Crokes Unleash Strength and Skill on Under-par Boden

Ballyboden St Endas 0.16 Kilmacud Crokes 4.18

The Long Fella Reports

Our senior A hurlers have it all to do in the group stage of the Dublin Senior A Hurling championship after a fluent display from our near neighbours Kilmacud Crokes. The tie took place at an almost empty Parnell park and formed the Sunday afternoon home viewing for many fans, compliments of TG4. The game was decided by goals, or rather how best to convert them. Depending on whom you talk to, Crokes converted four big ones from about seven attempts, whereas Boden had a zero tally from about four reasonable attempts. Matt Collins in the Crokes goal had some good fortune with a couple of Boden’s efforts, but surely the Boden management will review proceeding in the light of their failure to convert good chances to goals.

The game opened with Crokes greater efficiency in point taking and by the fifth minute, they led by four points to a single from Niall McMorrow after Niall Ryan found him in good space. Crokes Oisin O’Rorke converted one of his trademark placed balls to extend the lead for the Stillorgan side. There followed Boden’s best spell of play and points from Ryan, Conal Keaney, Aiden Mellett, Paul Ryan from a line-cut, and again Mellett (McMorrow assist), brought the score to six apiece…..water break on the quarter.

Even by this early stage, it was clear that Crokes posed a serious threat through Mark Howard, Ronan Hayes, Fergal Whitely and a player who played particularly well in the last meeting of the sides in a March league fixture, Alex Considine. On the resumption Boden led for the only time in the game at eight points to seven after McMorrow grabbed his second point. This good team score was followed by a Ryan free. At this point and the game finely balanced, Crokes were awarded a dubious penalty in an incident that merely looked like ‘steps’ from the attacker. In any case Finn McGarry in the Boden net was given no chance of stopping Ronan Hayes’s bullet of a shot. Caolan Conway followed the goal with classy Crokes point and O’Rorke finished the first-half scoring with his sixth score from a placed ball. 1.10 to 0.08.

Crokes took over in the first five minutes of the second half and capped a fine spell with a Considine goal high into the Boden net. During this spell, seasoned campaigner for Crokes Sean McGrath bagged a classy point, Score now at 2.14 to 0.09. Howard was then allowed the freedom of the park and an economy on the solo in scoring Crokes third goal. Boden struggled to find form and were depending on Shane Durkin and the Ryan cousins for a modest response. The Crokes support had one more highlight to acknowledge, a fine goal finish from Hayes, capping a fine performance from the Dublin star.

Boden Manager Joe Fortune has plenty to consider in the light if this heavy defeat, particularly with Craobh Chiaran as their next opponents in the round robin series. Crokes will take huge satisfaction from the win, particularly in light of their previous losses to Boden over the last couple of years, championship and league. Their bigger names performed well in attack, and Bill O’Carroll along with captain Mark Grogan marshalled their defence to prevent the Boden attack from creating good goal chances.

Boden squad;  Finn McGarry, Luke Corcoran, Dean Curran, Sean McDonnell, James Madden, Simon Lambert, Shane Durkin, David Curtin, Conor McKeon, Stephen O’Connor, Niall Ryan, Conal Keaney. Paul Ryan, Luke McDwyer, Niall McMorrow, Paddy Dunleavy, Aiden Mellett, Paul Doherty, Kenny Wigglesworth.