Two weeks ago in this website, we reported on a gentleman from St Sylvesters GAA Club attending our PTSB Junior C Championship Round 5 fixture against Na Gaeil Óga. He was there, sussing out the potential opposition for the Championship Quarter Final. I wonder what research he did for the team's management ahead of the Quarter Final.

Regardless, The St Brendan's Hurlers, sponsored by Bodibro, but here, wearing the Football 2nd Xv's kit (which incidentally, they wore when winning the Junior D Championship in 2022) travelled to Malahide full of confidence ahead of this Quarter Final, their fourth in succession, against the Malahide outfit.

We join the match after 20 minutes in the first half with the sides level, 0-5 to 1-2, with St Brendan’s getting the 0-5 and both Tom 'Kyle Hayes' Kiely and Liam 'Vit Hit' Kennedy scorers in chief up to this point.

Both teams added a point each as the contest reached 25 minutes with Pa Carey scoring from long distance for The Dark Force. But the Malahide would arrive at the half time interval with a two point lead, 1-5 to 0-6 and during the half time team talk, Michael ‘Bruno Fernandes’ Harte was happy with the teams performance and felt there was a good second half in them.

Four minutes gone in the second half and Kiely pointed a free after Eoin ‘Quinn Roux’ Fallon was tripped after emerging with the slioter from a scramble. After Sylvester’s pointed back with Route One Hurling. Michael ‘Offaly Good’ Culleton hit back with a Route One point of his own after winning Fergus ‘Fulham’ O’Regan’s puck out.

Kiely though he had the equalizing point, but the shot was totally borderline, but given as a wide. Adrian ‘Cry Before Dawn’ Morrissey protested, but to no avail, then the home side made it a two point game when pinching The Wexican Oisin Carley’s clearance. 1-7 to 0-8.

Fallon made it a one point game again with a super point following great work from Bryan Dolan and Neon Leon Broderick. Rob ‘Shane Lowry’ O’Hanrahan’s bid for a level game ended with a 70 meter free in just went wide, but O’Hanrahan did make amends when supplying the final pass to Broderick and the point to level matters 1-7 to 0-10.

St Sylvester’s retook the lead with a 60 meter free, but Carley hit a whopper of a puc to level the contest again 0-11 to 1-8 with 15 to go. St Brendan’s took the lead thanks to Kiely with a 45 meter free in after Pa O’Dowd provoked his marker into overcarrying.

Five minutes to go and St Sylvesters levelled the contest, remember, its winner on the day so there could be extra time and penalties if necessary. But the Wexican Oisin Carley wasn’t in the mood for an extra 20 minutes and won a turnover, pass onto Matthew ‘The Scholar’ McGlynn and finally to Liam ‘Vit Hit’ Kennedy and the lead score for St Brendan’s again.

Just like two weeks ago against Na Gaeil Óga, St Brendan’s finish strongly with a free in from Kiely, after a foul on Liam ‘The Sweeney’ Nagle and Kiely completed his brace with a point from play after Nagle won the puck out. On the other side, Mark ‘The Edge’ Kinsella blocked a goal bound shot for a 65, which was played short but the full back line of Harte, Kinsella and Carley held firm and it was Harte who won the free out.

And that free out was played into Eoin Fallon and as his shot sailed between the posts, Fallon was firing fist pumps left, right and centre. One of which ended at nearby Naomh Mearnog! Still and four point buffer three minutes into injury time.

But there was more late drama.

St Sylvester’s kept the contest in the melting pot by whipping in a free in short and despite the best efforts of the full back line, Fergus O’Regan was beaten for goal for a second time. Was there enough time for the home side to get a smash and grab goal for equalizing point? No, said the referee who blew the full time whistle as O’Regan’s puck out was still airborne.

A massive, massive scalp taken by the St Brendan’s Hurlers and a first Championship knockout victory since 2022 and after three consecutive Junior C Quarter Final defeats and because St Sylvester’s went into the contest as Group 2 winners and number 1 seeds. St Brendan’s will have home advantage in the Semi Finals in two weeks’ time against Pobal Parnell. That Semi Final will be on Sunday September 27th at 11am in Longmeadows.

Final Score from Bloomfield, St Brendan’s 0-16 St Sylvester’s 2-9.

And here’s another astonishing statistic. All four Group 1 teams won their Quarter Finals today!