Match Reports 2013 - Coiste
Excellent weekend for 2003 footballers!
The 2003 footballers participated in 2 tournaments on Saturday, November 23rd. In the tournament at St. Patrick's Donabate, the KC2 team won both the "A" and "B" finals, with some very strong showings throughout.
Over at our near neighbours, Ballinteer St. John's, the KC1 were only beaten in the final by a strong Lucan Sarsfield's side. It was a case of a "bridge too far" after putting in some fantastic displays along the way.
Whilst a "clean sweep" would have capped the perfect day, all sides were a credit to the club and we can look forward to the next day out!
Great fun for U6 boys at first away blitz in Newbridge
A group of 50 of the 2007 boys and their mentors and parents made the short trip to Sarsfields GAA club in Newbridge to take part in a four team blitz last weekend. Kilmacud Crokes were the only Dublin representative joined by Round Towers, Raheens and the hosts. A fantastic day was had by all despite the lashing rain for the last round of matches and the Crokes lads did really well. Sarsfields were amazing hosts and they've certainly given us something to prepare for when we have them to us in the spring. Sandwich making training begins after Christmas! A big thank you to all the parents who assisted on the day and well done to all the boys.
Under 10 Invitational 7's Tournament - Saturday, September 21st 2013
Kilmacud Crokes Under 10s hosted their second annual invitational football 7s tournament at Ballycorus with 12 teams and approximately 300 boys taking part.
On a glorious sunny afternoon, the tournament was competitive from the outset with a very high standard of football as the two Crokes teams pitted their skills against clubs from Leinster, Ulster and Connacht.
KC1 opened with a win over neighbours Ballinteer St. Johns and notched up an impressive 2-12 against Donaghmore from Tyrone before seeing off the challenge of Dunshaughlin to book a place in the semi finals.
KC2 were drawn in a very tough group which included two Ulster opponents and Naomh Colmcille from Meath. Clan na Gael of Armagh proved too strong in the opening game and a brave fightback against St. Eunans of Donegal ended in a narrow defeat.
The final group game against Colmcilles was a nip and tuck affair with KC2 scoring 2-2 in a fine second half display but coming up just short on a 1-8 to 2-4 scoreline.
Group B developed into a battle between Crossmaglen Rangers and Ballina Stephenites who proved too strong on the day for both Ballyboden St. Endas and Naomh Olaf.
The pair fought out a tense battle to decide the automatic semi final spot with Ballina edging it by 1-9 to 1-8.
The Mayo side maintained their good form to defeat Ballinteer, who had qualified as the best runners-up, in the first semi final, while KC1 ensured there would be a home representative in the decider as they defeated Colmcilles.
After a quick turnaround, the finalists were transported down to Glenalbyn to play the decider as a curtain raiser to the FBD senior sevens final.
Ballina built a narrow first half lead and defended their 0-4 to 0-1 advantage well in the closing stages as KC1 pressed for the goal they needed to force extra time. Amid great celebrations in the clubhouse, the Mayo boys were presented with the new trophy after an exciting afternoon's football.
Thanks are due to the tournament organisers and volunteers, along with our generous sponsors:
Kumon.ie, Cycle Studio, LauraLynn Hospice, The Mount Merrion Afterschool Centre, John Quirke Jeweller, Surfaccounts, Home Care Plus, Zipit Forest Adventures, Imaginosity, Traditional Irish Meat Company, BodyByrne Fitness, Dubray Books, Persona, Bizquip, Foot Solutions, Cul4Kidz and Dublin Institute of Technology.
Photos from the day to follow:
Gowna U10 Invitational Tournament - Saturday, September 7th 2013
Crokes U10 footballers were runners up to the home team in the Gowna U10 invitational tournament on Saturday, 7th September, at the wet and wind-swept Cavan club. 24 teams from Ulster, Leinster and Connacht put on a fantastic day's football with the nail biting final between Crokes and Gowna a fitting conclusion to a great tournament.
The Crokes lads topped their group with 3 straight wins, including two clean sheets, before going through to the plays off. They defeated a tough Granard team in the quarter finals, the Crokes forwards bagging a couple of goals to see off the Longford challenge. Next up was Colmcilles from Meath and in an end to end game Crokes came out 1 point victors setting up a final match against the unbeaten hosts. Two early goals by Gowna had Kilmacud chasing the game and despite camping in the opposition half for most of the second half Crokes couldn't bridge the gap.
Great credit to the kids for representing the club so positively and thanks to all the coaches and parents who travelled – better luck next year !
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - U-9's Football versus Ballyboden St Endas
Goal/point/skill
KC1 4/9/4 : BBoden 3/9/5 = 35/34
KC2 0/4/6 : BBoden 0/9/4 = 18/25
KC3 3/9/4 : BBoden 3/6/5 = 34/26
Overall: KC 87: BB 85
Match Report from KC1
The old enemy Ballyboden came to town looking for a battle and a battle they got. One of the best matches of the season, it had everything great scores, great saves, great skills but best of all great sprits and passion. Both teams were up for this one, Boden got off to quick start with a few points (overs) but Crokes gradually got back into the game with a couple of cracking goals great passing and skills to get these scores, both teams were good at blocking and had some high catches also. Towards the end of the first have Boden won a few Crokes kickouts and pressed home the hill advantage with 3 points (over). Both teams were highly committed with blocks and tackles happening all throughout. Halftime came with Boden leading 1 goal- 5 overs and 2 skill points (18) to Crokes 3 goals - 2 overs and 2 skills (11).
Second half started with Crokes playing with the hill and straight from the throw-in Crokes took the challenge to Boden. 2 quick points from Crokes saw us closes the gap, Boden were there for the taken. Crokes lads applied the pressure, but it took us a few minutes to get that lead score, but when it came it was worth the wait. The best score of the game to put Crokes in front a great high catch save by the Crokes keeper who cleared to a midfielder who hand passed to a forward who gave the return for the midfielder to knock it over the bar, sheer class. Crokes continued to dominate now a shell shocked Boden and got a few more scores goals, points and skills. But fair play to Boden in true Boden style they fought back with a few good scores to close the gap, and at the final whistle there was an anxious wait to hear the score from the ref. It was Crokes 4 Goals, 9 Overs and 4 extras (35) to Boden 2 goals, 9 overs and 5 extras (34). Both teams have to be commended for their level of play and skill truly a great game to watch in glorious sunshines in Oatlands.
Crokes players; Adam Fearon, Cathal Sullivan, Colm Lyndon, Jack Nolan, Joe Broderick, Mathew Dowley, Niall O'Mahony, Robbie Creasey, Thomas Doran, Luke O'Gorman and Conal O'Riain.
Match Report from KC3
Score: 3 Goals, 9 Overs, 4 Extras (KC) : 3 Goals, 6 Overs, 5 extras (Ballyboden) {34 : 26}
KC Players: Callum McGarvey, Conan MacSweeney, Daire Sullivan, Enda Kickham, Hugh Reid, Oisin McCann, Paul Dalton, Sean Aherne, Joshua Scallon.
A very balanced game in which the Crokes guys got off to a good start with lots of attacking play and with most of the possession. However, some careless defending (defenders being pulled out into midfield) towards the end of the first half let Ballyboden back into the game. Crokes regrouped for the 2nd half; marked and defended in much better numbers and ran out deserving winners as their opponents looked a little more tired towards the end. Some excellent team-play and passing from the Crokes guys particularly in the 2nd half and very few frees conceded. Job well done!
Sunday, May 12th 2013 - 2004 Football Trophy and Tournament 2013
KC1
KC1 started off at a blistering pace in their first game in the KC2004 Cup played at a sun drenched Glenalbyn on Sunday 12th May. Playing against Portlaoise, we dominated everywhere but on the scoreboard. Eventually we found our range and came out on top by 0-3 vs. 0-0.
In game 2 v Newbridge Sarsfields, it was a game of 2 halves . We went 2 points up but were pegged back and it took a last ditch point to salvage a draw , 0-3 a-piece.
Fatigue was now setting in and in our last group game we went down to old rivals Na Fianna by 1-2 to 0-1.
We then had an agonising ordeal of watching Newbridge play Portlaoise knowing a win for the Kildare side would bring a semi-final spot down to points difference. Newbridge won but not by a sufficient margin. Phew!!
We played the pre- tournament favourites Raheens of Kildare in the semi and although our boys put up a brave fight and had their chances, there were no complaints at the final whistle. Raheens came out 2-3 to 1-2 winners and went on to take the Cup beating Na Fianna in the final.
Well done to Captain Dan Murphy, Gavin Bermingham, Ivan Tiernan, Zach Burke, Rory O' Kane, Oliver Coffey, Louis McGauran, Luke O'Gorman, Joe Broderick, Oisin McCann and Michael Sullivan.
They gave their all and represented Kilmacud Crokes and their families superbly.
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| Kilmacud Crokes U9 Trophy and Tournament 2013 (1) |
The KC1 team get some expert guidance
KC2
The boys gathered together in the early afternoon with an air of anticipation for the matches that lay ahead. KC2 had been drawn in a tough group which included Moy from Tyrone, Raheens from Kildare and St Sylvester's from Dublin.
First match up was against Moy, a really tough start to the competition. We started with Sean, Conan, Eoin and Rory in the defence and they did a great job in keeping the Moy forwards quiet , they only scored a single point in the whole game. Our midfield of Thomas Downey, Stephen and John battled really hard and they needed to. Nothing came easy in this game and it took some really good play from our backs and midfielders to get the ball into our forward line. Our forwards Tomás Noone, James, Thomas Doran and Ruaidhri were under a lot of pressure from the Moy backs but they came out on top scoring 1-1.
We were up and running with a good result after our first game. Our next match was against Raheens, the ultimate winners. Our team was changed around for this game with Theo starting in goals where he did a fantastic job for us. Raheens were definitely a very good team. The fact that we played against the wind for the whole game really helped them to get ahead of us with the game ending up with a score line of 1-4 to 0-1.
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| Kilmacud Crokes U9 Trophy and Tournament 2013 (2) |
The KC2 team that so nearly made the final
Next up was St Sylvester's. Both teams needed a result if they wanted to progress to the next round. This was when our boys shined. Our boys knuckled down and began playing really well as a team and they got their noses in front scoring 2 fantastic points. It looked like we were going to end up winning this game until the last kick of the game. They scored a long range point to draw the match. Thankfully we made it into the semi final because we had won our game against Moy.
Na Fianna it was in the semi final. What a game! It's games like this that make these type of competitions so enjoyable. The boys raised their performance so much for this game that we ended up dominating the first half of the match going into a 2 point lead. In the second half when we played against the wind, our backs came under much more pressure. It was during this time that all our boys really stood up to the task and as a team performed so well for each other. Na Fianna were so fortunate to get the 2 points to draw the match.
In extra time the first team to score would win the game. We tossed a coin to decide which way we would play. We ended up playing against the wind. This did not matter because we were playing so well and we did have a number of opportunities to win the game in extra time, but it was not to be.
The boys as expected were disappointed but they can all be so proud of their performances, it was such a pleasure to see how much they improved over the course of the four games. Well done boys!
KC3
The KC3 panel was Joe Cullen, Joe Morrissey, Jack Burke, Rory Kelly, Michael Foley, Aaron Golden, Enda Kickham, Andrew Dillon, Jamie O'Shea, Mathew Blanker, Diarmuid Deegan, Joshua Scallon and Irial O Casaide. In the first game we played Raheen's from Kildare, the conditions were difficult and both teams found it very hard to cope with the strong swirling wind. KC3 dominated the early exchanges and they were rewarded with an excellent point after approximately 7 minutes after some good build up play. Raheen's started to come into the game more and as the game approached the final stages they scored a point. KC3 pressed hard for the remaining minutes and were unlucky not to score on 2 or 3 occasion's. The game finished level on a score of 0-3 to 0-3.
In our second game we played KC4 in the Paddock, after winning the toss for who got to wear our own colours our lads got stuck in straight away and score some lovely points in the early exchanges. There were a number of good individual battles in the mid field area in the early stages of the game with both teams showing great tenacity in the tackle and executing some good blocks. KC4 got some nice scores mid way through the game but KC3 finished strongly and won on a score line of 2 - 5 to 1 -3.
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| Kilmacud Crokes U9 Trophy and Tournament 2013 (3) |
The KC3 team : undefeated
In our 3rd game we played St Sylvester's and this was without doubt our best performance of the day. From the word go, our players to a man fought hard for the ball and when in possession delivered good passes. The wind was extremely strong during this game and it caused huge problems for both sides particularly when trying to score. Our backs defended bravely in the throughout and were first to the ball at all times, in mid field we dominated the exchanges and we enjoyed the majority of possession. Despite some fine efforts from a number of different players on both teams the score finished in a draw 0-0 to 0 -0. This was a great performance against the eventual winners of the competition and the commitment and skills shown by all our players during the game was a credit to the players and the club.
In our final game we played Portlaoise , they had been weakened as some of their players had already gone home and as a result the match was a little one sided. KC3 dominated the game from the throw in and gave an exhibition of pointing scoring throughout the game. The game was played in a very good spirit and all our players got an opportunity to show their skills. The game finished with a score line of 1-4 to 0-0.
The KC3 panel deserve great credit for their performances, they were unlucky not to get a place in the final, their skill level and passion for the game will ensure they will have many great days on the field of play in the years ahead.
KC4
The KC4 team was Cian Browne, Paul Dalton, Robert Hough, Billy Kelly, Sean Lyons, Mark McGorisk, Henry Murphy, Sean O'Connor, Niall O'Mahony, Vova O'Toole, Conor Stephens and captain Sean Horan.
KC4's day started late, with our first match being in the third round of the day against rivals KC3. Wearing unfamiliar white, our lads got off to a good start, taking advantage of the strong wind, dominating play, but not the scoreboard unfortunately. Following the turnaround, the KC3 lads showed they had learned how to play the conditions in an ealier match and made much better use of the wind advantage, scoring a number of well-worked points, running out easy winners 2-5 to 1-3.
This was when the lads showed their mettle and knuckled-down. The next opposition were Portlaoise, and showing no ill-effects from the earlier defeat, KC4 dominated possession. This time, scores followed. There was no let-up in the second half against the wind, and KC4 in fact scored more in this half, while keeping Portlaoise scoreless. Final score 1-2 to 0-0.
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| Kilmacud Crokes U9 Trophy and Tournament 2013 (4) |
KC5 get ready to begin their campaign
After some more practice, our third match saw us meet Foxrock Geraldines. Very little between both sides in the game with Tim battling hard in midfield and Eoin Kenny linking well with our forward line. Another day and our many chances would have got us the points. Midway through the 2nd half, they got 2 overs but encouragingly, we continued to press forward till the end.
After some welcome refreshments, we went to the paddock for our final game v Na Fianna. Our general play was now much improving, our hand passing, link play and awareness were causing our Dublin rivals all sorts of problems. They got an over and Dylan replied with a goal. Frantic play, some fine kicking and catching of the high ball, we continued to push forward. With one more over in the last minutes, they deserved the win, but for effort in this and the other matches the boys deserve great credit on some fine individual skills displayed and for overall team play through the tournament.
Thanks to all the parents for their assistance, Sean and Gavin for umpiring and Peter and Jim for the help on the side line!
KC6
KC6's first match against Foxrock Geraldine was a tight affair despite Geraldine's having the advantage of a strong wind. Some great teamwork resulted in 3 overs and a draw overall. The second match was a bit of a local derby against KC5. KC6 volunteered to play in white and went on to win by a tight 1 goal margin over the local rivals. Na Fianna proved a very strong opposition in the next match which took place in the paddock. The change of surface didn't favour KC6 who were unfortunate to lose by 2 overs. In the final match in the paddock the team displayed their usual level of 'Crokes to the ball first' commitment against a very strong Newbridge team.
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| Kilmacud Crokes U9 Trophy and Tournament 2013 (6) |
KC6 (minus a few) take a break in practice
The KC6 squad of Sean Aherne, Sam Banner,Yuriy Cox, Adam Fearon, Andrew Grace, Terry Jones, Hugh Kearney, Colm Lyndon, Donnacha McGinley, Keelan Murphy, Adam Tunney, Michael Wall and Rory Walsh did their club proud and retired for refreshments secure in the knowledge that they players, mentors and spectators had given it their all.
Sunday, May 12th 2013 - Under 10 Football Invitational Tournament
12 teams from nine different clubs took part in the Under 10 Football Invitational Tournament held at Blackrock Rugby Club's grounds in Stradbrook, with approximately 250 boys involved.
Kilmacud Crokes fielded three teams, one in each group, and all three acquitted themselves well against some strong opposition.
KC1 got off to a flying start as two goals from Joe Allidine saw them defeat Ballymun Kickhams by 2-4 to 0-2. A narrow 3-1 to 0-7 win over Ballyboden St. Endas 2 was followed by a victory over Tinahealy from Wicklow, which guaranteed qualification for the semi finals.
KC2 lost their opening game to St. Brigid's despite pointed frees from Eric McMahon and Patrick Van Zuydam. Their second game with Ballyboden St. Endas 1 was a high scoring contest, with a last minute goal for Boden securing a 3-4 to 2-3 win but the team finished the group strongly, beating Naomh Olaf by 1-5 to 1-2.
KC3 had mixed fortunes in their opening two games, defeating Templeogue Synge Street before going down to Balinteer St. Johns. Naomh Colmcille from Meath provided the opposition in their final group game. KC3 led 0-2 to 0-1 at halftime but after a tense second half, the game ended in a 0-5 to 0-5 draw.
Colmcilles topped the group but their interest ended at the semi final stage as they went down by 1-4 to 1-1 to Ballyboden 1, who had qualified as the best runners up.
Meanwhile, KC1 edged out St. Brigid's by 1-1 to 0-2 in the second semi final, Eoin Ballantyne scoring a point in the first half and Darragh Dempsey firing home the all important goal in the second.
The final therefore saw KC1 up against Ballyboden 1 and there was never more than a kick of the ball between the teams. The sides were level 0-1 to 0-1 at halftime before Kevin Ryan pointed a free to edge KC1 in front. Ballyboden replied with a goal but Crokes almost stole it, Leo Hennigan hitting the crossbar and Darren Dempsey shooting narrowly wide.
So Ballyboden scraped home by 1-1 to 0-2 in the latest instalment between the old rivals after a hard fought contest.
Thanks go to all of the tournament organisers and volunteers, plus our generous sponsors: Kumon.ie, Zipit Forest Adventures, Surfaccounts.com, Movies@Dundrum, Imaginosity.ie, Jump Zone, Persona, Dubray Books and Bizquip.
For more great pictures of this tournament, please click on the picture below (Thanks to Patrick Bolger)
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| Sunday May 12th 2013 - Under 10 Football Invitational Tournament |
Saturday, March 16th 2013 - Good Counsel
On a crisp Saturday morning on the 16th March, KC3A had a tough and challenging outing against a very strong Good Counsel side. Counsel started the stronger and picked off 2 quick points, but Crokes responded well and levelled the scores after some very good passages of play. For the next few minutes the defences were on top with a number of great blocks before Crokes went ahead from a well worked score that saw both hand and foot passes combining. Good Counsel were strong in midfield and responded with a good score from a free. Half-time still all to play for with Crokes edging it on extras by 9pts and 4 extras to Good Counsels 9pts and 3 extras.
Second half saw Good Counsel start strong again in midfield and they picked off a few quick points to gain a bit of daylight between themselves and Crokes. But Crokes were not finished a few good blocks and a few points saw Crokes narrow the gap to just 5pts but with time running out Crokes pushed forward for the scores to level but left too much space for Good Counsel who finished the stronger.
In the end it was 42 -29 in favour of Good Counsel who scored 11pts and 9 extras to Crokes 2 goals , 6 pts and 9 extras. Both teams showed great determination and willingness to battle for the ball, while Good Counsel relied heavily on 2 players, whereas Crokes were a complete team effort. Well done lads Paul Dalton, Andrew Dillon, Thomas Doran, Aaron Golden, Theo Lenihan, Oisin McCann, Tim O'Donnell, Sean O'Hurley and Michael Sullivan
Our other team played in a really good spirited game. Crokes were under pressure from a strong Good Counsel team from the off. Strong defending from our lads kept GC from pushing too far ahead and some well taken points keeping the game very much alive. However, Crokes trailed at half time. In the second half, Crokes came back into the game with a strong mid field providing the fulcrum for brave fight back, the GC forwards were pushed wide by some patient but aggressive defending and as a result had a number of wides, while some smart goal kicks, first to the ball and accurate passing led to some quick scores for Crokes. Good Counsel were the eventual winners but Crokes can be very happy with their second half performance, which they won the second half. Final score was 35-21. Our team was Sean Aherne, Sam Benner, Ryan Downes, Andrew Grace, Robert Hough, Colm Lyndon, Enda Kickham, Joe Morrissey and Sean O'Connor.
Sunday, March 10th 2013 - Raheens (Co. Kildare)
On a cold (cold!) blustery day on March 10th, the Panel 3 group made our way to the plains of Kildare to take on Raheens GAA club, just outside Naas, and within a stone's throw of Mondello Park.
Team 1 consisted of Sam Benner, Joe Broderick, Cian Browne, Matthew Dowley, Aaron Golden, Andrew Grace, Theo Lenihan, Colm Lyndon, Tim O'Donnell and Jamie O'Shea.
Crokes played with a strong (cold!) wind in the first half. Although under pressure from a strong Raheens side, our lads battled bravely and defended manfully, keeping Raheens at bay. Our forwards struggled to get into the game, but as the half wore on, Crokes pushed forward and ultimately this yielded a real cracker of a goal. Half-time talk was kept to a minimum (did I mention the cold?) and the lads took the field for the second half playing into a strong gale. This half was a real test of their mettle as Crokes struggled to get the ball out of their half and our goalies had to be very clever where they placed their kickouts. They did make a number of forays up front, but these didn't yield any additional scores. It was all in vain, unfortunately, as the Raheens team took control and landed a number of good long-range points. On the final whistle, Raheens graciously had laid on some goodies for everyone. No photos, unfortunately, everyone was much more interested in getting to their cars to warm up! Thanks to Raheens for the invite and we hope to see them at our tournament in May.
Team 2 was Thomas Doran, Luca Merriman, Joe Morrissey, Sean O'Connor, Sean O'Hurley, Niall O'Mahony, Rory O'Shea and Tom Walsh
This game followed a broadly similar pattern to the other game. Crokes largely held their own in the first half with the help of a strong breeze (gale?), trailing slightly at half-time. However, the second half was more of a struggle for our lads, who fought bravely, and never gave up, even though by the end all the mentors thoughts were of a warm cup of tea and the shelter of their cars. In the end, Raheen's ran out comfortable winners here too.
Robert Hough, Colm Lyndon, Enda Kickham, Joe Morrissey and Sean O'Connor.
Saturday, February 2nd 2013 - U9 v Ballinteer SJ
It was an action-packed and at times tough game for KC1 with all players having to work hard to contain the constant attacking threat of Ballinteer. KC1's efforts paid off with many well-taken 'over's. Ballinteer proved to be a tough challenge but fortunately for Crokes, kicked a lot of wides. The Crokes boys will need to work hard at their hand-passing and picking up of the ball in particular in training if they are to continue their winning form for the remainder of this league. However, once again the boys showed their pride in playing for Kilmacud Crokes and looked increasingly comfortable as the game reached a conclusion. Well done to all 11 players; all of them gave 100% and their win was well deserved.
Team: Zach Burke, Oliver Coffey, Thomas Downey, Stephen McMahon, Tom Wyley, Sean Bradley, Conan MacSweeney, Mark McGorisk, Dan Murphy, Ivan Tiernan, David Hyland.
KC3 1-3 (9 blocks) Balinteer 0 - 2 (3 blocks)
Our game on Saturday at Oatlands was played with great passion from both teams. Balinteer were stronger in the first half and Crokes had to defend stoutly with Daire, Robbie and Donnacha holding firm at the back. Our forwards worked hard in the first half and there were some great blocks and shots from Rory, Jack and Henry.
After the break Robbie and Jack moved to mid field and slowly Crokes managed to gain some control on the match. Defense with Iriel , John and Callum was very solid at the start of second half and Balinteer found the scores a little harder. All the players were working hard to find their men with hand passes. Robbie and Michael worked tirelessly and the play opened up with some great kicks and passes.
The game was in the balance right to the end and Balinteer should be proud of their performance. Kilmacud Crokes played for the whole 40 minutes and deserved their victory in a competitive match. Some great blocking and running throughout the pitch.