Norther Switchgear Senior Football Championship
Group 3
St Brigid’s 1-21 St Gall’s 1-10
Sunday 23 August
Brendan McTaggart reports from Musgrave Park
St Brigid’s produced a hugely impressive performance on Sunday afternoon to kickstart their championship campaign, seeing off St Galls with 11 points to spare. Despite the concession of an early St Galls goal, the home side were imperious.
Dominance in the middle third through high fielding and especially winning ‘dirty’ ball, it felt like this was a performance borne from frustration at their last performance against Cargin but they certainly played like a team who had a point to prove. Whether that was to themselves, or the rest of the county, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is this was a statement win by the Musgrave Park side and opens up the group of death going into the final round of matches.
Totalling 11 different scorers is a mighty statistic and 1-19 from open play is excellent. A final total of 1-21 wouldn’t exactly be unheard off in todays game but given there was just one two-pointer scored by St Brigid’s throughout the hour, you get a feeling for just exactly how dominant St Brigids were.
Ronan McGrady scored their goal late in the first half and it was from then the home side really kicked on. Niall Duffy and JJ Higgins tormenting the St Galls defence with their trickery and pace, running from deep while James Smith was an excellent outlet throughout.
St Galls couldn’t have wished for a better start to the game when they scored the opening goal after just three minutes through Padraig Muirigh but they couldn’t curtail a driven St Brigid’s side.
Muirigh’s goal was the opening score of the game, Eoghan McCabe’s long ball wasn’t dealt with in the St Brigid’s full back line and Muirigh made no mistake when presented with the opportunity.
The Milltown men wouldn’t register another score until the 13th minute as St Brigid’s began to find their footing in the game. John Morgan with the only two pointer of the contest, splitting the uprights from outside the 40 meter arch for the home sides first score. Morgan added another white flag before Dara Quinn, Joseph Finnegan and McGrady (free) splitting the uprights to give the home side a three point lead.
St Gall’s got the scoreboard ticking with Callum Walsh and Daniel Quinn (free) reducing the St Brigid’s lead to one while Muirigh had another goal chance in the same period of time – Declan Heery with an excellent save low to his right to deny the St Galls man a second major.
James Smith and Muirigh swapped scores before McGrady scored St Brigid’s major. Two kicks of the ball and St Brigid’s had gone from their own 13 meter line to St Galls 13 meter line. Direct, swift and impossible to defend against. Dara Quinn and Ronan Boyle combining to send McGrady through and he did the rest.
McGrady would add a further two points in the time that remained with Duffy also splitting the uprights to leave St Brigid’s 1-10 to 1-3 ahead at the interval.
For how good St Brigid’s were in the first half, they found another level after the half time break. They added seven points in the opening quarter of the second half from seven different players in a period of attacking brilliance with points coming from all angles but the one common trait was St Brigid’s ability to break the St Galls defensive line. Joseph Finnegan point from a strong run through the heart of the St Galls defence before splitting the uprights in the 45th minute epitomising the St Brigid’s play and put 11 between the sides.
Daniel Quinn’s free taking ability was keeping the scoreboard ticking for St Galls but they couldn’t manage a period of sustained pressure that would put St Brigid’s under any pressure on the scoreboard.
It was a disappointing afternoon for St Galls who never clicked into gear at all. St Brigid’s will face Moneyglass in their last group game in Ahoghill, very much still in the hunt to get out of the group while St Galls will face their old rivals Cargin in Glenavy.
The group of death is proving to be a fascinating sub plot to the 2026 championship with one more round of fixtures, it’s down to two from three with all teams having a realistic chance of progression.
TEAMS
St Brigid’s Starting XV: Declan Heery; Peter King, John Morgan, Shay Campbell; Shea Downey, Josepgh Finnegan, Ronan McGrady; Jack Dowling, Patrick Finnegan; Ronan Boyle, Dara Quinn, Paul Bradley; Niall Duffy, James Smith, JJ Higgins
- Scorers: R McGrady 1-3 (1f); J Morgan 0-4; N Duffy 0-3; J Smith 0-2; J Finnegan 0-2; P Finnegan 0-2; P Bradley 0-1 (1f); J Dowling, D Quinn, JJ Higgins, Conan McNicholl 0-1
St Galls Starting XV: Chris Kerr; Dubhaltach Wilson, Gairech MacAdhaimh, Aidan McDonagh; Gerard O’Neill, Eoghan McCabe, Conor Ryan; Manus McCrossan, Aodhan Gallagher; Marty Murray, Daniel Quinn, Padraig Muirigh; Callum Walsh, Michael Pollock, Barra McCaffrey
- Scorers: D Quinn 0-6 (5f); P Muirigh 1-1; C Walsh 0-1; B McCaffrey 0-1
Referee: Colly Thompson (St Johns)
TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, CLICK ON THIS LINK…
https://myalbum.com/album/ZYeiN64eVjUCmG/?invite=7dfbdd3c-04f3-4ad4-bf04-6e6446dec081
TO SEE MORE OF CURLY’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THIS LINK
https://myalbum.com/album/dRdEJaQkmxvCDZ/?invite=ffd2697e-7db8-4b8b-8d33-65ec5cdb98d6