'They just find a way' - Downes salutes Na Fianna's calm amid chaos after Lucan scare

On the brink of relinquishing their Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland crowns, Downes' men clawed their way back from the brink and broke Lucan hearts 

CLOSE SHAVE: Na Fianna Manager Aidan Downes celebrates after winning the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship Final. Pic: INPHO/Nick Elliott

Dublin SHC Final: Na Fianna 1-20 Lucan Sarsfields 0-22 

Aidan Downes isn't particularly looking forward to the review on this one.

Watching back the video, cutting and dicing it, is all part of the gig but Na Fianna's analysis will be grim in parts, uncovering wides, 11 in the first-half alone, missed opportunities and plenty of mayhem.

Na Fianna manager Downes described it as 'chaos'. And not just in parts either. "From start to finish," he maintained.

And yet his team still found a way to win their third Dublin SHC final in a row, because the really great teams thrive in the chaos.

Two points down to a Lucan side desperate for a first-ever title, almost 60 minutes on the clock and on the brink of relinquishing their Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland crowns, it looked like curtains for them.

Then Man of the Match Brian Ryan, the former Limerick senior, sniped a terrific score from the right wing after Na Fianna had won back possession. Colin Currie clipped over his ninth point of the evening from a free to level it.

And with the clock in the 64th minute, Currie won possession again from a long free by goalkeeper Jonathan Tracey and popped it out to his brother, Sean, to slot the winner.

"The resilience in that group, the two Curries, Donal Burke, the Brian Ryans, they just find a way, they never give up," said Downes. "There's no such thing as a lost cause. They just go after it. There's no panic. They just find a way, they don't give up."

Lucan supporters were sick, and rightly so. In particular, awarding Na Fianna a penalty for a foul by Ronan Smith on Donal Burke in the 39th minute was harsh. It seemed an excellent flick from Smith that knocked the sliotar away from Burke who converted the resulting penalty.

Lucan still had time to rescue the game and almost did, finding themselves on level terms eight times throughout the second-half.

Downes deserves plenty of credit. He still hasn't lost a championship game since taking over at the start of the season from All-Ireland title winning manager Niall O Ceallachain.

Lucan actually beat Na Fianna on O Ceallachain's watch in the group stage of last year's campaign.

"They did a hell of a lot of things right, they were so good," said Downes of Charlie Carter's Lucan. "They stopped a lot of our top players for the majority of the game. As I say, I'm kind of looking forward to analysing the game and also not looking forward to it because of what I'm going to see!"

Na Fianna will travel to play the Wexford champions in a provincial quarter-final tie on November 9.

A repeat of their first-half profligacy here could be costly because they failed to take advantage of the wind behind them at Parnell Park.

Ryan's first 30 minutes or so summed things up, the South Liberties native firing three points but also two wides.

Na Fianna trailed after 15 minutes despite all their chances and just about led at half-time, 0-11 to 0-10.

Lucan, in their first final since 2013, sensed a landmark win and were on level terms at the three-quarter mark despite the soft penalty concession, 1-13 to 0-16.

Ben Coffey's 10th point of the evening nudged them two points clear on the hour. By that stage, Charlie Keher had sniped four points, teenage sub Killian Costelloe had contributed a score and even goalkeeper Seanie McClelland had split the posts.

But Na Fianna kept their nerve, reeling off a three-in-a-row of points to secure a three-in-a-row of titles. It may bode well that they won last year's final by a point too before going on to blitz their province and take the All-Ireland honours.

There will be a question mark over AJ Murphy who went off with a late injury while Kevin Burke didn't start at all after being withdrawn from the defence. Ciaran Stacey is still injured too.

Lucan will reflect on a great opportunity to claim a maiden title which they ultimately let slip. Five second-half wides with the wind didn't help.

"We knew we were right bang in the game at half-time," said Sarsfields manager Carter who didn't agree with the penalty call. "I thought we got a decent flick on the ball but the referee is there and has to make a split decision. He gave it the way it did."

Scorers for Na Fianna: C Currie 0-9 (7 frees); B Ryan 0-5; D Burke 1-0 (penalty); S Currie, AJ Murphy 0-2 each; P O'Dea, C McCarthy 0-1 each.

Scorers for Lucan Sarsfields: B Coffey 0-10 (8 frees); C Keher 0-4; P Crummey 0-2; C Walsh, C Kennedy, D Flannery, C Crummey, S McClelland (1 free), K Costelloe 0-1 each.

Na Fianna: J Tracey; S Burke, C McHugh, D Clerkin; P O'Dea, L Rushe, P Feeney; B Ryan, J Meagher; M Murphy, D Burke, S Currie; C Currie, AJ Murphy, T Brennan.

Subs: J Kavanagh for Clerkin (45); C McCarthy for Brennan (52); L Stacey for Meagher (57); T Gleeson for Murphy (57).

Lucan Sarsfields: S McClelland; M Pappalardo, C Crummey, J Bellew; M McCaffrey, P Rigney, R Smith; C Walsh, L Garrigan; C Keher, D Flannery, B Coffey; D Mulqueen, P Crummey, C Kennedy.

Subs: C Dowling for Mulqueen (43); K Costelloe for Garrigan (50); M Coogan for Flannery (53).

Ref: R Hanley (St Brigid's).