Templeogue and Garda play out thrilling draw
By Hayden Moore
GOALS from Diarmuid O’Keefe and Phil Howard were not enough to see Templeogue Synge Street past Garda, who spearheaded by Alan Griffin, played their part in a thrilling draw at Dolphin Park.
In this Adult Football League Division Four South clash, the Westmanstown club made a strong start through their ever-reliable free taker Pauric Syron.
Michael Doherty of Templeogue battles with Garda’s Gavin Feeley
Syron managed a brace of points from the dead ball and Alan Griffin, operating as the focal point at full forward, chipped in with a couple of points to set Garda on their way.
However, Howard responded soon after for the hosts when he was sent through on goal following a turnover from captain Danny O’Reilly on the kick-out.
In one sweeping motion from the Synge Street attackers, Howard found the net to draw parity heading into the half-time interval.
Teetering on a knife edge, the game seemingly hinged on the battle between Templeogue’s O’Reilly at centre-forward and Garda’s Peter McNamara at centre-back.
O’Reilly, of Corona’s fame, proved a real thorn in the side of the opposition on their kick-outs and won countless marks, with McNamara, a Dublin intercounty star, matching him all the way.
Templeogue’s Diarmuid O’Keeffe holds off Corey Smith of Garda
Following Syron’s forced substitution due to injury, Griffin stepped up to free-taking duties after the break for Garda and kicked two classy points off his left foot.
As Garda re-established a foothold on the game, it was again undone by a goal, this time from Diarmuid O’Keefe.
Following on from a brace of Kevin Moran points, O’Keefe found a way to squeeze the ball beyond Garda ‘keeper Niall Callaghan and into the net.
Substitute Daragh O’Donovan chipped in with a point off the bench for the hosts while shotstopper Cormac O’Gara made a crucial save as the game headed towards the final whistle.
Danny O’Reilly of Synge Street
But Garda rallied in the final exchanges, with Alan Griffin hitting his sixth point of the game and substitute Ger Reddy drawing the sides level once again.
Netminder Niall Callaghan helped ensure Garda salvaged a share of the spoils when he made a top-drawer save just before the final whistle to keep the sides level.
Dublin hurlers face tough battle with Tribesmen
SOME 8000 spectators will get the opportunity to walk through the turnstiles of Croke Park this Saturday when Dublin face Galway in the Leinster Hurling Championship semi-final.
The Boys-in-Blue made an impressive start in the provincial tournament, recording a 3-31 to 0-22 win over Antrim.
But the next round will bring on an entirely different challenge for Mattie Kenny’s side, with the Tribesmen considered among the favourites to go all the way this year.
The last time that the Dubs played Galway in the championship was in June 2019, when the former edged out their opponents on a memorable night in Parnell Park.
With Lucan man Chris Crummey’s swap to half-forward still in its infancy, he bagged the winning goal to see Dublin to a 3-19 to 0-24 win over their rivals.
For Mattie Kenny, this Saturday presents an opportunity to get one over on his home county, for which he togged out in the late 1980s.
“Ask any hurling person, and they’ll tell you that Galway and Limerick are the favourites for this year’s All-Ireland,” Kenny told DublinGAA.ie.
“I have watched all of Galway’s games. They are in top, top form. The way they move the ball. Their range of scores.
“We know we face a massive challenge, but these are the teams we want to be playing. It will be a big, big test. We’ll give it our best.”
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