It’s very rare there days that The St Brendan’s Football 2nd XV are still active while the 1st XV’s season is over, but this is the situation that we find ourselves now. 

Fresh from the 1-9 to 0-3 Championship Quarter Final victory over St James Gaels An Caisleán two weeks ago, The St Brendan’s Football 2nd XV, in partnership with Stoneybatter Pride of Place, travelled to Bohernabreena in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains and face the home side, St. Anne’s in the Semi Finals of the Go Ahead Junior 6 All County South Championship. 

Doubts over whether the match would go ahead hung in the balance with a Yellow Wind Warning and Storm Ashley blowing across the country this Sunday and no doubt the wind would be a significant influence on the outcome of today match. 

But, before we go any further and I think the 1st XV footballers reading this should look away now, we make the trip to O’Toole Park where Craobh Chairáin took on Ranelagh Gaels in the Junior 1 Club Final. 

Strom Ashley did have a massive influence in the Final and Craobh Chairáin won the toss and played with the strong wind and in essence, went to town, by building up a massive 2-10 to no score lead at half time, Yes Ranelagh Gaels did not score at all in the first half. In the second half Ranelagh could only muster up 1-7 whereas Craobh, playing in second gear returned six points to win their second County Junior Championship in seven years. 

Many observers were in universal agreement that Craobh Chairáin were worthy champions and can now look forward to giving the Leinster Junior Club Championship a damn good rattle when they travel to Co. Laois on November 2nd for the opening round of the Championship against Kilcavan. 

OK, 1st XV Footballers, you can look now, but many of the 2nd XV Footballers should look away this time around, because St. Anne’s won the toss and played with the strong breeze in the first half. Like Ranelagh in the Junior 1 Final, the Darkest Force did not score at all during the first half. Fortunately, St. Anne’s only scored 7 points, 4 of those points were scored from beyond 50 meters and had the new rules that we saw in the Interprovincial Championship in Croke Park this weekend, been in force today, with 2 points awarded for a shot beyond 40 meters, St Anne’s would have been 11 points up instead. But that rule won’t be in force until 2025. 

Ferdia Donohue had a shot that went wide, one third of The Professionals, Conor ‘Doyle’ Hayden, had a shot that was caught in the wind mid flight and was turned over. Brian Hobbins was in possession and saw the second third of The Professionals, Conor ‘Bodie’ Harris in a good position, but Hobbins hand pass was blocked. 

During Half Time, John ‘Tesla’ Tuffy wasn't too worried and told his troops to keep digging deep. 

OK, 2nd XV Footballers, you can look now. But, St Anne’s stated the second half with a point against the wind 15 seconds in the second half, but then St Brendan’s started digging away into the deficit. Alan ‘Mack Hansen’ Pierce won the Mark from a 70 meter long Conor ‘Cowley’ Hallissey kick out and has pass found Andy ‘The Landlord’ Moran and finally onto Brian ‘the Workhorse’ Hobbins and finally the first point on the board. 

The Wicklow Wizard Malachi Doyle played a side-line ball to The Plaque on the Wall Micheal Bruen and then onto Hobbins for his second point of the afternoon. Hobbins made it a hat trick of points from a free in after Moran was fouled when in a good position. Hobbins bid for a four timer ended when a shot sailed inches wide. 

Jack ‘The Relegator’ McCarron won a crucial turnover and gave a pass to Bruen, then Hayden, who saw a shot blocked but the ball went to Donohue and The Charity Worker’s delicate shot just crept over the bar to make it 0-8 to 0-5. 

Hobbins made it 6 points, and a four point personal tally when judging the wind absolutely spot on to guide the ball over the bar following a pass from Dylan ‘Not The Galwayman’ McHugh. The Home side hit a brace of points from close distance to make it 0-10 to 0-6, both teams went down to 14 men when Alan Pierce and his marker re-enacted the recent Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois boxing match, but such was the fierce wind, some players continued on playing and never heard the referee’s whistle or saw red cards dished out. 

St Anne’s then made it 11 with a shot from the outside of the right boot. Brian Hobbins kept his side in the contest with a free in after Andy Moran got nutmegged. 

Cathal O’Donnell then made it 8 points (could have been 9) when a shot over the bar from over 40 meters. Indeed it was a brace of points for O’Donnell after Ferdia Donohoe moved this way and that to get into position but passed to O’Donnell instead and there was two between the sides with 5 minutes to go. 

‘Double J’ John Joyce blocked a shot with his face and then passed to Malachi Doyle, who found Andy Moran who got his jersey tugged, Ferdia Donohoe took the free who found Moran, who then found Hobbins for another point and one between the sides and the game ticked into the 59th minute. 

Then in injury time, the comeback was complete, Andy ‘The Landlord’ Moran, with assistance from Storm Ashley, steered his shot over the bar to level the contest, 11 points each, and bring the contest to extra time.   

John ‘Tesla’ Tuffy was ecstatic to be still in the contest and told his players to eke out one more effort in the next 20 minutes. 

Four minutes into extra time and Conor ‘Cowley’ Hallissey saw a kick out get caught in the air mid-flight and a St Anne’s player almost producing a carbon copy goal to the one score by St Anne’s legend Joe McNally (who was watching proceedings today) in the 1983 All Ireland Football Final, Fortunately, Shane McDermott was on hand to catch the goal bound shot. 

St Brendan’s took the lead for the first time in the contest with a free in after the referee gave advantage after a jersey tug on Andy Moran after his passed to The Dream Maker Sean Dardis, who saw a goal bound shot wide. It was 12 points to 11 after the end of the first period of extra time. 

In the second period, the trio repeated the tick to put The Darkest Force two in front, Also involved was Micheal Bruen and Malachi Doyle, who passed to Dardis, then Moran and Hobbins again with the shot over the bar. 

Another St Anne’s point followed to put one between the sides, but with four minutes to go, Double J made another turnover at a crucial time and in the end, Brian Hobbins, with his parents coming all the way from Co Clare to see their son in action, notched up his 8th and St Brendan’s 14th point as the game came close to the end. 

Could St Anne’s break St Brendan’s hearts with a smash and grab goal? No, Said Double J John Joyce who leaped high to win a crucial turnover as St Anne’s dropped the ball in the parallogram. Soon the referee blew the final whistle and the St Brendan’s Football 2nd XV have a Championship Final to look forward to, but now have to wait until November 17th to play the Final. In the meantime, Ballinteer St John’s defeated Wanderers in the Quarter Final, will face Templeogue Synge Street in the Semi Final on November 3rd, then the Final against The Darkest Force who no doubt are in the Final on Merit. 

Final Score from Bohernabreena, St Brendan’s 0-14 St Anne’s 0-12, After Extra Time.