Na Fianna get past Clough Ballacolla with ease in Leinster SHC quarter-final

Na Fianna 3-20 Clough Ballacolla (Laois) 1-15

New Dublin manager Niall Ó Ceallachain will continue to double job for another week at least after steering Na Fianna through to the last four of the Leinster club SHC.

A slow start aside, this was a relatively comfortable quarter-final win for the Mobhi Road men who finished strongly to stretch the gap to 11 points by full-time.

AJ Murphy top scored with 1-04 for the back-to-back Dublin champions while Ciaran and Jonathan Stacey also netted with free-taker Colin Currie helping himself to seven points.

Dublin star Donal Burke weighed in with two points also before being substituted as Na Fianna cruised through to a semi-final clash with St Martin's of Wexford back at Parnell Park next weekend.

With the Kilkenny champions now out of the picture, and considering how close Na Fianna came to winning this championship last year, they will fancy their chances of going all the way.

Visiting Clough Ballacolla hadn't played a game in six weeks since beating Rathdowney Errill by six points to claim their seventh county title.

Maybe that lack of match sharpness was a factor in the defeat - their sixth ever in the province - though initially at least, they looked more fresh than fatigued.

Stephen 'Picky' Maher, who hit 1-14 in that county decider and 2-40 in the Laois championship, scored two points as Willie Hyland's side moved 0-03 to 0-01 clear.

Maher then brought his own personal tally to 1-03 in the 10th minute when he capitalised on a mistake in the Na Fianna defence for a goal.

Willie Dunphy drove a hopeful ball in from the left wing and when Na Fianna defender Paul O'Dea slipped, Maher had the opening he needed to seize possession and rifle to the net - suggesting a potential upset