The Club championships has already started and the first team on Championship Duty were the St Brendan’s Ladies Football 3rd XV Sponsored by FTI Consulting on July 8th in a match that was a double header for Division 12 North. Their opponents were Na Gaeil Aeracha and the match took place in the Phoenix Park, which Dublins newest GAA Club running out one-point winners in a high scoring encounter 6-6 (24) to 4-14 (23). 

But a week later, The Darker Than Dark Force got their Junior K Championship back on track with a 4-8 to 1-2 victory away to St Margarets. 

The St Brendan’s Ladies 2nd XV, sponsored by Bartra Healthcare were also in Championship action hoping to add the F Championship to the G Championship won last year. However, the Darkest Force will have to settle for a place in the Junior F Shield following two defeats on July 10th, 4-14 to 3-5 against Geraldine P Morans, and on July 17th against Fingal Ravens 2-18 to 0-5. 

The St Brendan’s Hurlers, Sponsored by Bodibro, commenced their Go Ahead Junior C Championship on July 14th with a 3-14 to 1-11 victory away to St Vincent’s played on a warm humid day with just 15 players available and for the second time this year, The Goal Getter Gavin Muldoon became The Goal Preventer and played in goals. 

A week later and game 2 of the Junior C Championship saw St Brendan’s take on Erins Isle, and The Dark Force began the game in typical St Brendan’s fashion by winning the throw in and hitting the sliotar over the bar after 20 seconds with Stephen Fallon the point scorer. 

A long shot from Ciaran Ludden was about to be caught by the Isles goalkeeper, but the sliotar bounced off the palm of his hand and into the patch of Shane ‘Harry Styles’ Nolan and a first time pull produced a cracking goal. Fallon turned provider to Jack ‘The Relegator’ McCarron and another point, 1-2 to 0-1 after 8 minutes. 

14:22 gone in the first half and JJ ‘72’ Lennon hit the first free in of the match after a Fallon foul. After a brace of points for the away side, Lennon made it a four point game with another free in twice the distance as his first with Michael Harte winning the free. 

Both sides traded points with Lennon completing his hat trick of points with a point from open play.  Indeed made it a four timer with another point from open play when Jack ‘The Prop’ McGrath kept the sliotar in play with inches to spare and pass to Lennon and the point. 

Erins Isle got a goal after 19 minutes and prevented McGrath from replying with a goal by winning a turnover and a free out, in fact The Isles celebrated that free out more enthusiastically as the goal a minute previously! 

Lennon made it a personal 5 timer with a free in from aptly, 72 meters after Rob Hanrahan had his hurley snatched from his grasp. Ciaran Ludden made it a three point game with a 60 meter long range point. However, Stephen Fallon picked up a hand injury with 4 minutes to go in the half and was replaced by The Goal Getter Gavin Muldoon, back in his familiar territory of outfield. Both teams only had one substitute and both were used in the first half with Muldoon feeling he was a more superior sub then his Finglas counterpart.  

Muldoon made an instant impact by hitting the sliotar over the bar and a four point lead. Ludden ensured a five point half time lead with another long range shot as the referee whistled for half time as soon as the shot passed the uprights. 

Half Time Score St Brendan’s 1-10 Erins Isle 1-5. 

St Brendan’s started the second half exactly as they started the first with a point from Jack McCarron after 30 seconds following a pass from McGrath. The Isles pegged a point back. 

The Goal Getter thought he finally got the goal he craved when collecting The Wexican Oisin Carley's long shot and puck the sliotar in the net, but Muldoon had a foot in the small square before the arrival of the ball, and the goal was disallowed. 

Carley did get a point, Ciaran Ludden kept in Eoin Ryans puck out and passed to JJ ‘72’ Lennon and another point from a tight angle 1-13 to 1-8. 

12 minutes to go and Lennon, after pucking a free in wide, hit a good point from play. Oisin Daly made some good defending by allowing an Isle shot go wide before the forward got to it. 

Some great Route One Hurling when Michael Harte won Ryans puck out and passed to The Wexican and his shot made it 1-15. 

Three minutes to go and Lennon ensured the seven-point comfort zone with a free in after a foul on Ludden, but not for long as Erins Isle got a shot in to make it 1-17 to 1-11. 

Lennon hit a 65 over the bar after a Ludden shot for goal was saved by the goalkeeper but the sliotar bounced off his hand and over the end line. An Alan Walsh turnover resulted in possession for Muldoon, desperate for goal, but had to settle for a point. That wrapped the scoring as St Brendan’s made it two from 2 in the Junior C Championship with a fixture against Wild Geese next up on August 18th. Plenty of time for Stephen Fallon to recover from his hand injury and we wish him a speedy recovery. 

Final Score from Longmeadows, St Brendan’s 1-19 Erins Isle 1-11