Five-star Naas cruise into another final
Simon Leacy is put under pressure by Coill Dubh's Sean Dunne Photo: Sean Brilly
Imperious Naas cruised into yet another UPMC Kildare Senior Hurling Championship final with a comprehensive 26-point dismantling of Coill Dubh at Cedral St Conleth’s Park on Saturday afternoon.
A game that started sluggishly failed to produce a score from play until the seventeenth minute with the sides sharing eight frees equally, but Simon Leacy broke that pattern, albeit a little fortunately when his mishit shot found a way past goalkeeper Oisín Corboy’s outstretched stick and landed in the Coill Dubh net.
The men in red and white had no time to recover from that with Fionn Maher immediately snaffling possession in the left corner and sending Jack Sheridan through for a deft finish just inside the right upright for a second goal (2-4 to 0-4).
Coill Dubh to their credit kept plugging away for the remainder of the half but still couldn’t break their duck from play while Brian Byrne poached two points for Naas and in first half injury time a classy goal from Maher, dancing through two would-be tacklers before burying past Corboy, gave the seven-in-a-row chasing holders an unassailable 3-8 to 0-5 advantage.
Naas continued on their merry way in the second half with Sheridan burying a 39th minute penalty after Byrne was dragged down and Maher swept a rebound to the net seven minutes later when Byrne’s initial shot was parried by Corboy.
Coill Dubh were wasteful in the second period and it wasn’t until the 47th minute that Colm Gordon added to their half-time tally with their only point of the game from play. Johnny Byrne later added a consolation point from a free 65 metres out but Naas march on as they chase a seventh successive county crown.
Cormac Gallagher; Liam O’Reilly, Ross Kelly, Peter O’Donoghue; Kevin Whelan, Cian Boran 0-2, Simon Leacy 1-0; Rian Boran, Evan O’Brian 0-1; Liam Walsh, Ferran O’Sullivan 0-1, Killian Harrington; Brian Byrne 0-3, Jack Sheridan 2-11 (1-0 pen, 0-10fs), Fionn Maher 1-0. Subs: Daire Guerin for Harrington 44, Charlie Sheridan for Maher 46, Charlie Carroll for Byrne 51, Kevin Kelleher for Whelan 53, Darrach Mac Donncha for O’Reilly 56.
Oisín Corboy; Jamie Kenna, Dylan Brereton, Conor Gordon; John Dee, Mark Grace, Fionn Moran; Enda Keane, Mark Delaney 0-3 (3fs); Ross Carew, Declan Flaherty 0-2 (2fs), Seán Dunne; Colm Gordon 0-1, Johnny Byrne 0-1 (f), Conor Carew. Subs: Keenan Brereton for C Carew 34, Sean McLoughlin for R Carew 37, Paul Byrne for Moran 53, Evan Smullen for Kenna 56, Steven Ryan for Conor Gordon 60+1.
Killian Jones
