2023 heartbreak irrelevant for Na Fianna as they reach back-to-back Leinster final
Sean Ryan of Na Fianna scores his side's goal. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Niall Ó Ceallacháin has insisted that it won't be a week of looking back in anger as Na Fianna prepare for another Leinster club SHC final.
Just four years after contesting their very first county senior final, the Glasnevin club have made it to successive provincial finals.
They will face Kilcormac-Killoughey at Croke Park on Saturday, the scene of last year's agonising one-point final defeat to O'Loughlin Gaels.
Substitute Sean Ryan's 54th minute goal helped secure their latest provincial semi-final win.
The back-to-back Dublin champions had fallen behind just moments earlier having coughed up a four-point half-time lead.
Free-taker Colin Currie's nine points were important too, particularly his last two in the closing minutes of a tense arm encounter.
Those two late Currie points were part of a three-in-a-row of Na Fianna scores which helped them to turn the screw.
Ó Ceallacháin praised his stout defence also as they held Wexford star Rory O'Connor and his brother Jack to just two points from play in all.
Na Fianna may even go into next Saturday evening's final as favourites though Ó Ceallacháin said they won't be leaning on their 2023 final experience for motivation.
"I don't see it as trying to make up for that," the new Dublin manager insisted. "It's obvious to say, you lost last year's final by a point and it's 'Oh, they want to make up for it'. But it's a total new year, it's a new team who we will be playing against.
"We know what went right and what went wrong from last year. We have nothing new to learn from that. It's all water under the bridge.
"The stuff we learned from last year we brought into this year already. We'll hardly even reference it. Like, we probably won't even reference last year once over the next six days. It's a new team, a new challenge and we're just looking forward."
Ó Ceallacháin reckoned it was a victory for Na Fianna's 'resilience' in the end. The gusting wind and low temperature mitigated against a free flowing encounter and Na Fianna drilled 13 wides.
St Martin's got on top in the third quarter too as they chased back-to-back wins in Leinster having already overcome Naas.
But Na Fianna rose to the occasion late on, just like they did in the quarter-final win over Clough-Ballacolla.
This time they outscored their opponents by 1-3 to 0-1 from the 54th minute to move within an hour of a landmark provincial triumph.
"All the momentum was with St Martin's," said Na Fianna stalwart Ó Ceallacháin.
"All the energy was with them, a big wind heading down the pitch. So I'm just really proud of the character our lads showed in the last nine, 10 minutes."
Currie punished St Martin's for a series of first-half fouls and converted five frees, helping them to lead 0-10 to 0-6 at half-time. Gavin King also chopped a line ball over.
But the game didn't really take off until the second-half and St Martin's were the ones to light the fuse.
They dominated the third quarter with four points in a row at one stage to briefly take the lead, 0-14 to 0-13.
Rory, Joe and Barry O'Connor all struck points during the blitz but it was veteran Daithi Waters who really stood out.
The half-back made one inspirational fetch in the air and then expertly dispossessed a Na Fianna player to set up a David Codd point.
But just as a famous win loomed, just a third ever in Leinster for St Martin's, Na Fianna picked up the pace again.
Ryan's goal was a cracker and came after a delivery in from the left that was worked through the hands of Ciaran Stacey and AJ Murphy.
There was still just a point in it with three minutes of normal time remaining, 1-13 to 0-15, but a Donal Burke score, and two from Currie, set the seal on victory.
Colin Currie (0-9, 8 frees); S Ryan (1-0); G King (1 sideline), J Meagher (0-2 each); C Stacey, AJ Murphy, D Burke (0-1 each).
R O'Connor (0-8, 7 frees); David Codd (0-2); Darren Codd, Jack O'Connor, B Stafford, Joe O'Connor, B O'Connor (0-1 each).
J Tracey; C McHugh, S Burke, P O'Dea; K Burke, L Rushe, P Feeney; B Ryan, S Currie; J Meagher, D Burke, C Stacey; C Currie, AJ Murphy, G King.
D Ryan for O'Dea (h/t); S Ryan for B Ryan (43); D Clerkin for King (46).
D Byrne; P O'Connor, C Firman, E O'Leary; P Dempsey, J Barrett, D Waters; David Codd, Joe O'Connor; Darren Codd, Jack O'Connor, J Devereux; B O'Connor, K Firman, R O'Connor.
L Kavanagh for Devereux (36); B Stafford for K Firman (43); S Audsley for P O'Connor (54).
S Cleere (Kilkenny).
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