Na Fianna sink St Martin's to return to Leinster final

Na Fianna 1-16 St Martin's 0-15

First-time Dublin SHC finalists just four years ago, Na Fianna are now preparing for back-to-back Leinster club SHC final appearances.

Three late points in a row from Donal Burke and top scorer Colin Currie eventually separated the Glasnevin outfit from St Martin's at Parnell Park.

Currie finished with nine points while substitute Sean Ryan struck the 54th-minute goal which was also significant in the four-point win.

The cold and windy conditions, and heavy sod, mitigated against a classic encounter unfolding but it was still a gripping semi-final, particularly in the last 15 minutes.

St Martin's had fought from four points down at half-time to level terms and then briefly moved ahead before Ryan struck that goal.

The unflinching visitors refused to yield even after that and got it back to a one-point game before those three points in a row from Mobhi Road side Na Fianna.

They will return to Croke Park next Saturday evening to play Kilcormac-Killoughey of Offaly having lost last year's final there by a point to O'Loughlin Gaels.

St Martin's may feel they let slip a great opportunity to reach the final themselves.

A lengthy delay between the county final and the provincial championship has affected Wexford teams in the past.

This year's final was earlier this month and St Martin's took that momentum with them into last weekend's Leinster quarter-final win over Naas.

But they only got going in fits and bursts this time and fell into Na Fianna's slipstream straight away, trailing by four points after 15 minutes.

Currie struck three Na Fianna points in that period as the hosts opened up a 0-05 to 0-01 lead.

They retained that four-point lead at the interval, 0-10 to 0-06, and must have been content with