the pitch, starting with goalkeeper Evan Comeford.

His laser-guided restarts gave his team a vital edge. They almost always claimed the ball from their own kick-outs which gave them a consistent platform to attack.

Ballyboden weren’t as comfortable going the short kick-out route thanks to an excellent Ballymun high press, and when they went long they came off second best more often than not.

Ballymun’s dominant half-backs and midfield ensured a steady supply of ball made its way into their forwards, who were in the mood to make the most of it.

Dillon Keating’s ability to win ball and use his low centre of gravity to turn quickly created opportunities for shooters like Patrick Small, Fiach Andrews, and Dean Rock who all had their sights dialled in.

Rock, especially, was utterly ruthless.

His ability to drift into space was hard to credit because you have to presume the Ballyboden defence viewed him as the chief danger-man.

But they couldn’t get near him and in a ten-minute period he scored four points, three from play and one a mark.

He was just as accurate from frees and by the end of the first half had amassed a personal tally of seven points.

Credit must also go to the Ballymun defence who put serious heat on the ball-carrier whenever Ballyboden ventured into their half.

When ‘Boden did manage to create attacking opportunities they invariably had to shoot under pressure and in the first-half alone racked up seven wides.

The game was already effectively over as a contest by half-time, with Ballymun leading by 0-14 to 0-4.

Ballyboden brought on three substitutes at the break to try to inject some much-needed life into their challenge and, if nothing else, they at least managed to staunch their wounds in the third quarter.

Ballymun were finding the ‘Boden defence less generous now, but they still extended their lead thanks to two classy points by the electric Keating.

A Colm Basquel free midway through the second-half was ‘Boden’s first score for 35 minutes, but was never going to herald an unlikely comeback.

It was Ballymun who finished with a flourish. Dean Rock blasted home a penalty and Andrews and Whelan added another layer of icing to the sweetest of cakes with two late points.

Scorers for Ballymun Kickhams: Dean Rock 1-8 (2f, 1 mark) Fiach Andrews 0-4, Dillon Keating 0-3, Patrick Small 0-2 (1 mark), Cathal O’Tighe 0-1, Jason Whelan 0-1

Scorers for Ballyboden St. Endas: Ryan Basquel 0-3 (1f), Conal Keaney 0-3, Colm Basquel 0-2 (2f)

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS: Evan Comerford; Darragh Conlon, Eoin Dolan, Philly McMahon; Carl Keeley, John Small, Leon Young; Aaron Elliott, James McCarthy; Cameron McCormack, Fiach Andrews, Cathal O’Tighe; Patrick Small, Dillon Keating, Dean Rock. Subs: Jason Whelan for Cathal O’Tighe (49), Andrew McCAul for Dillon Keating (53), Ciaran McManus for Cameron McCormack (58) Brian Ashton for Aaron Elliott (59)

BALLYBODEN ST ENDAS: Mark McNamee; Shane Clayton, Kieran Kennedy, Cathal Flaherty; Brian Bobbett, Darragh Nelson, Robbie McDaid; Michael Darragh MacAuley, Aran Waters; Ross McGarry, Warren Egan, Darren O’Reilly; Conal Keaney, Ryan Basquel, Colm Basquel. Subs: Alan Flood for Darren O’Reilly (ht), Declan O’Mahony for Brian Bobbett (ht), James Holand for Darragh Nelson (ht), Simon Lambert for Colm Basquel (50), Tom Hayes for Ross McGarry (54)

Ref: Seamus Farrelly