AIB Leinster club senior football championship final

KILMACUD CROKES (DUBLIN) 1-14 NAAS (KILDARE) 0-10

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

Kilmacud Crokes have made history as the first ever side to win three AIB Leinster club SFC titles in a row following a hard fought provincial decider at Croke Park.

A terrific 1-8 haul from Galway's Shane Walsh ultimately did the trick for Robbie Brennan's crew though it was tough going for long spells against a side they know well.

Crokes also beat Naas in the 2021 final, and at the quarter-final stage in 2022, and just two points separated the teams with 60 minutes played, 0-12 to 0-10.

But 1-2 from Crokes in stoppage time including 1-1 from Walsh, who kicked into an empty net with virtually the last action of the game following a turnover high up the pitch, sealed a slightly flattering seven-point win.

It all got away from Naas in the closing minutes as they lost key forward Alex Beirne to a second yellow card also.

Their season is over but for Crokes it promises to be an enjoyable Christmas as they look forward now to an All-Ireland semi-final clash with the Ulster champions - Glen or Scotstown - on the weekend of January 6/7.

Aside from becoming the first side in Leinster to do the three-in-a-row, Crokes have also moved to the head of the provincial roll of honour on seven titles with Portlaoise and St Vincent's.

Crokes approached the game on a 19-game winning streak in championship football, stretching all the way back to their early 2022 All-Ireland final defeat to Kilcoo.

It was only a late, late goal that suckered the Stillorgan men on that occasion too and, had they held out, they'd have been coming into this one with 30 wins on the bounce.

They were considerable favourites as a result and while they conceded the opening score of the game, a Dermot Hanafin score for Naas, they led by the seventh minute and were on level terms or leading for the majority of the game.

Boss Brennan initially named Dublin midfielder Craig Dias on the bench but, along with former Offaly forward Shane Horan, who wore number 19, they were added to the lineup in place of James Murphy and Anthony Quinn.

That necessitated a formation reshuffle and Rory O'Carroll, wearing number nine, dropped to defence to allow Dias partner up with dual player Brian Sheehy at midfield.

Naas made three alterations to their lineup, drafting in county man Darragh Kirwan, Conor McCarthy and Sean Hanafin.

O'Carroll picked up Sean Hanafin initially while rising star full-back Theo Clancy, available again after injury, tracked Darragh Kirwan.

That was a tough task and the ultra talented Kirwan, strong on both feet, escaped his man for three Naas points in the opening half.

Current Kildare half-forward Beirne had a couple of half chances for Naas goals but blazed over on both occasions.

The scores came a little easier for Crokes and while 2022 Galway All-Star Walsh filled his boots, clipping four points in the opening half, Dias was the unsung hero.

The two-time All-Ireland medallist with Dublin, in 2011 and 2023, won two frees that Walsh converted and Dias clipped a point too while Paul Mannion was also on the mark with a trademark converted free.

Naas corner-back Mark Maguire picked up Walsh at the start but McCarthy ended up moving onto him as the underdogs struggled to deal with his craft and movement.

It all added up to a 0-9 to 0-7 half-time lead for Crokes who maintained a two-point advantage at the end of a tense third quarter, 0-11 to 0-9.

Naas were probably the better side in that period but cursed their bad luck and poor handling on a couple of occasions. They twice hit the post with point attempts, Cathal Daly fumbled the ball with the goal at his mercy on another occasion while Beirne later intercepted the ball and appeared set to create an easy score only to drop the ball.

That two-point margin remained between the teams at the beginning of stoppage time and Crokes, with all their big game experience, duly turned on the afterburners to kill off the game with that flurry of late scores.

Kilmacud Crokes scorers: Shane Walsh 1-8 (0-5f), Shane Horan 0-2, Paul Mannion 0-1 (0-1f), Craig Dias 0-1, Dara Mullin 0-1, Rory O'Carroll 0-1.

Naas scorers: Darragh Kirwan 0-4 (0-2f), Alex Beirne 0-4, Dermot Hanafin 0-1, Paul McDermott 0-1.

Kilmacud Crokes: David Higgins; Dan O'Brien, Theo Clancy, Rory O'Carroll; Cian O'Connor, Andrew McGowan, Mark O'Leary; Craig Dias, Brian Sheehy; Shane Horan, Paul Mannion, Dara Mullin; Hugh Kenny, Shane Cunningham, Shane Walsh.

Subs: Dan Murphy for Kenny h/t, Callum Pearson for Mullin 38, Luke Ward for Cunningham 50, Darragh Dempsey for O'Connor 50, James Murphy for Dias 58.

Naas: Luke Mullins; Mark Maguire, Conor McCarthy, Cathal Daly; Brian Byrne; Paddy McDermott, Eoin Doyle, Eoghan Prizeman; Paul McDermott, James Burke; Alex Beirne, Dermot Hanafin, Jack McKevitt; Sean Hanafin, Darragh Kirwan.

Subs: Kevin Cummins for Paul McDermott 50, Tom Browne for Prizeman 50, Neil Aherne for Dermot Hanafin 58, Sean Cullen for McKevitt 60.

Referee: David Hickey (Carlow).