Round-Up: AFL1 & AFL2 May 19th

Tuesday night saw the focus turn to the big ball in the Dublin Adult Leagues with Raheny moving away from the relegation places as they overcame St Patrick’s Donabate by 2-18 to 0-6 in their AFL1 clash at St Anne’s Park. 

The hosts started off on the front foot through a Collie Hehir goal and despite Dylan Knight Sands replying with an excellent two-pointer, the visitors entered the break trailing by 1-9 to 0-4. 

The procession towards the away goal continued upon the restart as Adam McAweeney, Darren Byrne and Colin McAweeney all added points and with Killian McGuirk adding a second goal, Raheny eased home through further points from Sean Magann (0-5) and Brian Fenton. 

Matters were far tighter in Marley Park as a Ger McDermottroe point saw Castleknock narrowly home past Ballinteer St John’s by 3-12 to 2-14. 

The visitors controlled the first-half through the efforts of Rob Shaw, Kevin Stephenson, Andrew Hughes and Tom Quinn with a Lenny Cahill goal and a BSJ own goal building a 2-7 to 0-2 interval lead. 

Ben Galvin added a third goal in the third quarter before the hosts clawed their way back into contention thanks to Matthew Gardiner’s two-pointer and goals by Nicky Devereux and Jack Long. 

An Eoghan Fitzpatrick two-pointer levelled matters into injury time before McDermottroe settled matters with a last-gasp free. 

Elsewhere, Cuala kept up the pace in the upper half of the table as they edged Ballymun Kickhams by 2-13 to 0-16 in their cracking encounter at Hyde Park. 

Goals from Jamie Conroy and Conor O’Brien looked to have sealed the deal for the hosts but with Keelin McGann kicking ten points for the visitors, Cuala required late points by Tom Magee to get them over the line. 

AFL1 RESULTS: Cuala 2-13 Ballymun Kickhams 0-16; Thomas Davis 1-21 Lucan Sarsfields 3-13; Ballinteer St John’s 2-14 Castleknock 3-12; St Mary’s Saggart 3-10 Ballyboden St Enda’s 3-25; Raheny 2-18 St Patrick’s Donabate 0-6; Clontarf 1-29 Skerries Harps 0-5; Na Fianna 2-15 St Vincent’s 0-8; St Jude’s 1-11 Kilmacud Crokes 1-11.

In AFL2, Templeogue Synge Street cemented their place in the top half of the table as they pipped Naomh Olaf by 1-11 to 0-13 in Páirc Uí Bhriain. 

Harry O’Donovan played a key role for the winners, with the 19-year-old kicking five points from midfield while Sean McCormack accounted for the solitary goal of the contest. 

Full-forward Dara Mulvihill and Alex O’Toole excelled throughout for Synger, who did enough to prevail thanks to further scores by Cillian Finn, Darragh Murphy, Mulvihill, Conor Curran and match-winner Fintan Dignam. 

There was another away win in Rush as Whitehall Colmcille got the better of St Maur’s by 1-14 to 0-11. 

The visitors dominated possession for the bulk of the contest but were wasteful in front of goal but a two-pointer from Adam McDermott and positive inputs by Matt Moran, Sean Motherway and Eddie Moran ensured a deserved success. 

In Páirc Barróg, a dominant first-quarter proved crucial as Naomh Barróg defeated Naomh Mearnóg by 2-15 to 1-14. 

Despite playing against the breeze initially, the hosts controlled matters with a Conor Gibson goal augmented by further points by Daniel Moore, Matt Owen, Ryan Alexander and Paul Tolin. 

Tolin and Moore added points in the second quarter but the visitors had seized the initiative around midfield by that stage, building a 1-11 to 1-8 lead at half-time. 

Barróg were inspired by a sublime two-pointer from Moore as they regained the lead and they made certain of victory courtesy of Daniel Keegan’s well-taken goal.   

The top of the table clash went right down to the wire as St Sylvester’s overtook Fingal Ravens by virtue of their 1-13 to 0-15 win in Broomfield.  

AFL2 RESULTS: St Sylvester’s 1-13 Fingal Ravens 0-15; Scoil Uí Chonaill 2-18 St Brigid’s 2-16; Erin’s Isle 2-10 Kilmacud Crokes 2-10; Fingallians 3-20 Round Towers Lusk 2-7; St Oliver Plunkett’s/ER 2-12 Clanna Gael Fontenoy 0-7; Naomh Barróg 2-15 Naomh Mearnóg 1-14; Naomh Olaf 0-13 Templeogue Synge Street 1-11; St Maur’s 0-11 Whitehall Colmcille 1-14.