Category / Junior Football Championship

by thesaffrongael

Football Championship this weekend

With the hurling championship now well underway, it’s the turn of the football championship this weekend with games in Senior, Intermediate and Junior all down for decision.

Friday Night – All Games 7-00pm

Pearse Park Friday SFC: Friday night sees the weekend action get going when Dunloy take on Rossa  in the Senior Football Championship in Dunloy and last year’s winners will be hoping to get their group game opener of to a winning start at Pearse Park—700pm.

Rossa will travel in the hop of causing an upset but if the Cuchullian’s are near full strength then the reigning champions can get their 2026 campaign of to a winning start.

SFC Milltown SFC: An improving St. Gall’s will also be hoping for an opening day win when they entertain St. Ergnat’s at Milltown and home advantage should be enough to see them through but they shouldn’t underestimate a Moneyglass side who impressed in their relegation playoff win over Tir na nOg a few weeks back.

Pairc Mhic:Dhomhnall/Dhoctairtigh IFC: St. Teresa’s take on Davitt’s in the Intermediate Championship at Pairc MhicDhomhnall/Dhoctairtigh and this one could be close with only a point separating them when they met in the league at the same venue. St. Teresa’s won that one and with each side already having suffered a defeat in the competition, neither can afford to lose.

Colaiste Feirste JFC: The Junior Football Championship rounds of the Friday night action with Laochra Loch Lao hosting Pearses at Colaiste Feirste and despite conceding home advantage, Pearses can edge this one.

Saturday

2-00pm- Pairc na Gael SFC: Aghagallon and Sarsfields kick off the Saturday action when the St. Mary’s entertain the ‘Paddies’ in Aghagallon. Sarsfields have performed well this year to maintain their division 1 status but Aghagallon have been in good form themselves and home advantage shoud see them kick of this year’s campaign with a win.

2-00pm Woodlands IFC: Last year’s Division 3 and Junior Championship winners, St. Agnes have found the going tough in Division 2 this season and face a tough championship opener against a St. James Aldergrove side who played their football in division 1 in 2025 and finished well up the table in division 2, this season.

The Crumlin side have already recorded an opening day win over Davitt’s in Group 1 and should have too much for the ‘Aggies’ at Woodlands.

4-30pm Kelly Park SFC: Casements Portglenone take on Lamh Dhearg in their opening game in Group 4 and have had a descent season under Matty McGleenan and may have been retaining their best for the championship.

They face a formidable opponent in Lamh Dhearg who always give it everything come championship time but a win for the Casement’s looks the likelier result.

4-30pm Woodlands JFC : Eire Og host new boys, St. Brigid’s Cloughmills at Cherryvale and their greater experience, coupled with league performance would suggest that the Deirraghy side can kick off this year’s campaign with a win but an in form St. Brigid’s could run them close.

4-30pm Cloney 1FC: This could well be the match of the day when St. Mary’s Ahoghill play hosts to St. Joseph’s Glenavy in Cloney. St. Joseph’s have already recorded an opening day win over Naomh Padraig at Kirkwoods Park and are on the road again against a St. Mary’s side who are making their championship debut after stepping down from Senior Championship last year.

Both sides will have their eyes on a place in the later stages of the competition but home advantage could swing it the way of the dual club.

6-45pm Toome SFC: The biggest crowd of the day is likely to be in Toome where championship specialists, Erin’s Own face St. Brigid’s in the SFC Group 3 opener. Last year’s beaten finalists, Erin’s own face a St. Brigid’s side who lost to eventual winners, Dunloy at the semi-final stages in Toome in 2025 and both will have their eyes on championship success this season.

Cargin, by their own standards have had a mixed league campaign but are always a different animal when it comes to the championship and this one could be mighty close but home advantage could swing it the way of the hosts.

Sunday

4-30pm Fr. Maginn Park SFC: Con Magee’s entertain Tir na nOg in an all South West contest and the Glenravel men will fancy their chances of getting this year’s campaign of to a winning start.

The Whitehill side have had a difficult season which ended in relegation but are capable of much better and may see this one as an opportunity for redemption but the home side should collect a valuable opening day win.

4-30pm Slemish Park SFC: All Saints play hosts to St. Paul’s in Ballymena and will hope to improve on their 2025 campaign where they failed to win a group game, following an impressive league campaign.

An opening day win would help the confidence of both sides and home advantage could edge it in favour of Baker Bradley’s side but it could be close.

5-00pm Hightown IFC: Naomh Eanna go into their second game in Group 2 after an opening day win over Naomh Comhghall Antrim. That one was much closer than most pundits had predicted but the Division 2 winners had four to spare and with home advantage should account for Naomh Padraig who lost to Glenavy at Kirkwood Park in their Group 2 opener.

5-30pm Pairc McRuairi JFC: O’Donnell’s play hosts to Kickham’s Ardoyne on the Whiterock Road in what should be a fiercely competitive opening game in Group 2.

Both sides enjoyed strong division 3 league campaigns but home advantage could give O’Donnell’s the edge in a game that could go either way.

5-00pm Cherryvale JFC: St. Malachy’s have struggled this season and face another stiff challenge when they take on St. Mary’s Rasharkin at Cherryvale. The men from Dreen have already the division 3 league title tucked under their belts and will be keen to do a league and championship double and can get their Group 1 campaign of to a winning start.

6-30 Creggan SFC: League winners Kickham’s Creggan will be keen to add a SFC title to their league win but league is league and championship is championship. Never the less the Kickham’s have been the team to beat this season and can begin their Group 2 campaign with a win over visiting St. John’s. The ‘Johnnies’ are always competitive in the championship but it would be a major shock if they were to overturn Creggan on their own ground.

by thesaffrongael

Antrim slow to get going but win in the end by eight

Ulster Junior LGFA Championship

Antrim Senior Ladies 1-19

Derry Senior Ladies 2-8 

Antrim senior ladies got their Ulster championship campaign up and running on Saturday when they made the journey to Ballymaguigan and overcame the hosts Derry by an 8 point margin…. 

In the first 30 minutes Antrim struggled to get out of the blocks and it was Derry who were playing with all the intensity and energy… 

The Derry girls raced into a 4 point lead after ten minutes but a goal from Cliodhna Logan brought Antrim back in touch… 

But again it was Derry who seized the initiative and they scored a second goal after some poor defensive play from the Antrim girls… 

Indeed it could have been worse for Antrim at this stage only for a timely intervention from Emily Kearns who prevented a certain goal… 

But to the Antrim girls credit they played some excellent football in the last ten minutes of the first half with Maria Oneill .. Aiobheann Monaghan.. Theresa Mellon all chipping in with points and just before the short whistle Laura Agnew scored a wonderful point to send the Antrim girls in one up… 

The second half belonged to Antrim… 

The girls completely stepped it up and took control of the game and started to play the free flowing football that they are capable of… 

Some great scores then came their way with Captain Bronagh Devlin leading by example with 4 excellent points and setting up Caitlin Taggart and Aine Lynch who both raised white flags… 

Hanna Donaghy then hit both posts before eventually slotting the ball over the black spot to get her name on the score sheet… 

Joint manager Micky said after the game …. 

“We took a while to get going out there today … 

It was very warm and humid and it took quite a lot out of the girls… 

There was a few things in the first half that myself and Chris probably wernt best pleased with but the girls as they always do responded well .. worked hard and stood up to the challenge…. 

Myself and Chris worked hard this week on coaching our forward play which we feel payed dividends as we hit 20 scores and also our turnover rate was high as we focused on that part of our game also …. 

But ultimately it’s all about the players and not us … 

These girls work hard and  all the credit goes to them here today as they all put a massive shift in out there and our bench again proved they can make a difference when entering the game …. 

The girls all have club games over the weekend which are very important so we will get together again on Tuesday night and prepare for our game at home to London next Saturday..” 

Antrim scorers … 

Cliodhna Logan 1-1 

Maria O Neill 0-4 

Bronagh Devlin 0-4

Aiobheann Monaghan 0-3

Laura Agnew 0-2 

Theresa Mellon 0-2 

Aine Lynch 0-1 

Hanna Donaghy 0-1 

Caitlin Taggart 0-1

by thesaffrongael

St. Agnes’ Ulster debut ends in defeat

Feaured image: David McGaraghan who scored 1-1 in the opening 7 minutes to give St. Agnes a four point lead

Ulster Junior Football Championship quarter-final

St. Patrick’s Donagh 2-11 St. Agnes 1-7

Despite a blistering start where they raced into a 1-1 to 0-0 lead after 7 minutes, St. Agnes first venture into Ulster would end in defeat when they were beaten by Fermanagh Champions, St. Patrick’s Donagh at Brewster Park on Saturday.

The Antrim champions were dipping their toes in the Ulster waters for the first time after completing a league and first Junior Championship in Antrim when they defeated Na Piarsaigh at Davitt’s Park a fortnight ago and for a time their fairy story looked like continuing.

David McGaraghan kicked them into an early lead direct from a ‘45’ and when the same player raced along the bye-line and placed his shot inside Shaun Montgomery’s left hand post the Woodlands travelling support were in fine voice.

Dan Turley, St. Agnes takes on St. Patrick’s Patrick Grue

At this early juncture in proceedings the ‘Aggies’ were dominating possession with Dan Turley and Patrick Mulgrew controlling mid-field and Conall Turley proving a handful with his strong running and smart distribution.

Significantly the Belfast side didn’t take advantage of their possession and were guilty of some poor finishing when they should have been further ahead and when Nathan Beattie opened St. Patrick’s account from a 30 meter free in the 12th minute, the game began to change.

Mid-fielder, Johnny O’Reilly followed with a couple of excellent points and then a great movement, involving several players saw Thomas Cadden fire past Colum Carroll in the 22nd minute to give the Fermanagh side a lead they would not lose.

Points from a Conall Turley 40 meter free and another fine effort from the same player had it all square by the 26th minute but it was St. Patrick’s Donagh who would finish the half on top.

Colum Carroll had pulled of an excellent save to deny Cadden  minutes earlier but he was beaten all ends up three minutes later when Jimmy Tormey finished confidently and a point from Nathan Beattie had the Fermanagh side four in front at the break.

Both sides wasted opportunities as the second half got under way  but a point from Cormac McBride for the ‘Aggies’ closed the gap to a goal and when Donagh lost Sean Daly to a straight Red card after a high tackle on McGaraghan the tide looked to be turning in favour of the Antrim champions.

Instead it was St. Patrick’s who upped their game with Nathan Beattie moving them four ahead again from a free in the 12th minute but St. Agnes were still fighting hard and Eoghan Curran saw his attempt come back of an upright before the excellent Turley cut the gap to three once more in the 16th minute.

That would be as close as they got however as Donagh responded and the impressive Nathan Beattie raced clear at the other end with a good point.

Daire Tracey and Thomas Cadden added two more before Conall Turley responded at the other end but that was as good as it got and it was the excellent Tormey who would conclude the scoring with the game’s final point for the Fermanagh champions.

Jimmy Tormey (21) raises his fist in celebration after scoring St. Patrick’s second goal

A disappointing end to the season for the Woodlands side but Martin Shortt’s side can hold their head high after a superb season where they recorded a first Antrim championship success and a division 3 league double.

They will reflect on some wayward shooting during an opening quarter where they dominated possession but will undoubtedly regroup and press forward next season where they will be playing their football in division 2 and competing in the Intermediate championship.

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/dZU2wjcUDngMR7

by thesaffrongael

Aggies can buck the trend in  Brewster Park

Ulster JFC – 1.30pm Saturday Brewster Park

St.Patrick’s Donagh (Fermanagh) v St. Agnes (Antrim)

St Agnes make the trip to Enniskillen this Saturday in the first round of the Ulster Junior Football club championship where they will face Fermanagh champions, St. Patrick’s Donagh.

The Aggies have been in splendid form this season and completed a league and championship double when they beat Pearses in the Graham Tarmac JFC decider two weeks ago.

St Agnes’ clinched the Antrim Junior Football Championship for the first time in the club’s history with a 1-14-0-09 win over Pearses in the decider at Davitt Park.

Ahead 0-8-0-5 at the interval, an early second half goal from David McGaharan gave his side the platform to kick on for victory after the disappointment of losing last year’s decider to St Comgall’s. 

It’s been a great season for the Belfast club who won 12 of their 14 games to top division 3 and earn a place in division 2 next season and they went on to top Group 1 of the Junior Championship unbeaten with wins over Ardoyne, O’Donnell’s and St. Malachy’s to earn a semi-final meeting with Eire Og.

They won that one at Woodlands by 1-18 to 1-11 to earn a place in the final against an improving Na Piarsaigh where they finished 8 points winners to qualify for Saturday’s meeting with St. Patrick’s Donagh at Brewster Park.

Paddy Carroll
Conall Turley

Paddy Carroll and Conall Turley have been selected on the Antrim All Stars team for this year while Colum Carroll, Caoimhin Floyd, Cormac Flannery, Dan Turley, David McGaharan, Shea Madden and Ronan Gilligan will spearhead the Aggies challenge in County Fermanagh.

The Antrim champions face stiff opposition in the form of St. Patrick’s Donagh who defeated Newtownbutler in a tight Fermanagh final which was in the balance right to the final whistle.

The game had everything – Super scores hard challenges and two teams that refused to accept defeat.

The St. Patrick’s Donagh challenge will be spearheaded by Eamon Maguire (43), who gave a display for the ages which recalled his heroics in that great summer of 2004 when he and Mark Little of Lisnaskea dazzled Armagh in Croke Park as Fermanagh reached its first ever All-Ireland senior football semi-final.

Donagh showed character, courage, and heart in spades to come back from an early five-point blitz from a physically imposing Newtown side.

But they hit back with a great two-pointer from Cameron McBrien, and a superb solo goal from the lively Tiernan Wray brought St. Patrick’s right back into the picture.

Fermanagh Champions, St. Patrick’s Donagh

Newtownbutler led by 1-9 to 1-7 at the break and by 1-10 to 1-7 on the resumption but two superbly finished goals from Brian McDermott and Jimmy Tormey in the space of four minutes gave Donagh the momentum to press on and take their first county title since 2021.

The record for Antrim clubs in this competition isn’t good though Naomh Comhghall came mighty close to causing an upset against the Donegal champions, St. Patrick’s Muff in Letterkeny last year.

A big crowd is likely to accompany the Woodlands side to Enniskillen on Saturday and a confident St. Agnes will feel they can buck the trend of first round losers in this competition and if they are at their best then they are capable of beating St. Patrick’s Donagh and advance to the next round.

by thesaffrongael

A lifetime of service finally rewarded

(Featured Image: Roy McLarnon proudly lifts the cup with his son Declan and his grandchildren)

Big Roy McLarnon wore a smile as wide as the stand he had just watched from as his beloved St. Agnes collected their first Junior Football Championship title at Davitt’s Park on Saturday past.

Beside him, in tears, his son Declan couldn’t hide his emotions. Declan, a member of Antrim Over 40’s side had made a cameo appearance as the ‘Aggies’ overcame the challenge of Na Piarsaigh in a final they never looked like losing.

Roy McLarnon has been a member of St. Agnes since 1963. When I spoke to him after the game he gave me an insight into the history of his club.

 “We were always in and around Division 4 but in successive years we won Division 4, Division 3 and were runners up in Division 2 and were promoted to Division 1.

Team captain, Dan Turley receives the Antrim JFC Cup from Ciaran McGraw

We lasted only one year in the top grade and floated between Division 2 and 3 for a number of years. We played intermediate championship from 91 to 2006. We contested a number of Junior Championship finals over the years but lost to Cargin in 91, to Ahoghill in 2007, to O’Donnell’s in 2011, and to St Comgall’s in last year’s decider.

Big Roy has served St. Agnes through thick and thin as player, Treasurer 1977 to 1997, Chairman 1997 to 2008, county board delegate 1977 to and committee member through the highs and lows of the Woodlands club.

One of Antrim’s great GAA men, Roy McLarnon found time to serve his county and was assistant manager to Eamon Grieve from 1986 to 1990, a period in which Antrim contested a National League quarter-final where they lost to Kerry at Croke Park.

Roy was part of the Antrim minor management team from 1996 to 98 and was involved in various Antrim management teams under Aidan Thornbury, Lenny Harbison, Enda McGinley and most recently with Andy McEntee.

He was manager of the last Antrim U21 team to win an Ulster title in 1989 when they defeated Down in the final.

Like Roy his wife Maria is still involved with St. Agnes and Aine their daughter was a very good footballer and played for Antrim minors in both football and camogie, a real family affair!

It would be fair to say that Roy McLarnon has enjoyed contrasting emotions with his beloved St. Agnes, perhaps more lows than highs but he never once stepped away and was always there when the club needed him.

Roy McLarnon joins in the St. Agnes celebration after the game

I asked Roy about the ‘Aggies’ manager, Martin Shortt and what he has brought to the side. Roy had high praise for the Tyrone native.

“Martin Shortt, has brought massive energy and enthusiasm to the side and all the lads have bought in and the level of organisation and belief he has brought to the side finally got us over the line”

On a weekend when Dunloy lifted their first Senior Football Championship title since 1936 when they defeated reigning champions Cardin and Moneyglass overcame the challenge of division 2 league winners, Sarsfield’s in the Intermediate decider it would have been easy to have overlooked the achievements of St. Agnes and Roy McLarnon but it would have been remiss of me to do so.

I’ve known Roy for most of my GAA life and even played against him on the old Hugomount pitch for All Saints. One of the games gentlemen and one of his club and county’s greatest servants.

Big Roy watched the game from the Davitt’s stand before joining his team and colleagues on the splendid Davitt’s Park surface as Dan Turley received the Cup from Antrim committee member, Ciaran McGraw, a life time of service finally rewarded!

TO VIEW PADDY’S PICS FROM THE JFC FINAL CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/DJy7UycWCRkWPU