Author / thesaffrongael

Posts by thesaffrongael

Photographer and GAA writer who has been covering hurling, football and camogie for almost forty years
by thesaffrongael

U21 Football Finals on Sunday

The U21 A & B Football finals are down for decision this Sunday with Con Magee Gaels meeting St. Galls in the A final in Poretglenone at 12-00pm and Dunloy and Creggan facing each other in the B decider in Ballymena at the same time.

Good crowds have attended the earlier round of the competition but these could be affected on Sunday with Cargin Ulster clash with Errigal Ciaran fixed for 1-00pm at Corrigan Park.

Manus McCrossan, (St.Gall’s)

U21A final

Con Magee Gaels v St. Gall’s

Portglenone 12-00pm

Both sides have impressed on their way to Sunday’s final with Con Magee Gaels pulling out all the stops to defeat Cargin at Fr. Maginn Park in the quarter-final and St. Gall’s recording a big win over neighbours St. Gall’s at Milltown.

Con Magee Gael began their campaign with a preliminary round win over St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass before getting over the line in this tough quarter-final win over Cargin at Fr. Maginn Park.

They looked in a bit of bother after a final furlong flourish from rivals Cargin when they tagged on four unanswered points in the final five minutes to draw level but then yielded two scoreable frees in added time which the home team converted.

Daire Higgins was the Glenravel hero with those two late conversions and it put the Gaels through to a semi-final meeting with Aghagallon with the Glens men again enjoying home advantage.

St. Mary’s had earned their place in the semi-final after a good 1-13 to 1-9 home win over a fancied St. Brigid’s in the quarter-final and travelled to Glenravel to meet the home side in the semi-final.

Once again the Gaels produced the goods to run out 0-14 to 2-4 winners. In the end, Glenravel’s sharpshooters at the top end of the pitch made the telling difference as they had that little bit more composure in front of the sticks when it mattered most.

F Hodgson (0-01), F Donaghy (0-02,) S O’Broin (0-04,) C Ward (0-01;) C McKeown (0-02,) P McDonell, D Higgins (0-03) were the Glenravel marksmen after a polished performance.

St. Gall’s have had an easier route to Sunday’s final after All Saints withdrew from the competition to hand them passage to the semi-final and a meeting with a St. John’s side who had impressed in their quarter-final win over St. Paul’s.

Manus McCrossan was excellent at mid-field for the Milltown Road men with goals from Niall Fallon, Daniel Quinn and Padraig Murray paving the way for a 3-14 to 0-5 win.

With three win s in the competition already behind them Con Magee Gaels will fancy their chances of adding this year’s U21A title to the B title they collected last year but they face a good St. Gall’s side and this one could go either way with the Gaels getting a tentative nod.

Aidan McGarry (Dunloy)
Fintan Close (Creggan)

U21B Final

Dunloy v Creggan

Ballymena 12-00pm

Dunloy will start this one as favourites after recording good away wins over Sarsfields at the Bear Pit on day one while Creggan were recording an opening day win on the adjacent pitch when they finished strongly to defeat Rossa by five points.

Dunloy were on the road again in the semi-final when they travelled to Whitehill and proved too good for Tir na nOg.

Daire McMullan hit 2-2 as the visitors ran out 2-10 to 1-3 winners while Padraig Martin, Thomas McFerran, Aodhan McGarry and Eoin McFerran impressed in a good all round Cuchullian’s side.

At the same time over on the Staffordstown Road Creggan were made to work hard before overcoming the challenge of visitors Lamh Dhearg in the other semi-final.

The Kickham’s led 1-4 to 0-5 at the halfway stage but were reeled in early in the second half with half time substitute, Patrick Tumelty kicking two early points to close the gap to the minimum.

Creggan rallied though to dominate the final quarter and finish 1-13 to 1-7 ahead with Odhran Hampsey, Sean McAuley, Tristan McCann, Fintan Close, Sean Duffin, Shea McCann and Conor Johnston seeing them comfortably over the line.

This could be another close encounter but Dunloy might just have enough to see them home but there is not likely to be a lot between these two South West rivals.

by thesaffrongael

Clinical Garron Tower power home in the second half

Danske Bank Mageean Cup, Quarter-final

St. Killan’s 5-20-1-10 St. Mary’s CBGS

Kevin Herron reports from Ahoghill

ALREADY 1-12-1-05 ahead at the break, holders St Killian’s turned on the style in the second period and cruised into the semi-final of the Danske Bank Mageean Cup with a 5-20-1-10 victory over St. Mary’s at Ahoghill on Thursday afternoon.

The holders settled into the quarter-final clash nicely with Thomas McLaughlin converting an early free and Calum McIlwaine and Callagh Mooney adding points from play.

Sean Og McLaren landed St. Mary’s first point from a converted angled free and a close-range effort from the placed ball moments later was rifled to the net to give his side the lead for the only time in the game.

It was short-lived however when Aodhan Campbell floated in a shot that sailed high into the top corner to give St Killian’s a 1-03-1-01 lead by the 10th minute.

McIlwaine and McLaren (free) traded points before Garron Tower hit seven unanswered points to take firm control.

Nicholas McLaughlin started the spree and added would add another in-between three successive points from Thomas- who would claim four in total with Canice McIntosh also finding range in the dominant period.

St. Mary’s would rally as the half drew to its conclusion as Sean Og McLaren landed another two frees and midfielder Darren Delander pulled off a magnificent long-range point, with Callagh Mooney doubling his account between times to ensure that Killian’s led 1-12-1-05 at the break.

Thomas McLaughlin clipped over his sixth point of the afternoon to extend his sides lead shortly after the break and things soon got better when Joe McKay’s shot was parried by Eoghan Millar and Nicholas McLaughlin scrambled home at the rebound to make it 2-13-1-05.

McLaren (free) and Darren Delander hit back with successive scores, but Charlie McAuley landed a free from range and Canice McIntosh swung over his second point from play.

The wind was taken out of St. Mary’s sails on the 43rd minute as Nicholas McLaughlin’s low shot crashed off the post and Calum McIlwaine reacted quickest to divert the ball to the net and open up a 3-15-1-07 advantage.

Substitute Dylan McNaughton made an immediate impact with a point upon his introduction with Sean Og McLaren sending over his seventh point from the placed ball for the afternoon.

Two-goals in the space of two minutes placed further daylight between the sides with Thomas McLaughlin claiming his first major and Joe McKay lashing home another.

St. Mary’s may have added a second goal late-on, but Caolan Wilson saw his 21-yard free flash past the post in what would have been scant consolation.

Garron Tower talisman McLaughlin provided another two scores and Calum McIlwaine popped over his third of the afternoon with substitute Oisin Boyle pointing for St. Mary’s before the afternoon was out.

In the end, the Champions powerfully swotted off the Glen Road outfits challenge and advanced to the last four to keep their hopes of retaining the Mageean Cup alive and well.

St Killian’s Callagh Mooney in action during his team’s Mageean Cup quarter final win over St Mary’s in Ahoghill. Pic by John McIlwaine

St Killian’s: B Duncan,C McNaughton, C Ward, C McCann, D Higgins, C McAuley (0-1f), J Scullion, A Campbell (1-0), C Mooney (0-2), M Furey, C McIlwaine (1-3), C McIntosh (0-2), O Gillan, T McLaughlin (1-8, 2f), N McLaughlin (1-2). Subs: C Leech for M Furey (HT), J McKay (1-0) for O Gillan (HT), J Kearney for A Campbell (41), D McLaughlin for N McLaughlin (44), O McCambridge (0-1) for C McNaughton (46).

St. Mary’s CBGS: E Millar, E Kearney, M Marlow, F McKinney, C Short, E Walsh, C O’Neill, C Wilson, D Delander (0-2), S Cunningham, C Walsh, S Og McLaren (1-7f), J Gault, S Burns, M Murray. Subs: N May for J Gault (42), D Jemfrey for M Murray (42), O Boyle (0-1) for S Cunningham (45), C McCann for S Burns (55), K Grieves for S Og McLaren (55).

Referee: Vincent Boyle (Dunloy)

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/4NWHGf2zkGF9Ay

by thesaffrongael

A family affair but there could be divided loyalties

Above – Errigal Ciaran’s manager Enda McGinley (left) will be in opposition with his three brother in laws, Michael, Paul and Tomas McCann in Sunday’s Ulster Club Championship quarter final at Corrigan Park

Ulster SFC club quarter-final –

1-00pm Sunday Corrigan Park

Erin’s own Cargin v Errigan Ciaran (Tyrone)

There are likely to be divided loyalties in the opposing camps when Erin’s Own Cargin take on the considerable challenge posed by Tyrone Champions, Errigal Ciaran at Corrigan Park this Sunday.

Errigal Ciaran, managed by former Antrim manger, Enda McGinley retained the Tyrone championship last Monday night with a win over Trillick in a replay but had no time to celebrate before they were back in action.

They returned to Omagh for an Ulster preliminary round win over St. Eunan’s Letterkenny and on Sunday they travel to Corrigan Park where the Toome side are their opponents in a mouth-watering quarter final.

McGinley had a successful run in charge of the Saffrons and led them to promotion from division 4 in his first season in charge and the Antrim team at the time contained quite a number of Cargin players including Michael and Tomas McCann.

The former All Ireland winner with Tyrone is married to the McCann’s sister, Geraldine and faced the McCann’s in the 2009 Ulster final and will cross swords with Michael, Tomas and their brother Paul this Sunday with family loyalties divided, at least until after 2-15 on Sunday.

Cargin have been the outstanding side in Antrim over the past decade but have found Ulster a tough nut to crack despite some strong performances that have included defeats in the last two years to Watty Graham’s, Maghera who went on to claim the All Ireland title last year.

There wasn’t too much between the sides in those two games however with Cargin beaten narrowly in 2022 and then losing again to the Derry champions last year at Celtic Park.

The harsh dismissal of Tomas McCann in the first half of that game certainly didn’t help the Antrim champions cause and there was a strong feeling that Cargin would have overturned that 2022 defeat if he had remained on board.

Sunday’s opponents Errigal Ciaran look just as formidable after Cargin completed a three in a row by defeating neighbours Portglenone in the Antrim final and they will cherish the opportunity to take on Errigal and the ‘brother in law’ on Sunday.

Former trainer Ronan Devlin took over the managerial reigns from Damien Cassidy a couple of years ago and brought in Fabian Muldoon from his own club Ballinderry and there is a feeling within Antrim that this could be their year.

John McNabb remains one of the best keepers around and his ability from frees and his outfield excursions have been a feature of the Cargin play with the Erin’s Own net minder weighing in with vital scores throughout the season.

References have been made about an ageing Cargin team in some quarters but this is very much a myth and while the Toome side still depend heavily on the likes of the McCann’s, Kevin O’Boyle and James Laverty there have been an exciting bunch of young players who have come through to complement that experience in recent years.

Ronan Gribbin, Sean Og O’Neill, Benen Kelly, Tom Shivers and Conor Johnston are amongst the new breed while Pat Shivers, Jimmy Gribbin and Conan Johnston are others who will have plenty to offer on Sunday.

Cargin players and young fans celebrate with the trophy after their win over Portglenone in last month’s Antrim Senior Football final at Corrigan Park, Belfast. Pic by John McIlwaine

Errigal Ciaran certainly didn’t get it all their own way against either Trillick or St. Eunan’s and are unlikely to get anything easy out of the Antrim champions.

They have relied heavily on the Canavan brothers throughout this campaign but have plenty of others who can be match winners on their day and have a strong vein of experience within their own ranks.

Peter Harte has featured regularly for Tyrone for the last decade and Joe Oguz has emerged as another impressive member of the Red Hands in the recent past while Ben McDonnell kicked three late points to see Errigal over the line against St. Eunan’s last day out.

The Tyrone champions will probably start Sunday’s game as favourites but if Cargin are at their best I believe they have the ability and knowhow to emerge victorious.

Pat Shivers
by thesaffrongael

Four in a row for Moneyglass Minors

LGFA Minor Football Championship final

Money glass 1-15 St Galls 4-03

Moneyglass collected their 4th Minor Football Championship final in succession when they overcame the challenge of a spirited St. Gall’s on Tuesday night in Portglenone. St. Ergnat’s went into this one as favourites but it was the Milltown Row side who were first off the mark when Erin Stewart opened the scoring with a point.

Stewart added another from a pointed free before Jo Jo Darragh replied with a couple for the Marian Hill side and would go on to record 0-8 on the night while the other Moneyglass points in the first half came from Ruby McErlain 0-2 and Aoife Leahy.

It was the Belfast girls who were in pole position at the half way stage however with Niamh McAllister and Cora Bellew rattling the Moneyglass net to put them 2-2 to 0-5 ahead at the break.

The second half continued to be fiercely contested as Darragh struck some fine points to eat into the St. Gall’s lead and Ruby McErlain and Leah Stewart added further scores but St. Gall’s replied with a couple of goals from Niamh McAllister and Katie McCullough to bring their total to the evening to four.

Moneyglass never panicked and slowly reigned in their opponents with some excellent points and a Leah Stewart goal turned it in their favour as they ran out winners by three points to make it four minor titles on the bounce.

The Marian Hill side will not have long to rest on their laurels however as they are out again in the opening round of the Ulster championship on Sunday against Enniskillen Gaels in Moneyglass and the management team of Cathy Carey and Benny Marron will be hoping to tighten up their defence for this one.

Referee: Martin Mulholland (Glenravel)

TO VIEW ELAINE’S PHOTOS CLICK ON LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/XKXUtdtHRMPa8P

by thesaffrongael

Carrickmore clash can see Rasharkin advance

Ulster JHC Club semi-final

Rasharkin Antrim v East Cavan Gaels

Carrickmore proved a successful venue for Antrim Intermediate champions, Carey Faughs last Sunday when they overcame the challenge of the local side and can see the Antrim Junior Champions, Rasharkin make it two from two when they visit the Tyrone ground on Sunday.

It took penalties to separate the Faughs from Carrickmore in a fiercely contest Intermediate quarter-final with two brilliant saves from Carey goalkeeper Steven McGinn during the penalty shoot-out finally deciding Sunday’s Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship quarter final.

A day earlier in Armagh Rasharkin had produced a great performance as they swept aside the challenge of Sean Treacy’s in the quarter-final of the JHC.  It was a top performance from the Antrim champions who put on a show from the first whistle.

The trio of Donagh Quigg, Conor McKillop and Conor McKeever did the majority of the damage on the scoreboard, combining to register 4-16 between them which is remarkable in itself. 

Rasharkin went on to win 4-23 to 0-13 against the Lurgan side and never looked in trouble at any stage in the contest and will travel to Carrickmore with confidence but they should be wary of East Cavan Gaels.

Hurling in Cavan has made strides in recent years and East Cavan Gaels proved they are no slouches when they beat Omagh St. Enda’s by 6-10 to 1-14 in their quarter-final clash at Kingspan Breffni Park.

Liam O’Brien, Rory Farrell, Nicolas Kenny, James Tully, Daire Leddy and Cian McEntee got the goals for the Cavan side and will give them confidence as they travel to Pairc Colmcille.

It has been a good season for the men from Dreen and they gave notice of just what they are capable of with a win over Glen Rovers, Armoy in the Antrim final.

St. Mary’s led by three at the break in Loughgiel but with the wind in their face in the second half there was questions as to whether they had done enough.

Two goals in the opening four minutes of the second half swung the game decisively in the direction of Rasharkin as the men from Dreen dictated the early second half exchanges with Conor McFerran following up on a Conor Devlin save from Donagh Quigg in the opening minute to finish to the net from close range.

Three Minutes later the excellent Quigg got in for a second St. Mary’s goal and suddenly a three point lead had been stretched to nine and the Blue & Amber’s were firmly in the driving seat.

They carried that good form into last weekend’s meeting with Sean Tracey’s with Conor McKeever finishing with 1-9, Donagh Quigg with 2-3 and Conor McKillop with 1-4.

James O’Mullan’s return to the last line of defence has given added confidence to a Rasharkin defence where Daniel and Conor Doherty and Aidan McKeever have caught the eye in a unit that has given little away.

Shane Hasson and Connor McFerran form a creative and hard-working mid-field while captain Quigg, McKeever and McKillop all carry serious scoring threat.

Scoring might not be so plentiful for St. Mary’s and their Cavan opponents in Carrickmore as it was in their respective quarter-finals but Rasharkin are flying at present and I would expect them to advance to the Ulster final with something to spare.

Rasharkin v Sean Tracey’s: James O’Mullan; Daniel Doherty, Conor Doherty, Connaire Doherty; Ruairi O’Boyle, Aiden McKeever, Tiernan O’Boyle; Shane Hasson, Conor McFerran; Cathir Henderson, Emmett McFerran, Conor McKeever; Donagh Quigg, Conor McKillop, Declan McKay

Subs: Conor Higgin for R O’Boyle, Daniel Hasson for S Hasson, Caolan Maria for D Doherty, Terry McGregor for C McKillop, Brian Og O’Neill for D McKay.