Kildare IFC champs Sallins into Leinster Semi-Final after dominant 21-point win

Sallins 3-18

Kilbride 0-6

Kildare Intermediate champions Sallins came out well on top in their AIB Leinster Club Intermediate Football Championship Semi-Final with Kilbride.

After another dominant display in Leinster, they will face Offaly champions Clara in the Semi-Final stage with a stiffer test likely on the cards that day.

With a significant wind at their backs, Sallins took off at a rate of knots and two Colm Dalton scores in as many minutes had them off the mark. The first a high cutting effort of his left and the second off his right from close-range.

Cian Grimes doubled his side’s advantage with yet another two-pointer, this time from a free, to add to the many that he has kicked in 2025.

Grimes then put Sallins 0-5 to no score ahead just past the 10-minute mark when he cut inside sharply before firing over.

Kilbride were struggling to get any sort of foothold in this game as they were strangled out of possession and kept from the ball for large parts of the first half.

Colm Dalton almost added a goal to his tally early on but rattled the crossbar in an effort that looked destined for the top of the net. The ball ricocheted off the bar and Sallins did won a free outside the arc, which Stephen brilliantly curled over from the tightest possible two-point angle.  

It was yet again Colm Dalton at the heart of things as Sallins added their eighth when the centre-forward beat his man and fired over.

It was utter domination from Sallins and they moved the ball beautifully for their ninth score, a slick passing move that finished off the left boot of Luke Killian.

Kilbride got their first point of the game in the 24th minute through Josh Harford who capitalised after his side had a free brought forward for dissent.

It would be their only point of the half while Sallins added two more through Emmet Ralph and Stephen Kelly to have the Kildare champions carry an 0-11 to 0-1 lead in at half-time. 

It was a slow start to the second half with Sallins edging the 10 minutes after the restart 0-2 to 0-1 as they continued to exert dominance over the ball. The reduced rate of pace and scoring was short lived as Sallins put their foot down to put even more distance between the sides.

Alan Marshall’s introduction was quickly followed by two points from the man himself. The 39th minute substitute seemingly had no intention of letting his team waltz through the remainder of this game.

After Stephen Kelly added his fourth point, Sallins hit the net for the first time when Cian Grimes won a Luke Faherty kickout and sent Colm Dalton through goal. The Sallins centre-forward drove at Faherty before rounding the ‘keeper and smashing into an empty net to give his side a 1-16 to 0-2 lead after 46 minutes.

There was a point more at each end in the five minutes that separated Sallins’ first and second green flag. This time it was Luke Kelly who rattled the net with his drilled finish from close-range.

Kilbride answered with their fourth point of the game a minute later from Caolan Howard, who, after a scuffle with Sean Conway and a later foul on Luke Kelly, was sent off for two bookable offences in the 63rd minute.

The third and final Sallins goal came from the man who created the first, Cian Grimes, who put himself top of the scoring charts in this game when he drove down the left-hand side of Kilbride before superbly firing low into the net at the near post.

Kilbride, who have had a superb 2025, were no match for the once again hugely impressive Sallins. The Meath champs did get the game’s final score through Conor McWeeney to end this fixture’s scoring at 3-18 to 0-6 as Sallins progressed to a Leinster IFC Semi-Final.

Sallins, Cian Grimes 1-4 (0-3 frees, one two-point free), Colm Dalton 1-3, Stephen Kelly 0-4 (0-3 frees, one two-point free), Luke Kelly 1-0, Alan Marshall 0-2, Luke Killian 0-1, Emmet Ralph 0-1, James Dalton 0-1, Glen McEvoy 0-1, Sean Conway 0-1.

Kilbride, David O'Leary 0-3 (0-3 frees), Josh Harford 0-1, Caolan Howard 0-1, Conor McWeeney 0-1.

SALLINS: Matthew Farrelly; Ruairi O'Domhnaill, Mark Moynihan, Sean O'Domhnaill; Luke Kelly, Eoin McConnon, Glen McEvoy; Daragh Mangan, Paul Farrelly; Cian Grimes, Colm Dalton, Luke Killian; Stephen Kelly, Emmet Ralph, James Dalton. Subs: Alan Marshall for Emmet Ralph (39 minutes), Sean Conway for Eoin McConnon (52 minutes), Ferdia O'Domhnaill for Colm Dalton (52 minutes), Aaron Carney for Mark Moynihan (55 minutes), Sean Egan for Glen McEvoy (55 minutes).

KILBRIDE: Luke Faherty; Mark Dempsey, Ronan O'Leary, Cian Harford; Finn White, Timmy Farrell, Andrew McWeeney; Daniel Boyd, Caolan Howard; Conor McWeeney, James Gavin, Cathal McKeon; Josh Harford, David O'Leary, Adam Malone. Subs: Zack McGovern for Adam Malone (41 minutes), Conor O'Driscoll for Mark Dempsey (47 minutes), Anthony Barker for Andrew McWeeney (53 minutes), Cadhla McKenna for James Gavin (57 minutes).

Referee: James Nolan (Longford)

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