The St Brendan's Football 1st XV, Sponsored by Dynamic Safety Solutions, went to their fourth AFL5 Fixture away to Crumlin without two of the management team available in Martin Ryan and Jonathan Melvin. However, both men provided John Tuffy and Cian Walsh with a big red folder full of strategy and tactics to help them finally get the first win on the board. 

Did they get the first win, well you must wait a little bit later. But first, here’s a brief summery with other St Brendan’s teams over the past 7 days. 

On Sunday 7th April, The Hurlers, sponsored by Bodibro, picked themselves up and dusted themselves down after the loss to Trinity Gaels (now 3 from 3) to comprehensively defeat Naomh Olaf 3-18 to 2-10 in a match moved from Sandyford to Longmeadows. 

On Wednesday April 11th, The St Brendan’s Ladies 3rd XV, Sponsored by FTI Consulting, played their first fixture of the 2024 season. Despite losing all matches in last year's Junior J Championship, Eugene Cunningham was adamant that the lessons learned in those defeats would be put into practice this evening against Erins Isle. 

The Darker than Dark force finally got their first ever win with a 4-9 to 1-6 scoreline with Catherine Martin and Rebecca Matthews amongst the goal scorers. 

Also playing their first fixture 24 hours later were the Camogie team, sponsored by Comcast Engineering and Ryans of Camden Street and made the long trip to Southwest Co Dublin to face Commercials in the Junior 4 League. The Dark Force Camogs threw down a huge gauntlet for the season with a comprehensive 5-12 to 2-2 victory. 

So, onto Sunday, and this writer had planned to report on the 2nd half of The Dark Forces match with Crumlin after coming from the Phoenix Park following the Great Ireland Run, only to arrive with just 15 minutes gone in the second after the referee wanted to move the throw in to 10.30am, to allow himself time to attend another game later that afternoon. 

The score was 1-13 to 1-4 when this writer arrived and witnessed The Return of The Mack Cillian Morrison make it 1-13 following final pass from Nicky Mc Cafferty. Brendan Brogan got the goal in the first half. 

James Mc Gee came on for Stephen Durcan, speaking to this writer Durcan was please in the way St Brendan’s played in the first half and how we pinned in Crumlin during kick outs against the wind which they struggled, but a positive, nonetheless. Crumlin did peg a point back to make it 1-14 to 1-5. 

Ger Bannon got a yellow card for a high tackle after clipping his marker on the head when in full flight. The resultant free in was Crumlin's third on the spin 1-14 to 1-7. Bannon did make amends by performing a flying block to deny Crumlin another point. 

On the end, St Brendan’s won a penalty after a reckless foul on Cillian Morrison, who took the penalty himself but shot straight at the goalkeeper who cleared for a sideline ball 4 meters form the end line. Diarmuid Cooney took the sideline ball, but his shot went wide. 

Any thought of John Tuffy having to get another page of Martin Ryan’s big red folder was soon forgotten about when James McGee guided the ball over the bar from 10 meters following good work from John Maguire and Kevin Berry 

That was the last action of the game and St Brendan’s celebrated the first win of the 2024 season. Martin Ryan and Jonathan Melvin will be back on the sidelines when St Brendan’s travel to Ballyboden St Enda’s for the first Tuesday evening fixture of the year on April 23rd. 

Final Score from Longmeadows, St Brendan’s 1-15 Crumlin 1-7.