Na Dúnaibh see off Glenfin to land a first SFC home win in 35 years

Na Dúnaibh 2-19 Glenfin 1-14

The foundation for the victory was laid in a superb first half when Na Dúnaibh made the most of the strong breeze, producing a series of excellent scores to take a commanding 2-15 to 1-3 lead into the interval.

Patrick McElwee was outstanding for the winners, contributing 11 points before half-time and finishing with a remarkable 14-point haul.

Glenfin deserve credit for continuing to battle after the break and they did their best to reduce the sizeable deficit, but the damage had already been done. They now face a relegation play-off.

Na Dúnaibh got off to the perfect start, with McElwee clipping over a two-pointer from distance with less than a minute played.

Glenfin responded through Seaghan McCormick and Odhran O'Connor and, midway through the opening half, they were just three points adrift at 0-6 to 0-3.

O'Connor then brought Glenfin level when he got in front of the Na Dúnaibh defence to fist a Luke McGlynn delivery to the net.

That equaliser only sparked Na Dúnaibh into action.

Johnny McGroddy immediately restored their lead with an excellent two-pointer from play before adding a goal moments later.

McGroddy appeared to be chasing a lost cause when a ball was sent towards the corner, but he got there ahead of his marker and drove towards goal before finishing past Jamie O'Donnell.

Na Dúnaibh led 1-8 to 1-3 and took complete control from there.

Their second goal arrived in the 27th minute. McElwee's free dropped short and, although O'Donnell did well to fist the ball away, the clearance fell to Dylan McGlone, who made no mistake with his first-time finish.

Na Dúnaibh added seven further points without reply before the break to lead by 15 at half-time.

McElwee opened the second-half scoring from a close-range free to extend the advantage to 16 points.

Glenfin refused to fold, however, and Shaun Ward got their comeback under way with a two-pointer. McCormick and Ward added further scores before Karl McGlynn came close to a goal.

McGlynn's effort was well saved by Na Dúnaibh goalkeeper Kyran Gallagher, but he followed up to send the rebound over the bar.

Another Ward free left it 2-16 to 1-9 after 43 minutes.

Na Dúnaibh responded immediately through McElwee and, although Glenfin continued to press, the home side always seemed capable of finding an answer when required.

Keelan McGroddy eased any remaining nerves with an excellent score late on, while McElwee completed a magnificent individual performance with another point before the final whistle.

Na Dúnaibh can now look forward to a preliminary quarter-final clash with MacCumhaills, while Glenfin's attention turns to Aodh Ruadh the relegation battle.