AIB Leinster Club SHC Semi-Final
St Martin’s 0-21 Naas 0-11
By Paul Keane at Chadwicks Wexford Park
A minute into stoppage time, with the result long beyond doubt, Aaron Maddock pulled off a last ditch block for St Martin’s to deny Naas captain Brian Byrne a consolation goal.
Maddock punched the air a couple of times in celebration, summing up the focus, ferocity and defensive excellence that the Wexford champions brought for the duration of this provincial semi-final encounter.
Rory O’Connor’s 0-14 haul was certainly impressive but equally so was the mere four points from play that Daithi Hayes’ crew coughed up over the 60 or so minutes.
It’s a decade since a Wexford team, Oulart-The Ballagh, contested a Leinster club final but St Martin’s will head to Croke Park on December 6 for a glamour clash with Shamrocks Ballyhale.
They will hope for more big displays from the likes of ex-AFL player Barry O’Connor and Jack O’Connor while another hour of defensive miserliness would be welcomed too.
It’s the end of the line for ambitious Naas who lost Harry Carroll to a red card in the closing minutes.
Despite St Martin’s approaching the last four encounter as favourites, both sides actually came armed with similar provincial records.
Naas were upgraded to the senior ranks after winning the All-Ireland intermediate title in 2022 and picked up three wins at the senior grade since.
Their most recent was the quarter-final win over Mount Leinster Rangers while St Martin’s had won three of their eight games in Leinster since first competing in 1999.
St Martin’s, significantly, took out holders Na Fianna last time out and returned to Chadwicks Wexford Park desperate to reach a first ever final.
They led virtually from pillar to post, save for a brief period early on at 0-1 apiece. St Martin’s had the stiff wind behind them and used it to power to a 0-15 to 0-05 half-time lead.
It wasn’t vintage stuff from St Martin’s but it hardly needed to be as they picked off point after point, opening up a 0-9 to 0-2 lead by the end of the opening quarter.
Barry O’Connor, who had four years in the AFL, wore number 10 but started in the inside line and caused havoc initially, pinching a score and winning a free for his cousin Rory to convert.
Jack O’Connor raised the temperature among the St Martin’s supporters with a sumptuous score from a line ball in the 15th minute.
Jack Sheridan hinted at great gains for Naas when he burst onto an Evan O’Brian pass for his opening score in the third minute.
But the visitors only added one more point from open play in the half, from Michael Purcell, as they hit the interval 10 points adrift.
Rory O’Connor accounted for all of the St Martin’s points in the second-half and while five of the six points were from placed balls, his 42nd minute score from out on the right wing was a beauty.
Naas desperately needed a goal to gain some traction and a foothold in the game but Sheridan’s 46th minute shot from a free was taken off the line by Joe Barrett.
St Martin’s scorers: Rory O’Connor 0-14 (9f, 2 65), Jack O’Connor 0-3 (0-1 s/l), Barry O’Connor 0-1, Diarmuid O’Leary 0-1, Aaron Maddock 0-1, Michael Coleman 0-1.
Naas scorers: Jack Sheridan 0-8 (0-5f, 0-2 65), Michael Purcell 0-1, Cian Boran 0-1, Brian Byrne 0-1
St Martin’s: Callum Quirke; Eoin O’Leary, Conor Firman, Philip Dempsey; Diarmuid O’Leary, Joe Barrett, Daithi Waters; David Codd, Aaron Maddock; Darren Codd, Jack O’Connor, Jake Firman; Michael Coleman, Barry O’Connor, Rory O’Connor.
Subs: Ben Maddock for David Codd 30, Ben Stafford for Coleman 54, Paddy O’Connor for Eoin O’Leary 58, Michael Codd for Diarmuid O’Leary 60, Sam Audsley for Darren Codd 62.
Naas: Cormac Gallagher; Liam O’Reilly, Rian Boran, Peter O’Donoghue; Daire Guerin, Ross Kelly, Harry Carroll; Evan O’Brian, Simon Leacy; Killian Harrington, Cian Boran, Charlie Sheridan; Jack Sheridan, Michael Purcell, Brian Byrne.
Subs: Richy Hogan for Purcell h/t, Cathal Dowling for Charlie Sheridan 45, Fionn Maher for Harrington 53, Kevin Whelan for O’Brian 60.
Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin).
