Dingle’s late surge leaves St. Brigid’s floored
Ruaidhrí Fallon tries to find the net during Sunday's All-Ireland club senior football final against Daingeán Uí Chúis at Croke Park. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
For the second time in three seasons, St. Brigid’s have been defeated by a point in an All-Ireland final.
And for the second time in three seasons, they were edged out, just when they appeared to have one hand on the Andy Merrigan Cup.
Leading by two points with three minutes in extra time remaining, Dingle’s late spurt resulted in Tom O’Sullivan coming forward to kick two points.
At that stage, we were looking at the first All-Ireland club final to be decided by a penalty shootout, but when St. Brigid’s gave away the ball deep into injury time — instead of protecting possession to work a higher percentage score — Dingle made the most of tiring St. Brigid’s limbs on the counter as substitute Mikey Geaney kicked the winner into Hill 16 with the last meaningful action of the game.
St. Brigid’s players sank to their feet. It was a case of déjà vu, and heartbreaking for players like Ruaidhrí Fallon and Conor Hand who could have done no more for their side.
Fallon ended with 1-6 from play — a couple of two-pointers thrown in there, including the score of his life at the death to send the game to extra time.
Just like 2013 when Ballymun Kickham built up a sizeable lead early on, Dingle looked like they were going to run away with proceedings in the opening ten minutes.
The first Brigid’s player to touch the ball was Conor Carroll from a kickout after Tom O’Sullivan split the posts after 137 seconds.
A massive two-pointer from centre-back Conor Flannery was followed by an audacious effort from O’Sullivan with the outside of his left boot to move the Kerry and Munster champions four points to the good.
Shane Cunnane opened St. Brigid’s account in the ninth minute, which was cancelled by Dylan Geaney’s first point of the afternoon.
Then St. Brigid’s had a huge let-off when Dingle midfielder Billy O’Connor blazed wide with the goal at his mercy, which needed Hawkeye’s intervention.
Finally, Brigid’s let their football do the talking. Ruaidhrí Fallon and Brian Stack split the posts inside a minute, Cunnane landed a two-pointer, and Conor Hand and Ben O’Carroll added points to edge Anthony Cunningham’s men 0-7 to 0-5 ahead after 22 minutes.
Pearse Frost foiled Paul Geaney with a brilliant block, and although Tadhg Browne and O’Sullivan brought Dingle level, a double by Bobby Nugent — the latter coming from a free on the call of half time — left Brigid’s 0-9 to 0-7 ahead at the break.
It was a scoreline they would have taken after ten minutes.
But Brigid’s lost their way for large tracts of the second half. Not even the fillip of Ruaidhrí Fallon’s 38th minute goal or Conor Hand’s tour-de-force could stem the tide as they soon lost Pearse Frost to a black card for a trip on Paul Geaney.
Dylan Geaney and two brilliant points from Tadhg Browne put Dingle in the ascendancy, leading 0-16 to 1-11 by the time Frost returned.
Shane Cunnane landed a ’45 after Brian Stack was denied a goal by Mark O’Connor’s brilliant block.
Paul Geaney looked to have won it for Dingle but there was still more drama. Conor Carroll fluffed his lines from a two-point free, but Brigid’s won the breaking ball and managed to work possession to Ruaidhrí Fallon, who landed a two-pointer for the ages to send the game to extra time.
Fallon’s wizardry included a point from play and his second two-pointer to give Brigid’s a three-point lead inside the opening three minutes of extra time.
But scores by Conor Geaney (free) and Player of the Match Dylan Geaney left Dingle just a point behind at the change of ends, and the latter duly brought the sides level within a minute of the restart.
But Brigid’s came again with points from Cunnane and substitute Charlie O’Carroll to leave them so close to repeating the heroics of the class of 2013.
But, just like against Glen in 2024, St. Brigid’s didn’t close out the deal, and that will haunt them for some time to come.
DAINGEAN UÍ CHÚIS: G. Curran; B. O’Connor, Tom O’Sullivan, Tom O’Sullivan (0-5); A. O’Connor, C. Flannery (0-2, one 0-2), P. O’Connor; M. O’Connor (0-2, one 0-2), B. O’Connor; T. Browne (0-3), P. Geaney (0-3, one free), D. Geaney (0-6, one 0-2); C. Geaney (0-1, one free), M. Flaherty, N. Geaney. Subs used: N. Ryan for B. O’Connor (49 mins), M. Geaney (0-1) for Flaherty (58 mins), S. Óg Moran for Browne (70 mins), M. Flaherty for A. O’Connor (76 mins).
ST. BRIGID’S: C. Caroll; P. Frost, S. Trundle, R. Dolan; R. Fallon (1-6, two 0-2), B. Stack (0-1), P. McGrath; M. Daly, E. Nolan; C. Sugrue, C. Hand (0-3), B. Nugent (0-2, one free); B. O’Carroll (0-1), S. Cunnane (0-5, one 0-2, one ’45), B. Derwin. Subs used: R. Stack for Nugent (47 mins), C. O’Carroll (0-1) for B. O’Carroll (54 mins), S. Kilbride for Daly (57 mins), E. Derwin for Sugrue (70 mins), B. O’Carroll for B. Derwin (70 mins), E. Sheehy for McGrath (76 mins).
Referee: M. McNally (Monaghan).
