Once St Jude’s got going, they were unstoppable.
After eight minutes of St Vincent’s Dublin senior football semi-final clash with St Jude’s, you could have been forgiven for thinking Vinnies were going to coast it.
In hot pursuit of their third title in a row, the Marino outfit got out of the blocks like scalded cats in Parnell Park, reeling off four unanswered points in the first few minutes.
Mossy Quinn was slotting the frees, Eamon Fennell was kicking points and Vincent’s were all over their rivals in Donnycarney.
Jude’s took a few deep breaths, however. They’d killed the giants of Ballymun a fortnight ago, they just needed to settle into this one.
And that they did. Their talisman Kevin McManamon stood up as he so often does with a fine effort from open play and they were into the game now.
Cork man working in Dublin Niall Coakley started swinging his left boot and the Dublin team full of country lads were motoring. Padraic Clarke’s goal just before half-time was a crucial one for them and they took a four point lead into the break.
The 2016 and 2017 champs were in bother, they sent for help.
Diarmuid Connolly was on for the second half as Vinnies showed their hand. As it turned out, Jude’s had a better one.
Brian Mullins’ side did rally, but they were nowhere near the men of Templeogue.
Shay Ryan scored a second goal for them ten minutes into the second half and that put them eight points ahead and coasting. With Niall Coakley unerring off the left and Tom Devlin coming into the game, the men of the southside were winning the battle.
This bunch have a great chemistry, with men like Niall Coakley, Ciaran Fitzgerald and a number of other country players forging a great bond at this club.
The underdogs went onto win comfortably, winning by nine points on a scoreline of 2-11 to 0-8. They’ve a final date with Kilmacud Crokes to look forward to now.
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