FINGALLIANS inter footballers were paired against Good Counsel in the quarter-finals of the championships following their impressive victory over Clann Mhuire in the last 16 of the competition this week.
It means the Swords’ men – who were bolstered by the return of the talismanic Paul Flynn last time around – will hope to make their AFL2 experience tell over the Drimnagh side who currently ply their trade in the lower reaches of AFL3.
Fins will not have far to go should they want to embark on a scouting mission as they are the last of the Swords’ sides left standing in the competition.
St Finian’s, off the back of their recent promotion back up to senior league football, were unable to carry the momentum into the competition, falling at the hands of Counsel.
Fingallians’ date in that quarter-final is set for either October 3 or 4.
Elsewhere, the good times keep on rolling for St Sylvester’s as their senior, inter and ladies footballers progressed in their respective county championships and the hurlers have a final showdown with Round Tower on Saturday afternoon.
It keeps alive the prospect of yet more silverware to go with the ladies’ incredible Dublin intermediate football success of last month. They marched into the quarter-finals with a breathtaking 5-18 to 0-3 win over St Kevin’s of Louth last weekend to set up a date with Laois side Crettyard in the Leinster quarter-final.
Dublin senior Niamh McEvoy was in immaculate form while Sinead Aherne up front showed her killer instinct as the Broomfield club racked up a huge win.
In similar fashion, the men’s senior team stormed to a 5-12 to 0-5 victory over a Raheny side that were fancied to cause Gabriel Bannigan’s side plenty of problems.
But after a tight first half, ending 1-4 to 0-4, Syl’s powered home with Nigel Dunne scoring a hat-trick of goals while Michael McCarthy was also in prolific form.
They did, however, get handed a really tough draw in the last 16 phase of the county’s premier competition as they were paired against St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh in Tuesday evening’s draw.
The club is home of back-to-back players of the year Bernard and Alan Brogan as well as former Dublin star Jason Sherlock, Meath midfielder Anthony Moyles, the prolific Cavan sharp-shooter Gareth “Nesty” Smith and Ross McConnell.
Perennial challengers, Plunkett’s were undone in last year’s final by Navan Road neighbours St Brigid’s but, of late, have always been included in the list of any potential winners of the title.
They have the form edge over Syl’s, too, in this competition, Smith’s injury time point did the damage in the second round of the competition back in 2010 in a single-point game. Similarly, in 2009’s fourth round, there was little to separate the sides but Plunkett’s won out by three points.
