Na Fianna waited til last minute to grasp final spot by slimmest of margins
It Found Fianna And Secure To Left Their Spot Late Win Na Way: Final All Ireland
Up to 3.30pm yesterday, the chips had fallen kindly for both Na Fianna and Loughrea.
The latter had come through a Galway championship without having to stand opposite reigning All-Ireland champions St Thomas’. Na Fianna had come through a provincial series without having to stand opposite Ballyhale Shamrocks, O’Loughlin Gaels, or the newbies on the Kilkenny scene, Thomastown, that took out both of the recent All-Ireland finalists.
For those they did meet and manoeuvre past on the journey, late, late goals kept them moving on.
And so yesterday, at 3.30pm, was their respective shot. Loughrea and Na Fianna would never get a better chance to secure All-Ireland final involvement. They both knew as much.
Knowing and then acting on that knowledge don’t always follow one after the other. Na Fianna spent much of this All-Ireland semi-final almost determined not to take their shot. They couldn’t find fluency, white flags, or the lead.
For the first three quarters of an hour or so, the only chips falling kindly for Na Fianna were Loughrea wides. Those chips tumbled like a child pushing dominoes. Those misses - some reaching unforgivable status - kept the northsiders in the frame.
Somehow, and in spite of their own mediocre efforts, they will make the short spin to Croke Park on January 19. The suddenness of the overtaking movement stunned Loughrea. It left them hunkered over in disbelief at Colm Lyons’ last whistle.
The Galway champions led from the 11th to the 55th minute. They feasted on the opposition restart. They had on five separate occasions led by five points, the last of which came six minutes into the second period. There were opportunities to make that six and seven points. They will reflect with deep regret on the closing stages of an opening half where gimme scores were tossed away.
Along with 10 first-half points were 10 further first-half opportunities - seven wides, one off the post, and two more short - not taken.
Tommy Kelly’s charges had control but couldn’t marry it with a clinical edge. They ended up as the latest example of the truism that it doesn’t matter for how long you lead or by how much. It is when you lead. Every other match detail is secondary.
Here are the details that matter: Na Fianna led this semi-final on only two occasions. The first came as late as the 57th minute. The second came in the fourth and final minute of injury-time.
Na Fianna had been gathering and growing the entire fourth quarter. They eventually got there. They’ll go to Croker as only the second ever Dublin side, after 2017 and ‘18 champions Cuala, to contest the Club decider.
A pair from Colin Currie brought them within the minimum on 47 minutes. Currie, who endured a subdued opening half, was beginning to assert himself.
The second of Currie's pair was a free won by another Dub beginning to belatedly assert himself. Donal Burke was more anonymous than subdued in the opening half. He’d managed only one shot, off target as it proved, and that was in first-half stoppages. Moving him from drifting half-forward to full-forward proved a key tactical alteration.
Na Fianna would close to within the minimum on two further occasions without ever equalising. Sub Jamie Ryan, Anthony Burns, and Tiernan Killeen kept Loughrea at a distance of two.
Currie tied matters on 55 minutes. It had been three quarters of an hour since the previous stalemate. Little over a minute later, Seán Currie wrestled the free that enabled his brother nudge them ahead for the first time.
Tiernan Killeen punished a foul on sub Vince Morgan to bring Loughrea level as the hour mark approached. The board went up for four minutes. There was to be only one score across those four allotted minutes. It came 20 seconds from the end of those four allotted minutes.
Temporary sub Donal Ryan barged out of the Na Fianna defence. His pass was to Currie. A darting Ciarán Stacey run drew defenders and opened doors. He offloaded to the unmarked AJ Murphy. The winner ensued.
After a humdrum few years for Dublin hurling, the significance of this result should not be downplayed. An All-Ireland final appearance, rare and all as they are for Dublin hurling clubs, is the perfect way to throw the sliotar in on a 2025 where Niall Ó Ceallacháin will eventually move from Na Fianna to Dublin manager. He’ll hope to bring club momentum with him.
Full-time arrived at 4.50pm. The locals in Thurles began to turn off the lights at 5.04pm. The different pods of Na Fianna supporters celebrating with their respective son, nephew, husband, partner, or friend were not for budging. They had been so late for this All-Ireland semi-final, to the point where you wondered if they were ever going to show up at all, were only really getting going.
: C Currie (0-10, 0-7 frees, 0-1 65); AJ Murphy (0-3); S Currie (0-2); C Stacey, D Burke (0-1 each).
: T Killeen (0-5, 0-3 frees); S Morgan (0-3, 0-3 frees); A Burns, Darren Shaughnessy (0-2 each); I Hanrahan, Cullen Killeen, J Mooney, J Ryan (0-1 each).
: J Tracey; S Burke, K Burke, C McHugh; P O’Dea, L Rushe, P Feeney; B Ryan, S Currie; J Meagher, D Burke, C Stacey; G King, AJ Murphy, C Currie.
: D Clerkin for King (25 mins); T Brennan for Clerkin (47); S Barrett for O’Dea (56); D Ryan for Meagher (58, temporary).
: G Loughnane; P Hoban, J Coen, K Hanrahan; S O’Brien, S Morgan, B Keary; I Hanrahan, Cullen Killeen; Caimin Killeen, T Killeen, J Mooney; A Burns, N Keary, D Shaughnessy.
: J Ryan for N Keary (39); Dylan Shaughnessy for Darren Shaughnessy (55); V Morgan for Caimin Killeen (56).
C Lyons (Cork).