Crokes push on after bruising affair

Leinster Club FC Semi-final replay Kilmacud Crokes 2-6 Rhode 1-7: Kilmacud Crokes players woke up this morning, safely through to next Sunday's Leinster football final in Navan against Sarsfields of Kildare but with plenty of aching bones to show for it.

This replay lacked the quality of last week's drawn encounter but some statistics are misleading. Referee Mick Monahan brandished 12 yellow cards, resulting in red cards for Ray Cosgrove and Jack Kilmurray, but tension is a given when the stakes are so high.

Both sides hit hard and with regularity. Crokes, like all good teams in modern times, know defence starts in the forwards although this didn't sit so well with Rhode manager Stephen Darby.

"We had to throw caution to the wind in the last five minutes but we were still being fouled in places where we were trying to set up attacks. When we were trying to gather some momentum it was always stifled, whether that was deliberate or not. It happened to us last Sunday as well and it went unpunished."

Unpunished? Seven Crokes players, five forwards, received yellow cards, while ticking reached double figures.

Crokes required alternative scoring sources as Mark Vaughan had his first bad day in the club championship, hitting seven wides. Nevertheless a quality free late on, when his celebration incensed opposing players and supporters alike, was crucial.

Cosgrove continued his renaissance with 1-1 yet it was the Magee brothers - Darren and Jonny - who kept the supply channels flowing by dominating midfield despite the presence of Alan McNamee.

The swinging-door policy in the Crokes team continued. With their best back, Paul Griffin, on holidays, Jonny Magee returned after the birth of his daughter.

Just as in the initial meeting, Rhode had an early mountain to climb. Five minutes in, Cosgrove slid a ball into Mark Davoren, who finished with a swipe to the net better suited to another round-ball game.

Further scores followed from Vaughan and Jonny Magee to make it 1-2 to 0-0 after 17 minutes.

Rhode found some rhythm when Niall McNamee pointed from near the touchline. Cosgrove replied but Alan McNamee burst past Liam McBarron for another score before a further two frees from the younger McNamee left it 1-3 to 0-4 at the turn. Next it was Cosgrove's turn to show his proficiency on the deck when he sidefooted a bouncing ball past Colm Masterson for an exceptional goal on 37 minutes.

As Crokes attempted to shut out a revival, Davoren, Cosgrove, Vaughan and Colm Flanagan were all yellow-carded in a five-minute spell.

Mark Cassidy also went into the book, for fouling Vaughan. Cosgrove sliced the subsequent free horribly wide, allowing Vaughan to reclaim responsibility, and he pushed the lead out to six points with a pressure kick from the left touchline.

Rhode refused to lie down as Flanagan made a hugely important block on Alan McNamee yards from goal.

Guess who was involved when boiling point finally arrived. Monahan decided Vaughan was delaying over a free and called for a throw-up but before he could do so Shane Sullivan bounced the Crokes forward with a shoulder to the back. Cosgrove intervened, ensuring several others followed suit. As third man in, he went to the line with a second yellow card, while Sullivan was cautioned.

Jack Kilmurray decided to hit Vaughan a few more shoulders and also picked up a yellow card.

Nicky McGrath thought it best to withdraw the 20-year-old before he was sent off or carried off but Kilmurray wasn't finished there, tripping replacement Mick O'Keeffe when play was 40 yards downfield. Off he went and, with him, Rhode's numerical advantage. O'Keeffe also picked up a yellow on the linesman's advice.

Rhode snatched a goal during this hectic period. Like last week, Pádraig Sullivan supplied the glimmer of hope when his shot deflected off Nicky McGrath jnr and into the net.

The McNamees added two more points (imagine if others had contributed some scores) in injury time but Crokes survived when Brendan Phelan carried possession deep before picking out Davoren, who flipped the insurance point over the bar.

"It was a true battle out there," said McGrath. "A battle of wills, and luckily enough we came through at the end of it but that is a fantastic Rhode team . . . There is a never-say-die attitude and they acquitted themselves well. They are a credit to themselves and their parish and to Gaelic football."

No argument there. Six matches in six weeks. One more victory is needed before this team emulate the 1994/1995 Glenalbyn outfit.

KILMACUD CROKES: D Nelligan; C Kelleher (capt), C Flanagan, N McGrath; B McGrath, L Óg Ó hEineachain, D Walsh; D Magee, J Magee (0-1); L McBarron, N Corkery, R Cosgrove (1-1); M Vaughan (0-2, two frees), M Davoren (1-2), P Burke. Subs: B Phelan for N Corkery (45 mins), M O'Keeffe for M Vaughan (57 mins), C Lamb for N McGrath (63 mins).

RHODE: C Masterson; M Cassidy, S Sullivan, B Darby; J Kilmurray, D Bannon, E Byrne; F Dunne, A McNamee (0-2); P Kelleghan, R Malone, P Sullivan (1-0); D Hope, M Cole, N McNamee (0-5, three frees). Subs: D Kelleghan for F Dunne (42 mins), B Malone for D Hope (54 mins), E Byrne for M Cole (60 mins).

Referee: M Monahan (Kildare).