O'Callaghans steady the ship as Cuala fend off Coolera/Strandhill fightback to book final date
FIERCE FIGHT: Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne of Cuala under pressure from Coolera-Strandhill players during the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final match between Coolera-Strandhill and Cuala at Kingspan Breffni Park in Cavan. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
South Dublin outfit Cuala are on the verge of joining Cork's St Finbarrs as the only clubs to have won both All-Ireland senior club football and hurling titles.
Con O'Callaghan kicked five important points as Cuala held off a brave Coolera/Strandhill fightback in Cavan to secure their All-Ireland club football final place.
The Dublin champions appeared to be cruising to victory when they led by seven points with 20 or so minutes to go. But that gap was cut to just two with 10 minutes to go before Cuala reeled off four late points, two each from O'Callaghan brothers Con and Niall, to secure their final place alongside Errigal Ciaran next Sunday at Croke Park.
Powerful midfield duo Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne and Peter Duffy impressed too for the Austin O'Malley managed side who were backboned in defence again by nine-time All-Ireland winning Dublin star Michael Fitzsimons.
Coolera/Strandhill experienced extra-time in both of their Connacht championship games, going all the way to penalties against Ballina, and winning the county final after a replay. So they were well used to showing patience and biding their time in testing conditions, a characteristic that was evident in their first-half display.
Their attacks were patient and deliberate, often containing lengthy sequences of hand-passing and regularly bringing goalkeeper Ryan Scollard into the play.
Typically, it was only when Niall Murphy, their marquee attacker got free, that they would suddenly work the ball into the inside line.
It worked, to a point. Murphy did get on the ball plenty of times and shot a terrific score in the 10th minute from the right despite being heavily tracked.
But Murphy also dropped a score attempt short and kicked two wides, once after a free he won himself, leaving the Connacht champions with just two points in the credit column for the entire first-half.
Cuala, in turn, were happy enough to sit back and defend for long spells but they were more direct when they did get the ball and launched a number of impressive attacks.
O Cofaigh Byrne, their big county midfielder, bombed forward for one excellent score and Dublin colleague Fitzsimons won a free that Con O'Callaghan converted after a similar surging run through the middle.
Niall O'Callaghan's 24th minute point probably summed up how both teams went about their business. Murphy, after several minutes of Coolera/Strandhill possession, dropped a point attempt short and Cuala immediately counter-attacked with a pacy move that ended in Niall O'Callaghan stroking over a fine score off his left foot seconds later.
Coolera/Strandhill were without Sligo player Keelan Cawley and the experienced Luke Bree, both attackers named in the team but replaced beforehand by Aaron O'Boyle and Leo Doherty respectively.
Cuala, meanwhile, started Cillian Dunne in place of number 10 and captain James Power and Dunne hit the opening score after Con O'Callaghan won possession in the left corner-forward position and recycled the ball back out.
Cuala hit the interval with a 0-6 to 0-2 lead and were good value for it as they played a controlled game and hit just a solitary first-half wide in the foggy conditions.
Cuala should have netted after a Con O'Callaghan turnover and breakaway early in the second-half but Luke Keating ultimately blasted just wide.
It was more an annoyance than a fatal miss as Cuala responded to the missed opportunity with three points in a row anyhow, from the excellent David O'Dowd, Peter Duffy and Con O'Callaghan.
With 20 minutes to go, they were 0-10 to 0-3 up and the game was threatening to get away from a Coolera-Strandhill side struggling to cope with the power and pace of the south Dubliners.
To the credit of John McPartland's side, they dug remarkably deep with five points in a row between the 41st and 47th to reignite the game again, leaving Cuala just 0-10 to 0-8 ahead.
Adam Higgins got the first of those five scores for Coolera-Strandhill just moments after coming on while Mark McDaniel, Ross Doherty, Murphy and captain Peter Laffey all split the posts too.
It set up an intriguing final 10 minutes or so and while Cuala lost corner-back Eoghan O'Callaghan to a 54th minute black card for an off the ball block, they held out with those four points from the other O'Callaghan brothers keeping them in the clear.
Con O'Callaghan 0-5 (0-3f), Niall O'Callaghan 0-3, Cal Doran 0-2, Cillian Dunne 0-1, Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne 0-1, David O'Dowd 0-1, Peter Duffy 0-1.
Mark McDaniel 0-2 (0-1m), Niall Murphy 0-2, Ross Doherty 0-1, Keelan Harte 0-1, Adam Higgins 0-1, Peter Laffey 0-1, Sean Taylor 0-1.
Ryan Scollard; Eoghan O'Callaghan, Charlie McMorrow, Danny Conroy; Eoin Kennedy, Michael Fitzsimons, David O'Dowd; Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy; Cillian Dunne, Conor O'Brien, Cal Doran; Luke Keating, Niall O'Callaghan, Con O'Callaghan.
Conor Groarke for O'Brien 45, Michael Conroy for Danny Conroy 50, Cathal O Giollain for Keating 58, Luke Tracey for O'Dowd 60, James Power for Dunne 64.
Keelan Harte; Sean Murphy, Jonathan Cassidy, Sean Taylor; Conor McDonagh, Ross O'Carroll, Oran Harte; Kevin Banks, Peter Laffey; Ross Doherty, Mark McDaniel, Leo Doherty; Barry O'Mahony, Aaron O'Boyle, Niall Murphy.
Keelan Cawley for O'Mahony 38, Adam Higgins for McDonagh 40.
Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).
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