Creggan Kickhams held their annual Juvenile Awards evening it the club hall last week
Bert Trowlen went along for the Saffron Gael to get some photos.
NFL Division 3
Offaly v Antrim
Tullamore – 2-00pm Sunday
Antrim make the trip to Tullamore on Sunday to take on Offaly in a game that they realistically need something from if they are to keep their promotion hopes alive.
Andy McEntee’s side opened this year’s league campaign with a win Over Clare in Corrigan Park before travelling to play Fermanagh in Ederney where, despite laying siege on the home goal in the closing stages they were beaten by a point.
Meantime Offaly, with Mickey Harte now on board as joint manager have maximum points from their opening two games having recorded a 1-17 to 0-13 win over Sligo in Tullamore before travelling to Laois where they had five points to spare over the home side.
Offaly fielded quite a number of the side who lost in Belfast in 2024 against Antrim in their opening day win over Sligo with Keith O’Neill top scoring with 0-6 and Dylan Hyland 0-4 and Ruiari McNamee 1-1 impressing in attack.
By all accounts Sligo gave as good as they got but their profligacy in front of the posts proved their downfall and Offaly took advantage in the second half as they dominated the kick out to hit four on the bounce.
The Antrim side who faced Offaly that day in Belfast is likely to contain quite a number who were in action on the Whiterock but Paddy McAleer and Creggan’s Ruairi McCann have retired and Colm McLarnon and Eoin Hynds are injured while Peter Healey’s long term absence has been a blow for the Saffrons
Keith O’Neill sparkled for Offaly as the Mickey Harte era began with this Division 3 home victory over Sligo and they followed that win with victory over Laois and the Mickey Harte influence appears to have taken immediate effect.
Antrim have made a descent start themselves and will feel that they should have taken something from a Fermanagh game where they were on top for long periods but appeared to switch off at the start of the second half and were punished when Garvan Jones struck three early points for the home side.
They came back through Paddy McBride and Mick Byrne and the sides were level at the end of the third quarter but Fermanagh hit a purple patch to move four clear with Jonathan Cassidy and Fionn O’Brien to the fore.
Antrim threw everything at the opposition in the closing stages with the Fermanagh goal under siege and were finally rewarded when Ruairi McCann rose to palm to the net from close range.
That was as close as Antrim would get with the full time whistle coming as a relief to the home side and their supporters.
Antrim will reflect on the number of chances they failed to convert when they were on top in Edenery and the concession of a couple of goals that were preventable but can take a lot of positives from the game.
Their ability to break and win breaking ball around mid-field gave them the edge in that department, particularly in the opening half and if they can eliminate basic mistakes then they can take something from their visit to O’Moore Park.
Mick Byrne, Kavan Keenan, Marc Jordan, Joe Finnegan, Conor Stewart, Paddy McBride and new man, Fionn Nagle were Antrim’s best performers against Fermanagh and should all get the nod in a side that is unlikely to show too many changes.
Ryan Murray was replaced just before throw-in in Ederney and Patrick Ferris may have shown enough when he came on as a second half substitute to get the nod for a starting place in Tullamore.
LGFA Ulster Minor League
Down 0-3 Antrim 2-11
The antrim minor ladies are under the management of Martin Sherlock and a great backroom team got off to a fab start in their opening game in the LGFA Minor League agaonst Down on Sunday. Despite having to play without their camogie tied St Dominic’s players the Saffrons LGFA took the points home after an impressive display againt Down.
The girls started well and after a period of pressure scored their opening point through captain Hanna Donaghy. The tone of the game was set as Down were pinned back for long periods.
With Aoibhean Monaghan, Anna McGarry and Leah Stewart constantly dangerous it was a surprise that Antrim were not further in front by halftime. However the Saffs were rocked with a shoulder injury to Keela McAllister just before the break. Down 0-2 Antrim 0-7
The second half continued in much the same pattern as the first with Antrim holding the upper hand
Anna Rice, Hannah McGirr and Caoimhe Heffernon were dominating in and around midfield and Antrim began to stretch away from a very determined Down team.
The game was effectively finished when Aoibhean Monaghan and Anna McGarry scored two quick fire goals to settle the game.
In an impressive team display the back line of Ciara Murray, Sally Scullion, Lara McNicholl
Seana Bradley and Emile McCrory kept Down to just 3 scores while Holly McGahey in nets was perfect with her kick-outs.
Mia Mills at centre half forward drove on the Antrim team by gathering and fetching the ball all over the pitch, while corner forward Aoibhean Monaghan top scored with 1-6 and Anna McGarry hit 1-3. Overall It was a very professional display from the minor Saffs as they secured the first win of the season for the girls with whole squad contributing to the victory.
In a great day for the group the St Dominic’s girls also won the schools camogie All Ireland semi-final.
Antrim
Holly McGahey, Ciara Murray, Sally Scullion, Lara McNicholl, Seana Bradley (0-1), Caoimhe Heffernon, Emily McCrory, Anna Rice, Hannah McGirr, Leah Stewar, Mia Mill, Anna McGarry (1-3), Hanna Donaghy – Capt (0-1), Keela McAllister, Aoibhean Monaghan (1-6)
Subs – Chloe Boyd-Munce, Aine McCavana, Caoimhe Scullion, Catherine McKay, Tara Rodgers, Aoife Garland, Laura Scullion, Nicole Munce
Antrim make the long journey to Tullamore on Sunday to play high riding Offaly in the NFL Division 3. A year ago the sides met in Corrigan Park where Antrim withstood a late rally to take the points. Today we take a look back at that game and later we will preview Sunday’s encounter in O’Connor Park.
Allianz Football League Division Three
Antrim 2-5 Offaly 1-7
Antrim withstood a late sustained rally by visitors Offaly to make it two from two in the Allianz Football League in swirling and blustery conditions in front of a good crowd at Corrigan Park on Sunday.
The Saffrons, with the elements in their favour in the opening half, raced into a seven point lead as half time approached but they were hit by a goal from Anton O’Sullivan in the 34th minute to cut the gap to four at the halfway stage.
It was Antrim who opened brightly in the difficult conditions and points from Eoin Hynds and Niall Burns had them two in front by the 12th minute before corner-back, Ronan Boyle finished to the net to give the home side a five point lead after being set up by Eunan Walsh.
Marc Jordan raced clear for an Antrim point in the 16th minute before Cian Farrell finally got Offaly off the mark with points in the 19th and 25th minutes to cut the gap to four.
Antrim pressed and Offaly keeper, Ian Duffy brought down Dominic McEnhill as he bore down on goal with McEnhill gathering himself up to convert the spot kick and Duffy lucky not to receive a Black card.
The home side suffered a setback as half time approached when they gave away possession around mid-field and the visitors countered swiftly with O’Sullivan firing to the top corner of Mick Byrne’s net to leave four between the sides at the break.
It was the only time in the game that danger man O’Sullivan escaped the clutches of his marker, Kavan Keenan and the Ballymena man’s running battle with his Rhode counterpart was a feature of the game
Conditions continued to deteriorate on the restart with the rain now driving across the field in the second period, but Antrim pushed on with a Michael Byrne free and a Niall Burns converted free.
Ruairi McNamee pulled one back for the Faithful county but Antrim looked comfortable entering the final quarter when leading by five, but Conor Hand was shown Red following a flare up and Offaly took advantage.
Nigel Dunne began the comeback with a beauty and Jordan Hayes followed with another seconds later.
Antrim were now fighting a rear guard action as the visitors continued to press.
Their tails were up but they were dealt a blow of their own on 64 minutes as Jack Bryant was shown black just two minutes after he had been introduced, for a body check on Eunan Walsh.
Still, they continued to press as a couple of promising looking Antrim breakaways failed to provide a score with Dominic McEnhill’s effort blocked for a ‘45’ that came to nothing and Paddy McBride running out of steam after a lung bursting run from defence.
Offaly narrowed the gap to the minimum entering stoppage time through Dunne and McNamee, but they couldn’t find an equaliser with a couple of efforts tailing wide as Antrim hung on for their second win from two starts.
“We’d two breakaways at the end when you could say there were goals on offer and we didn’t take anything from them,” McEntee reflected.
“Usually when you don’t take chances like that you pay the price, but thankfully we got across the line.”
A year ago Offaly faced Sunday’s opponents at the same venue and left with a six point win and it’s perhaps a mark of the resilience that McEntee has built into his side that they held on to avenge that result on Sunday.
Next up for Antrim is Down in two weeks-time at the same venue and the Meath man will be hoping to have a few of his ever increasing injured list available for a game that would put them in a strong position if they were to defeat one of the favourites for promotion.
Antrim: M Byrne (0-1 f); R Boyle (1-0), E Walsh, K Keenan; M Jordan (0-1), J Finnegan, D McAleese; C McLarnon, P McAleer; E Hynds (0-1), N Burns (0-2, 1 f), R McCann (Creggan); P McBride, C McGettigan, D McEnhill 1-0
Subs: C Hand for C McGettigan (48), D Lynch for D McAleese (70+3), O Doherty for N Burns (70+3)
Offaly: I Duffy; A Bracken, D Dempsey, L Pearson; R Egan, J Furlong, J O’Brien; M Tynan, J Hayes (0-1); P Cunningham, R McNamee (0-2), C Egan; C Farrell (0-2, 1 f), A Sullivan (1-0), K O’Neill.
Subs: N Dunne (0-2) for C Farrell (45), K McDermott for R Egan (53), J Bryant for K O’Neill (64)
Referee: P Faloon (Down)
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