Leinster club SFC: Naas into first provincial semi after 'derby' cruise
Blessington's Conall Gallagher and Barry Murphy of Naas. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Naas are into a Leinster Senior Football Championship semi-final for the first time in their history after they comfortably dispatched Wicklow champions Blessington at St Conleth's Park, scoring four goals in the process.
It was billed as a local derby between two clubs separated by just 15km but Blessington never looked at any stage capable of toppling their Kildare opponents and the Naas bandwagon rolls on as their footballers emulated the hurlers in their club by booking a place in the last four of Leinster competition.
Naas took charge early on when Luke Griffin pounced in the 10th minute to palm the ball to the net after Blessington goalkeeper Jack Sargent fumbled Sean Cullen’s shot.
Although Kevin Quinn was an ever-dangerous threat to the Naas defence, too often he was isolated in the forward line with Naas able to move from defence to attack with much more speed and precision than their opponents.
39-year-old Eamonn Callaghan scored the last two points of the first quarter to leave Naas 1-4 to 0-1 ahead at the water break, and Griffin and Cullen quickly added points after the restart.
Mikey O’Connor answered back with a close-range free-kick but more pacy and direct running by Paddy McDermott led to another Griffin point in the 25th minute to leave the score at 1-7 to 0-2.
That scoreline felt a fair reflection of the general play in the first half but Blessington were given a glimmer of hope in the last action of the half when a turnover by Naas led to a counter-attack and Quinn, who went to school in Naas CBS and played on the team who lost the Hogan Cup final in 2019, stylishly found the net with the last kick of the half.
That strike breathed new life into the Blessington support and St Conleth's Park bristled with anticipation ahead of the second half. But any thoughts of a close contest ended when Brian Kane shot to the Blessington net within 30 seconds of the restart.
Kane’s goal was the start of a dominant third quarter for Naas and they added a third goal in the 37th minute when a long spell of possession was finished off by a clever pass by Darragh Kirwan who picked out the unmarked Griffin at the back post to tap in for his second goal.
Kirwan, Naas’ matchwinner from their opening round over Tullamore, then got in among the goals with a smart half-volley in the 50th minute to leave the score at 4-9 to 1-2.
As Naas ran in their substitutes' bench, Blessington rattled off four points in a row through Quinn (2), Conor Kenny and David Boothman to put some level of respectability on the scoreboard.
But Callaghan wrapped up things for Naas with points either side of a Conor Kenny effort and Kildare’s county town marches confidently towards a Leinster semi-final date in Croke Park with Wexford side Shelmaliers.
L Griffin (2-3); E Callaghan (0-6, 3 frees); B Kane and D Kirwin (1-0 each); S Cullen and J Burke (0-1 each).
K Quinn (1-3, 1 free); C Kenny (0-2); M O’Connor and D Boothman (0-1 free each).
J Rodgers; B Kane, P Sullivan, C McCarthy; T Browne, B Byrne, Paddy McDermott; E Doyle, S Bergin; S Cullen, E Callaghan, A Beirne; D Kirwin, J Burke, L Griffin.
Paul McDermott for Beirne, 16; B Stynes for Cullen 34; B Murphy for Griffin, 52; C Daly for Doyle, 53; D Costello for Kane, 56.
J Sargent; S Bohan, C Gallagher, J Gilligan; K Hanlon, P McLoughlin, J Cotter; KJ Rodgers, A McLoughlin; M Shannon, K Quinn, D Cooney; M O’Connor, E Keogh, C Kenny.
D Silke Fetherson for Shannon, ht; D Boothman for Cooney, h/t; C Geraghty for O’Connor, h/t; B Bohan for P McLoughlin, 38; D Siney for Hanlon, 45.
D Hickey (Carlow).
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