Leinster senior club football quarter-final: Cuala 1-18 (1-2-14) Sarsfields 0-11 (0-0-11)
Before this fixture, Cuala had never won a provincial game by more than three points.
So there was some substance to manager Derek Dunne’s claim after their first-round arm wrestle with Tullamore that expecting them to saunter through the province was “rubbish”.
It took a late Con O’Callaghan two-pointer to see off Tullamore that day, and when the 2024 champions trailed Sarsfields by a point at half-time on their return to Parnell Park, it seemed like another 50-50 game.
Sarsfields were shorn of their most potent attacker, Ben McCormack, late in the opening half due to injury, but it was still a surprise to witness them slip entirely out of the game after the break as Cuala brought all their talent, muscle and experience to bear.
RM Block
The Dubliners outscored Sarsfields by 1-12 to 0-2 in the second half, Dan O’Sullivan supplying the goal as the O’Callaghan brothers, Con and Niall, registered 0-10 between them.
When Cuala are at their best, they dominate teams across the middle third, which is exactly what they did here for the second period, upping the ante considerably and finding Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne and Peter Duffy only too happy to help turn the screw.
Ó Cofaigh Byrne plucked a beauty out of the air from a Sarsfields kick-out to set up Niall O’Callaghan for a two-pointer, exemplifying how they like to go about their business.
Eoin Kennedy fetched similarly later on, beginning a move that substitute Conor Mullally happily finished off for a point.
Cuala will be back at Parnell Park on November 28th for a provincial semi-final against Carlow’s Rathvilly or Laois side Portarlington.
They’ll be favourites again, although Dunne won’t be taking much notice of that, anticipating another considerable battle next time out.
“I’m cautious about every game,” said Dunne. “I think it’s a tough competition to win. I obviously don’t know yet who we’re coming up against, but they are two experienced sides in Leinster who have won their county championships a few times and are now setting their sights on chasing a Leinster title, as opposed to a county championship.”
It will be Cuala’s sixth successive game at Parnell Park. Should they advance to the decider, they could claim a second provincial title in three seasons without stepping foot outside the capital.
But that thought didn’t cross anyone’s mind during the opening half, when the Dublin kingpins were finding the going tough.
Con Kavanagh lined up against his Cuala namesake while Ben McCormack was making hay in the Sarsfields attack.
The Kildare forward scored two of their first three points on their way to an early 0-5 to 0-2 lead.
Cuala, meanwhile, drilled three early wides and went a full 20 minutes without scoring.
Con O’Callaghan eventually broke the run of Sarsfields scores with back-to-back points before his brother Niall rifled over a two-pointer.
They were steadying scores and Niall O’Callaghan then rifled a goal chance off the post but Sarsfields closed out the half strongest, Shea Ryan and Daragh Ryan slotting over points to give their side a 0-7 to 0-6 half-time lead.
“They took a few of their chances and we were struggling in that regard, kicking a couple of wides and stuff like that,” Dunne said of their first-time woes.
But the tide turned on the resumption. Without McCormack, Sarsfields were blunted and did themselves no favours with a couple of 4/3 breaches. The first, when goalkeeper Cathal Moore went forward to kick a 45 and so leaving three at the back, must have frustrated manager Vinnie Walsh no end. Con O’Callaghan helped himself to routine tap overs in each case.
However, the result didn’t come about through Sarsfields’ errors but rather Cuala’s suffocating dominance, denying their challengers a single score for 26 minutes.
CUALA: Darragh O’Dowd; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy (0-1-1), C McMorrow (0-0-1), David O’Dowd; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy (0-0-1); C Groarke, C Doran, D O’Sullivan (1-0-1); C O’Brien, C O’Callaghan (0-0-6, 2f), N O’Callaghan (0-1-2). Subs: J Conroy (0-0-1) for O’Brien (41 mins), C Mullally (0-0-1) for O’Sullivan (49), D Drummond for D Conroy (53), K O’Shea for Kennedy (57), J Keenan for Groarke 57.
SARSFIELDS: C Moore; C Harnett, C Kavanagh (0-0-1), J O’Neill; D Conlon, D Shalvey, C White (0-0-1m); S Ryan (0-0-1), C Bolton; B McCormack (0-0-2), R Kearney (0-0-2), D Ryan (0-0-1); C O’Donovan (0-0-1), L Mahon (0-0-1), K Hartley (0-0-1). Subs: B Coffey for Mahon (42 mins), M Byrne for Conlon (46), TJ Donohue for D Ryan (53), K Dwyer for White (55).
Referee: A Coyne (Westmeath).
