Write a commentSenior Men
Our senior men are through to the Championship quarter-final and game against Clonmore following their narrow one-point win over Grange on Sunday, 0 – 16 to 2 – 9.
A pointed free in the opening minute from Connaire Mackin got the Shanes of to a great start but they were lucky to hold on to their advantage as Grange hit the post in their very first attack. Grange did open their account in the fifth minute with a well taken point and they punished the defence minutes later when they slotted home their first goal of their game before quickly following up with another point to lead by four. The Shanes were playing into a stiff breeze and took until the tenth minute for them to register their second point of the game with Paul O’Rourke getting the score, before the game was held up for almost ten minutes following a nasty head injury to David McCabe which saw the Grange player receive a black card for the challenge. When played resumed two quick-fire Connaire Mackin points, one from free, had the Shanes back within one before his younger brother Ciaran pointed from an almost impossible angle to tie the game. A Paul O’Rourke point then put the Shanes one to the good but a Grange point late into first-half injury time saw the sides go into the break level, Shane O’Neill’s 0 – 6 Grange 1 – 3.
An early second-half point put Grange back in front but three points in as many minutes put the Camlough men two points to the good, the scores coming from Paul O’Rourke, Micheál Brady and Greg McCabe. A pointed free had Grange back to within one and another Grange point soon after saw the teams’ level again before the Shanes hit another three points on the trot thanks to Ciaran Mackin, Connaire Mackin and Conal O’Brien. Grange responded in kind with three points of their own to tie the game once more with a little over five remaining on the clock. Two Paul O’Rourke points from play edged the Shanes in front again and the same player gave his side a three-point lead with a pointed free with the game entering injury time. The Shanes looked to have done enough at this stage to win the game but some poor defending let Grange in for their second three-pointer of the game to level proceedings and looked as if we were heading for extra-time. However, a foul on Paul O’Rourke saw Connaire Mackin slot the resulting free over the bar and ultimately claim the win on a score-line of 0 – 16 to 2 – 9.
Next up is a quarter-final tie against Clonmore with a date, time and venue still to be confirmed.
Senior Ladies
Our senior ladies gave an excellent account of themselves in the senior section of the annual All-Ireland 7’s on Saturday in Dublin, making it all the way to the semi-final of the shield competition before losing out to Claregalway.
On arrival they found themselves in a tough group alongside Ballyboden St Enda’s from Dublin, Inch Rovers from Cork, Milltown from Westmeath and Tyrone side Aodh Ruadh. The girls won their first two games defeating Inch Rovers by a point, 3 – 8 to 3 – 7 before a comprehensive win over Aodh Ruadh on a score-line of 6 – 6 to 3 – 4. Next up was a game against also unbeaten Milltown and after a tough encounter the Shane’s lost their first game, 6 – 9 to 5 – 5 and they went into their final group game against Dublin outfit Ballyboden knowing that a win would put them into the shield semi-final. After another close game the Shane’s lost out by two points, 4 – 8 to 4 – 6 but it wasn’t over for the girls as they found themselves in a free-kick shoot-out with Ballyboden and Inch Rovers. Each side had to take five frees from 30m and the Shane’s came out on top, scoring three from five with Tara Byrne slotting over the winning kick. This saw the girls through to the shield semi-final and game against Claregalway but unfortunately this proved to be a game too far for them as they lost out to a very good side. A combination of injuries and the fatigue eventually took its toll on the girls but every one of them gave their all throughout the tournament and certainly did their club and county proud.
The Shane’s squad on the day was Cliodhna Sloan, Emma Kenny, Caroline McMenamin, Hayley Mackin, Ellen Hannaway, Tara Byrne, Blaithin Mackin, Ciara Jones, Moya Feehan, Sorcha McDonnell, Aoibheann Jones and Aimee Mackin. Well done to all the girls and their management team.
Minor Boys
It was disappointment for our minor boys amalgamation of Patrick Rankins on Thursday night, losing out to O’Doirnin Blues in the semi-final of the Division 3 shield.
U16 Girls
Training for our U16 girls continues on Tuesday evening at the field from 6.00pm – 7.30pm.
U10s
Our U10 team attended the County blitz in the Athletic Grounds on Saturday morning and played games against Mullaghbawn, Tullysaran and Granemore. It was a great experience for all the young players getting to play in the County grounds and it proved to be a very enjoyable mornings football for everyone involved. Next Saturday the U10’s head to Mayobridge to take part in their annual tournament.
Youth Meeting
The club is holding a youth meeting on Monday 17th September at 8.00pm to put in place arrangements for underage football in 2019, both boys and girls. Youth football is undoubtedly the most important aspect of any club and we at Shane O’Neill’s are no different. We are asking all our club members - past and present, players – past and present and parents of all our underage footballers to get involved with the youth section of the club. The more people we have involved the better it is for everyone, especially the young players. If you feel you would like to become involved in either boys or girls football in any way then come along to the meeting in the club tomorrow night.
Annual Minor Ladies 7-Aside Tournament
The club is hosting its annual minor ladies 7-aside tournament on Saturday 22nd September with Cup and Shield competitions on the day. Entry fee is £40/€50 and further information please contact 07876 453546 or shanesladies16@gmail.com
Congratulations
Congratulations to our senior footballer Neil Paul Lennon and his new fiancée Orla Hughes who got engaged during the week. Congratulations also to our club and Cairde member Alannah Mackin who got engaged to Forkhill senior footballer Conor Donaghy at the week-end.
Lotto
Last week’s winning lotto numbers were 9, 14, 26 & 31. There were no jackpot winners and 1 x lucky dip winner. The jackpot now stands at £2,100.
Condolences
Everyone at the club would like to offer their condolences to the family of great local Gael John Courtney recently. John was the grandfather of our current underage footballer Leo Courtney. May he rest in peace.
