Naas CBS turn on the style to book All-Ireland Final ticket with stunning victory over Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne

Naas CBS 0-20

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne 0-14

All Ireland PP Hogan Cup Semi-Final

Naas CBS brilliantly booked their place in the Hogan Cup Final with an excellent performance that enabled them to run out six point winners over Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in Mallow.

Naas kicked eight wides in the opening half including Alex Beirne missing a penalty but while some teams would have buckled at that stage when trailing, this group are made of stern stuff and they powered on from that point onwards.

After a dodgy enough start Naas were the dominant team and in the second half they kept their opponents to just five points as they took command.

The Naas team were full of stars with the likes of Alex Beirne, Mikey McGovern and Eoin Conneff all scoring heavily but they wouldn’t have got the victory without their defence and they battled valiantly to close out a much vaunted Kerry attack.

The victory means Naas will be the first School from the County to play in the showpiece decider and it caps an amazing two years for the School.

Naas will now play St.Michael’s of Enniskillen in the final next Saturday in Croke Park.

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne are two time Hogan Cup winners and they made a blistering start to the game as they kicked the first three points.

Cillian O’Failbhe landed a point which went over at the end of a patient move in the opening minute before Dylan O’Geibheannaigh and Ruaidhri O’Beaglaoich followed up with a pair of frees.

It thus took seven minutes for Naas to register on the scoreboard when Tony O’Connor brilliantly dummy soloed his way into space before taking the score and the Leinster Champions were soon level when Alex Beirne kicked a couple of beautiful efforts from play.

The Kerry side looked lethal up front though and they were soon clear again with points from the O’Beaglaoich brothers Ruaidhri and Cathal before O’Geibheannaigh extended the advantage to four points nearing the midway point of the half.

The longer the half went on the better Naas seemed to get with points from Mikey McGovern and Eoin Conneff narrowing the deficit before they then won a penalty in the 20th minute when McGovern was fouled  by James Aghas as he was trying to fist a point with the Dingle side’s midfielder getting a black card but Beirne was unable to find the target as he blazed the spot kick wide of the goal.

Naas didn’t let the miss affect them though and Conneff settled things with a well taken score under pressure before the teams exchanged scores with Pobalscoil points from Ruaidhri O’Beaglaoich and goalkeeper Deividas Uosis being cancelled out by Naas points from McGovern and Drew Costello that left Pobalscoil Chorcha Duibhne with a 0-9 to 0-8 lead at the break after a brilliant half of football.

Naas came out for the second half the better side as they kicked four of the first five points with McGovern converting three frees on the back of a fine Alex Beirne point from distance.

Uosis kept Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in touch with his second free of the game but the keeper was being kept very busy down the other end as Naas held a 0-12 to 0-10 lead.

The Kerry side weren’t getting anything close to the supply that they had in the first half and despite O’Geibheannaigh keeping them in touch, Naas were proving much more fluent with scores from Beirne and McGovern.

Ruaidhri O’Beaglaoich kicked his fifth point in the 50th minute and with only two points separating the sides at that stage it looked set for a dramatic finale but Ronan Joyce’s team were having none of it.

Naas kicked on and got four points in a row to move into a six point lead as they all but put the result to bed.

McGovern got two of them while Naas’s strength in depth was again on show for all to see with subs Paddy McDermott and Simon Murphy kicking scores.

Chorca Dhuibhne replied with scores from O’Geibheannaigh and Conor O’Flannura but this was Naas’s day with Dermot Hanifin and Eoin Conneff rounding off the game with points as Naas CBS moved to within 60 minutes of All-Ireland glory.

Naas CBS: David Morrissey (Naas); John Lawler (Eadestown), Conall O’Gallachobhair (Blessington), Jack Hamill (Raheens), Kevin Quinn (Blessington), Eoin Archbold (Naas), Kevin Kelleher (Ballymore), Jack Cleary (Naas), Liam Broderick (Ballymore), Tony O’Connor 0-1 (Two Mile House), Alex Beirne 0-4 (Naas), Drew Costello 0-1 (Naas), Mikey McGovern 0-8 (0-5fs) (Raheens), Dermot Hanifin 0-1 (Naas), Eoin Conneff 0-3 (Eadestown).

Subs used: Paddy McDermott 0-1 (Naas) for Kelleher 30 mins, Rian Monaghan (Naas) for Costello 48 mins, Simon Murphy 0-1 (Ballymore) for Broderick 50 mins, Murray O’Byrne (Robertstown) for Hanifin 60 mins, Aidan Cassidy (Eadestown) for O’Connor 60 mins.

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne: Deividas Uosis 0-2 (0-2fs); Conor O’Flannura 0-1, Tomas O’Dubhain, Seamus O’Loinsigh, Steven O’Conchuir, Gearoid O’Leidhinn, Sean Og O’Morain, James Aghas, Colm O’Muircheartaigh, Criostoir O’Cathain, Cillian O’Failbhe, Colin O’Muircheartaigh, Dylan O’Geibheannaigh 0-5 (0-1f), Cathal O’Beaglaoich 0-1, Ruaidhri O’Beaglaoich 0-5 (0-3fs).

Subs used: Conn O’Riagain for Aghas 22 mins (Black Card).

Ref: James Molloy (Galway)