Kilmacud Crokes exact revenge to reach Leinster semi-finals

Kilmacud Crokes 2-18 Clough Ballacolla 1-12

Revenge belonged to Kilmacud Crokes at Parnell Park as the Dublin champions made up for last winter's AIB Leinster club championship defeat to Clough Ballacolla with a resounding rematch success, securing their place in this season's last four.

The hosts overcame a slow start to take control of the contest and were ultimately full value for the nine-point win over a Clough Ballacolla side that finished with just 13 players.

Defender Brian Corby's 25th minute dismissal was a major blow to the 2021 provincial finalists while Willie Hyland was also sent to the line in second-half stoppage time though the game was long since up at that stage.

First-half goals from Brendan Scanlon and leading scorer Oisin O'Rorke, who struck 1-11 overall, allowed Crokes to overcome those early jitters and they led from the 17th minute until full-time.

Their reward for the big win is a semi-final clash with St Mullins of Carlow at Croke Park on 27 November.

Clough Ballacolla were 3/1 outsiders for last season's semi-final when they beat Crokes in Portlaoise and came into the rematch on Dublin soil as underdogs again despite collecting their third consecutive Laois title.

That perhaps explained their charged up start with the visitors surging into a 0-05 to 0-02 lead and their feverish support raising the roof in the main stand with each score.

Ultra-experienced attacker Dunphy was a key man for Clough Ballacolla and converted one sumptuous line ball during that early period of dominance.

Stephen 'Picky' Maher weighed in with two points also, both from frees, though they only added two more points in the half, another couple of converted frees by Maher.

The game turned on a moment of brilliance from Scanlon