Barróg arrest Garda's march

After winning the Dublin Adult Football League Division 3 title, the Kilbarrack club secured a noteworthy double with their defensive solidity central to their well-merited six-point victory.

Danny Higgins, Stephen Deering and Kevin Higgins provided an obdurate and accomplished last line of defence for the winners while wing-back Evan Scanlon was hugely instrumental in driving his side forward.

"We were the stronger team, I think," said Naomh Barróg manager Patsy Comerford. "I felt that we were the dominant team but we hit a few bad wides and we didn't reflect our display on the scoreboard.

"It was a great venue and pitch for a final, and thankfully we improved on our decision-making after the break and I think it was just that bit of sharpness that was the difference between the teams.

"It's great to win the competition and, when you're in it, it is there to be won. They are a young team and we took a chance with these lads and it paid off this year.

"The future looks bright for the team if they can accept responsibility and drive the team forward, which is what they need to do if the team is to be successful in the coming years."

The pivotal score of the game arrived in the 40th minute as a hotly disputed penalty was superbly despatched to the top corner by Darragh McGee, who finished the game as the top scorer, amassing 1-4 in total.

His tally, in addition to points by the tireless Aaron Craig, Richie Timmins and dual player Dean Flood, proved too much for a Garda team that showed well through the efforts of Ronan Mulligan, Richie Lynch, Gareth Moran, Declan Jennings and Willie Skelly.

"They were a standard above us to be fair," said Garda manager Brian Talty. "They won Division 3 of the league and are a bit ahead of us at this stage but we're very happy with the year after our promotion from Division 4."