THIS Leinster quarter-final at Parnell Park was billed by many as a potential provincial decider, but it was over long before the finish.
It was a similar story at Croke Park last year when the sides locked horns.
Kilmacud looked physically more developed against a young Naas side who fought to the end, but never really threatened to take it down the straight.
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The winners’ efficiency was stunning for a club side as they shot 3-11 from 18 shots, dropping two short and having just two wides.
It helps when you have a dead eye like Shane Walsh on your side with the Galway star hitting four scores from six shots.
When Crokes’ scored their third goal on 37 minutes, finished by Hugh Kenny but brilliantly made by wing back Andrew McGowan, they led by 10 points - 3-9 to 0-8 - and the game was up for Naas.
Crokes shut up shop at the back dealing with the considerable aerial threat of four point Darragh Kirwan and never looked like leaking the goals that would blow the game wide open again.
Naas were hit with two real sucker punch goals in the first half.
The first came on seven minutes when defender Cathal Daly was adjudged to have over carried the ball off a short kick out.
Naas goalie Luke Mullins, who had a licence to roam, was well out from his goals.
Daly set the ball down instead of holding on or kicking it away until his goalie was back in his nets.
Dara Mullin lifed it and lobbed the goalie for a 1-2 to 0-1 lead.
Kilmacud had stretched that out to 1-4 to 0-1 by the ninth minute and it looked as if some of the Naas players hadn’t turned up, but they got it back to a one point game with Alex Beirne leading the charge.
But on 23 minutes Crokes midfielder Craig Dias rifled to the net and all of Naas’ good work was undone.
Crokes controlled the game from this juncture to run out comfortable winners and set up a Croke Park semi-final date in a fortnight.
KILMACUD CROKES: C Ferris, T Clancy, M Mullin, D O’Brien, C O’Shea, R O’Carroll, A McGowan, C Dias (1-0), B Shovlin, S Horan(0-1), S Cunningham (0-4, 1mk), A Jones (0-2), H Kenny (1-0), D Mullin (1-1, 0-1mk), S Walsh (0-4, 2fs).
SUBS: T Fox (0-1) for H Kenny (inj) 39mins, C O’Connor (0-1, f) for Horan 43mins, J Kenny for McGowan 53mins, A Quinn for Mullin 55mins, B Sheehy for Cunningham 58mins,
NAAS: L Mullins (0-2, 2 45s), C Daly, B Byrne, M Maguire, Paddy McDermott, E Doyle, T Browne (0-1), J Burke, Paul McDermott, B Kane, A Beirne (0-3), D Hanafin, E Callaghan (0-2), D Kirwan (0-4), C Doyle (0-1).
SUBS: J Cleary for Paul McDermott ht, J McKevitt for Kane 43mins, K Cummins for Doyle 50mins, B Stynes (0-1) for Maguire 51mins, E Prizeman for Browne (inj) 59mins.
REFEREE: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)
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