Hurling 'didn't exist' in Na Fianna, now they've reached summit
Donal and Kevin Burke of Na Fianna with family members. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor
Niall Ó Ceallacháin says there was a time, as recently as the 1990s, when hurling 'wasn't existing' at Na Fianna.
Now they're Leinster club champions, just the third club from the capital to do so after Cuala and Crumlin.
They're also one of just two clubs in the entire province, along with Cuala, to have won both provincial senior titles.
AJ Murphy's 40th-minute goal on Saturday, halting a Kilcormac/Killoughey revival, will be remembered as the game's most significant score.
Free-taker Colin Currie impressed again with eight points while 'outstanding' captain Donal Burke gave his best performance of the campaign, striking seven points from play.
It wasn't always this way for Na Fianna who, under Ó Ceallacháin, only contested a first county senior final in 2021, won a first Dublin title in 2023, and have now scaled Leinster's summit.
"The boys who are here now have been able to kick on and drive on but hurling wasn't existing in the club almost in the '80s and the early '90s," said the new Dublin manager. "What we have won now is really for all those parents and all those coaches who have put so much work in year after year over those 25, 30 years and I'm really pleased for all of them."
Na Fianna led from pillar to post in front of 9,209 though had to dig deep after Conor Mahon's 39th minute goal for K/K, which reduced the deficit to a point.
Along with Murphy's goal, Burke added two more points in the closing minutes to help Na Fianna turn the screw - securing an All-Ireland semi-final clash with Loughrea on the weekend of December 14/15.
Having missed last year's final with a bad hamstring injury, team skipper Burke's impact was clear this time.
"Donal is just outstanding," said O Ceallachain, who lost one of his selectors to a straight red card early in the second-half. "For us, it's his leadership I would say, day in and day out. The lads felt for him last year when he wasn't involved from a playing side of things. For him to step out there and put in that performance, it's huge.
"Sometimes when a player is back from a really harsh injury like that, it's expected that a player like him would just be straight back to his best immediately but he had an extremely serious injury and those things take time."
Na Fianna, beaten by a point by O'Loughlin Gaels last year, led by 1-13 to 0-11 at half-time and were seven clear late on when Adam Screeney struck a late K/K consolation goal, bringing his own personal tally to 1-8.
It's a third final defeat for the Offaly side since winning Leinster in 2012. They were without All-Ireland U-20 medallist Ter Guinan due to a hamstring injury while powerful Offaly centre-back Cillian Kiely was only fit enough to come on as he was playing with a broken thumb.
"Cillian got a bad break in the semi-final of the Offaly championship," said manager Shane Hand. "He came on against Castletown Geoghegan then in the Leinster semi-final, I don't know if people know this but he has a new fracture on the same thumb. He got another belt against Castletown Geoghegan. He was X-Rayed last Monday and it showed a new fracture. It's ridiculous luck."
Time at least is on K/K's side having contributed a whopping 11 players to this year's All-Ireland U-20 championship winning Offaly panel.
"We were coming up with such a young team," said Hand. "We have five 19-year-olds, a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old, a 22-year-old. Na Fianna were the more seasoned team but I thought our lads brought the fight to them in the second-half."
Hand acknowledged that Na Fianna's superior conditioning and experience of last year's final was a big help to them. He said his young side struggled with the demands of three Leinster championship games on consecutive weekends.
"I thought we were a bit leggy, normally we'd pride ourselves on putting on a big squeeze and turning the ball over," said Hand. "I just thought we were a yard off it this time."
C Currie (0-8, 7 frees); D Burke (0-7); AJ Murphy (1-2); S Currie (1-0); J Meagher, B Ryan (0-2 each); C Stacey (0-1).
A Screeney (1-8, 0-6 frees); C Mahon (1-2); C Mitchell (0-3); C Slevin (0-2, 2 frees); C Spain (0-1).
J Tracey; K Burke, S Burke, C McHugh; D Ryan, L Rushe, P Feeney; B Ryan, S Currie; G King, D Burke, J Meagher; C Currie, AJ Murphy, C Stacey.
S Ryan for King (h/t); D Clerkin for Rushe (49-50, blood); S Barrett for Meagher (58).
C Slevin; O Mahon, T Spain, J Mahon; J Quinn, B Kavanagh, E Grogan; C Spain, D Kilmartin; J Screeney, C Mahon, L Kavanagh; A Screeney, C Mitchell, D Hand.
Cillian Kiely for Grogan (39); J Gorman for Hand (42); P Geraghty for J Screeney (45); Cathal Kiely for L Kavanagh (57); A Kavanagh for Kilmartin (59).
P Dunne (Laois).
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