UCD GAA had mixed success over the weekend with the slightest of defeats for the Senior Mens Football team on Friday night against St. Brigids followed by a well represented Dublin Ladies team as they raised the Brendan Martin Cup and claimed the All Ireland Senior Football Championship title yesterday in Croke Park.

In Fridays Evening Herald Dublin SFC quarter-final at Parnell Park, work, work, work was the mantra of the modern game as Brigid’s slightly greater work ethic helped them edge out UCD.

UCD, driven on by John O’Loughlin in particular, were coming strong down the home straight but Brigid’s defended heroically to book their spot in Sunday’s draw for the last four.

The Russell Park men started by far the better - up front Ken Darcy was using his fielding ability to telling effect at full-foward and Kevin Bonner firing over two fine points while at the back Graham Norton was showing all his experience to quell the UCD attack and when Paddy Andrews slotted another good score in the 18th minute Brigid’s led 0-5 to 0-1.

Both sides were reduced to 14 men in the 23rd minute when Brigid’s full-back, Martin Cahill, and the UCD full-forward, Dan St Ledger straight red-carded for an off the ball incident.

Before the break the students had cut into the Brigid’s lead following points from Kevin McGourty and O’Loughlin.

Well inside the last ten minutes the influential Heslin brought UCD to within a point but crucial Brigid’s responded with an excellent point from Bonner to steady their ship. Heslin again closed the gap but Brigid’s pulled down the shutters to hold UCD out and progress to the next round.

SCORER -  St Brigid’s: K Bonner 0-3, Mark Cahill (0-1f), K Darcy (0-2f) 0-2 each, P Ryan, Paddy Andrews 0-1 each. UCD: J O’Loughlin 0-3, J Heslin 0-2 (0-2f), K McGourty, C Kelly (0-1f), D O Laorcain 0-1 each.
ST BRIGID’S - S Supple; A Daly, Martin Cahill, G Norton; C Moran, B Cahill, G Kane; S Murray, C Mullins; K Kilmurray, Mark Cahill, K Bonner; P Ryan, K Darcy, Paddy Andrews. Subs: Peadar Andrews for Kane (30); D O’Connor for Ryan (52); C Kilmurray for Moran (58); C Carr for Mullins (59).
UCD - R Farrell; P Kelly, C Forde, J Hayes; D Curran, S Redmond, J Fitzpatrick; S Brennan, J Heslin; J O’Loughlin, M McGowan, K McGourty; T Warburton, D St Ledger, C Kelly. Subs: D O Laorcain for Warburton (24); P Brady for Hayes (ht); S Nerney for Curran (35); R Mallon for Brady (42).
REF - K Tighe (St Anne’s).

ST BRIGID’S 0-9 UCD 0-8

However, in front of a significant and extremely supportive crowd of 21,750, the UCD’s Senior Ladies manager Gerry McGill celebrated a hard earned All Ireland Championship win with the Dublin Senior Ladies. Lining out for the team was also Scholarship students Natalia Hyland and Noelle Healy as well as other UCD players Ciara Murphy and UCD Graduate Cliona O’Connor.

Their 16-point winning margin – 3-16 to 0-9 – was absolutely reflective of their dominance, and they could have won by even more. The significance of their victory – a first senior women’s All-Ireland title for Dublin, a first senior title for Dublin of any sort in 15 years – was reflected too in the outburst of emotion from the players, many of whom had thought long and hard about playing on, such was their despair after last year’s defeat.

Gerry McGill, the Donegal man who has put his heart and soul into getting the best out of women’s football in Dublin over the past two years, also acknowledged last year’s defeat was the platform for this year’s victory.

“We said after last year, made the decision, that we were never ever going to feel like that again,” he said. “It was the last time this bunch of players were going to feel that way.

“In order to achieve that we had to go over and beyond everything we’d done last year. And we thought we’d prepared very well for last year. But we’d to go even further. And that meant everyone toeing the line, and I can safely saw we’ve done that. Defeat was not an option.”

Scorers—Dublin: S Aherne 2-7 (3f), A McGuinness 1-3 (1f), E Kelly, L Davey 0-2 each, G Fay, L Peat 0-1 each. Tyrone: G Begley 0-4 (2f), J Donnelly 0-3 (1f), C Donnelly, N Murphy 0-1 each.

DUBLIN; C O’Connor 8; R Ruddy 9, A Cluxton 9, M Kavanagh 8; S McGrath 8, S Furlong 9, G Fay 8; D Masterson (capt) 9, N McEvoy 8; M Nevin 8, A McGuinness 9, L Peat 8; L Davey 8, S Aherne 9.5, E Kelly 8. Subs: B Finlay 7 for Kelly (46), N Hyland for Nevin (52), N Healy 7 for McGuinness (57), N McEvoy (St Syls) for McEvoy (Parnells, 58), C Barrett for Fay (58).

TYRONE; S Lynch 5; M Donnelly 5, M Kelly 4, S McLaughlin (capt) 5; L Donnelly 6, N Woods 5, E Teague 5; S Donnelly 5, S Quinn 5; C Donnelly 6, G Begley 6, A O’Kane 5; C McGahan 5, S Connolly (inj), J Donnelly 6. Subs: N Murphy 6 for S Connolly (inj, 9), R Rafferty 6 for Teague (h-t), O O’Neill 5 for McGahan (46), M Gallagher 5 for M Donnelly (46), C Scullion for O’Kane (57).