Crokes Shocks Rhode In The Leinster Football Final

Leinster Club SFC Final
Kilmacud Crokes 2-7 Rhode 1-7

Kilmacud Crokes produced a superb second-half comeback to overturn a six-point deficit and beat Rhode 2-7 to 1-7 to win the Leinster Football Championship title on Sunday at Parnell Park.

The magic of Niall McNamee had the Offaly champions six points clear at the break and Crokes looked like they didn't have anything like the character or class required to come back.

But two goals in the second half, both coming as a result of Brian Kavanagh kicks in and Mark Davoren hovering, gave the Dublin champions the victory they deserved, even though they had been reduced to 14 men for much of the game following the dismissal of Cian O'Sullivan.

Rhode began the sharper of the two sides and it was clear from the first ball inside that Niall McNamee was going to have a profound effect on the game.

His brother Alan got the first point of the game, a powerful effort from distance and Niall then made it two points to nil with a silky effort after a swift team move.

Freetaker Niall Darby made up for an earlier miss soon after to make the gap three and then McNamee the younger showed the abundant talent he possesses with a marvellous individual goal after ten minutes.

The tall forward won a ball in the left corner and rather than recycle the possession out behind him or take a shot for a point, he ran at Dublin defender Paul Griffin, danced round him with ease and then planted the ball to the net.

It was a difficult blow for Kilmacud to take, and they found themselves six points behind with the game hardly started.

To make matters worse, O'Sullivan was then sent off somewhat controversially when he appeared to strike Paraic Sullivan running through and then to stick his arm around the midfielder's neck.

Mark Vaughan kept Crokes in touch with a couple of frees either side of a superb Anton Sullivan point from far out for Rhode.

Niall McNamee and Liam Óg Ó hEineachain then traded points but Rhode should have put the game beyond doubt soon after when midfielder Paraic Sullivan bizarrely screwed a kick just over the bar when he could and should have rattled the net with it.

It meant Rhode led by 1-6 to 0-3 at the break, but aware that their first half performance, combined with Crokes' slack showing, should have made it more.

Things changed completely soon after the break.

Longford star Brian Kavanagh had struggled in the first half but he quickly pointed after the restart and then went on to turn the game full circle.

After a sustained period of pressure from the Dublin champions, Kavanagh thumped a high, looping ball towards the goal where Vaughan and full forward Mark Davoren were lurking.

Davoren got his fist to the ball as goalkeeper Colm Masterson postured and it tricked over the line and in.

Crokes looked like a completely different team now and they began to attack in waves, full-back Griffin coming the length of the field to point and reduce the gap to one before substitute Ray Cosgrave levelled it up.

McNamee's influence was waning up front for Rhode and some erratic shooting was beginning to cost his side. He put his side back in front with a free soon after, but the killer blow was just around the corner.

Kavanagh pumped another ball towards the goal from distance and even though the ball should have been a routine take for Masterson, the sight of Davoren materialising before him seemed to terrify him out of going for the ball, which hopped serenely into the net as a result.

It was a shocking individual error which Rhode never recovered from, even though they had a number of point chances after that which they squandered, McNamee as guilty as anyone.

But Kilmacud had proved they had the mettle, and Vaughan had the last word with a pointed free to give them a three-point victory.