IF EVER a player enjoyed a dream start to a match, it was Good Counsel corner-forward Liam Fennelly in Friday's Leinster Colleges Juvenile football 'A' semi-final on the new top pitch in Carlow's Páirc Uí Bhríain (Éire Óg).

Six minutes gone and the Mullinavat menace had already completed his hat-trick with three stunning goals in three rat-tat-tat minutes.

Though wearing No. 15, Fennelly was operating from the right corner from where the son of the great Kilkenny hurler of the same name displayed both his predatory instincts and vast array of finishing techniques.

In the fourth minute, with Counsel already having two points on the board courtesy of Aaron Diskin from closerange frees, Michael Bolger had a shot half-blocked down, with the 'break' spinning in front of Fennelly who, soccer-like, stroked the ball to the net, the slight delay before pulling the trigger foxing the goalkeeper.

Within 60 seconds the green flag was waving again when, in a virtual replica of his goal in the South Leinster final in Dr. Cullen Park, Fennelly ghosted in on a Dylan Carty-Walsh line ball from the left wing and fisted the dropping ball to the net.

A minute later the hattrick was complete, this time the scorer the benefit of a little good fortune when his shot from outside the small square was halfblocked down but spun up into the air and curled inside the upright.

A shell-shocked Castleknock, the champions of Dublin, found themselves trailing by 3-2 to 0-1 and though one immediately felt there was an element of 'freak' to the goal-spree, the city boys' heads understandably dropped, allowing eager-beaver Good Counsel to build up an unassaible lead.

Come half-time the New Ross college, backed by a strong but by no means gale-force wind, were a whopping 4-8 to 0-1 to the good, with Liam Fennelly having brought his personal tally to 4-2, all from play.

The fourth came in the 19th minute and this time it was an orthodox Gaelic football effort, drifting from his right corner to collect a left wing delivery at the far post, then turning quickly to dispatch a low shot to the Dublin rigging.

Proof of how confidently Counsel were going at that stage can be gauged from the fact that Aaron Diskin pumped over a '45 while Fennelly kicked two fabulous points from the right wing shortly before half-time.

Believe it or not, the second of Fennelly's points was to close Counsel's scoring for the day, with the winners failing to raise a flag in the second-half as revitalised Castleknock, full credit to them, played with considerable passion and pride.

Though Counsel may have slipped into a ' going through the motions' mode, they were never in any serious trouble of losing their lead though the Dubs did gain a glimmer of light from David Costelloe's well-taken 36th-minute goal.

By the end of the third quarter, Castleknock had reduced the arrears to 4-8 to 2-4, with Costello having procured a second goal, while at the other end a good save by Michael Boland denied Fennelly a fifth goal.

The fact that Castleknock's third goal, driven home from close range by Stephen Curran, was delayed until as late as the 56th minute ended whatever slim hopes the Dubs had, though Luke Lynam kicked two grand points to reduced the margin to just five points as the game went into injury time.

Counsel now focus on the Leinster final where, by all accounts, a very strong St. Mel's (Longford) outfit await them.

Match-winner Fennelly availed of a fina supply of ball in the first-half by dominant midfielders Seán Stafford and Dylan Carty-Walsh, the team captain.

- GOOD COUNSEL (NEW ROSS) CASTLEKNOCK C.C. LEO McGOUGH 4-8 3-6