FINGAL Ravens emerged from Balgriffin with a win, but it came at a cost with injuries picked up by four players last Thursday.

Mick Deegan was to lose both full back Shane Maxwell and influential full forward Keith Kavanagh in the first half, with Darren Daly suffering a recurrence of an injury he picked up while training with the Dubs eight minutes after the restart.

And Alan Casey was to suffer a concussion with eight minutes to go, and the early reports are that he is likely to be out for three weeks which will rule him out for the next round.

Overall it was a difficult tie for the Rolestown men with St Mark's really putting it up to them in the first half.

Featuring an experienced forward line of Barry Kennedy, Dublin hurler Dotsy O'Callaghan and John Kelly, Marks had belied their lowly Division 2 status to really put it up to Ravens early on.

O'Callaghan had sent over the first point of the game and then off Gavan Tynan's pass, Kelly burst through the middle before unleashing an effort off the crossbar.

Stephen Tynan then doubled the Mark's lead, before the in-form Niall Tormey saw an effort from the edge of the small rectangle come back off the far post.

Scores from Casey and Daly each side of a Kennedy free reduced the arrears to a point, before former Dublin minor Kennedy doubled his team's tally from a free mid-way through the half.

But with Martin Flanagan prominent in midfield and Tormey winning some good turnovers at centre forward, Ravens dominated the second quarter.

And although Kennedy was to put three between the teams on eighteen minutes after cutting onto his right foot, Ravens then began to get on top through Keith Kavanagh.

The versatile forward had set up a goal chance for Warren Finnegan on 20 minutes, only for the former Dublin Junior to see his effort come back off the upright.

However, Damien Flanagan was soon on target for the Ravens, with Daly then pointing right off a Mark's kickout. Ravens then endured a frustrating few minutes, with Tormey kicking successive wides and both Maxwell and Kavanagh both forced to go off injured.

However, a Finnegan free before the break saw the sides go in level at half-time at five points apiece, and following the restart Ravens upped their gear, with Finnegan and Tormey sending over back-toback scores.

And although O'Callaghan was to point with a free at the other end, Ravens' ability to get the ball in quickly to the forwards, coupled with a terrific work ethic, was to see them peg on further scores from Finnegan and Joey Morris, with Casey then sending over a terrific score from the righthand side.

And although Kennedy was to reduce the arrears to four points, 11-7, approaching the end of the third quarter, Ravens kept up their intensity, with Finnegan landing his fifth free of the night before Tormey registered back-to-back scores.

The second of these involved him cutting on to his left foot before shooting over from an acute angle, and at this stage Marks looked out of it.

However, the return of Kelly, who had gone off injured early on, lifted the Tallaght boys, and although still struggling, Kelly sent off a terrific point to raise the battle flag.

And it was to prove a nervewracking final ten minutes, with Mitchell denying Barry Redmond and Francis McCann then shooting wide from Kennedy's ' 45'.

Kennedy, however, then added a point, and with the pitch almost converged in total darkness at this stage, Redmond popped up with a goal to really put the cat amongst the pigeons.

But although Kennedy was to add a late free, Ravens held on for a deserved victory. FINGAL RAVENS: Dave Mitchell, Caoimhín Ó Scanaill, Shane Maxwell, Joey Morris, Ian Kavanagh, Darren Daly 0-2, Gavan Donohue, Darren Kavanagh, Martin Flanagan, Stephen Madigan, Niall Tormey 0-4, Damien Flanagan 0-1, Warren Finnegan 0-5 ( 4f), Keith Kavanagh, Alan Casey 0-2. Subs: Thomas McGrath for Maxwell 24 minutes, Ciaran Norton for Keith Kavanagh 28 mins, PJ Casey for Daly 38 mins, Padraig Brennan for Alan Casey 56 mins ST MARK'S: Ed Cooling; Dave O'Flaherty, Fergus Morris, Robert Glynn; Aidan Gildea, James McNeil, Pat Murphy; Stephen Tynan 0-1, Denis McCarthy; Barry Redmond 1-0, John Kelly 0-1, David O'Callaghan 0-2 ( all frees); Gavan Tynan, Francis McCann, Barry Kennedy 0-5( 3f). Subs: Ciaran McInerney for Kelly 24min, Kelly for McCann 49, Graham Whelan for Murphy 54, Alan Doherty for McCarthy 60. REFEREE: Timmy McCarthy Snr.

- Rory KERR