Round-Up: Go-Ahead Ireland AFL1 & AFL2 March 21st/22nd

St Mary’s Saggart secured an encouraging 4-13 to 4-9 victory over St Patrick’s Donabate in their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Adult Football League Division 1 clash at Robbie Farrell Park on Saturday evening. 

The visitors raced from the blocks to open up a six-point lead with Colin Lawlor and Conor Jameson’s scores augmented by two-pointers from Jamie McCarville and goalkeeper George Kenny. 

A Blaine Kelly goal increased their advantage but two goals at the opposite end by Dylan Knight Sands reduced the home deficit to three points by half-time. 

St Pat’s maintained that momentum after the break to draw level but St Mary’s regrouped well through the efforts of full-back Ciaran Dunne and Rhys Butler at centre-forward and they pushed on to victory thanks to goals by Jameson and Alex Darcy. 

Only two teams still enjoy a perfect record at the top of the table as Ballymun Kickhams beat Ballyboden St Enda’s by 1-17 to 2-8 while Ballinteer St John’s edged Clontarf by 1-15 to 1-13 in Marley Park. 

Clontarf had the better of the first-half with a brace of two-pointers by Kieran McKeon and another from Sean Horkan helping build a 1-10 to 0-4 lead by the break, with Joey Quirke accounting for 0-3 of Ballinteer’s tally. 

The hosts bounced back upon the restart thanks to scores from Seamus Fenton and Jack Long while a brilliant Ronan Cullen goal brought their deficit down to a point. 

It was left to substitute Luke Cullen to settle the issue as he kicked three points in the closing stages to secure a third successive win for St John’s.   

In Somerton Park, goals by Luke Whelan and Rob Delaney proved telling as Skerries Harps overcame Castleknock by 2-19 to 0-16. 

The visitors were well served throughout by the likes of Sean Rocks, Ethan Dunne, Tim Deering, Paddy Kelly (0-3) and Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan with two-pointers by Stephen Smyth, Eoin Wilde and Ronan Geoghegan seeing them home comfortably.      

GO-AHEAD IRELAND AFL1 RESULTS: St Patrick’s Donabate 4-9 St Mary’s Saggart 4-13; Ballinteer St John’s 1-15 Clontarf1-13; Ballymun Kickhams 1-17 Ballyboden St Enda’s 2-8; Kilmacud Crokes 1-22 Thomas Davis 1-7; St Vincent’s 1-8 Lucan Sarsfields 2-19; Castleknock 0-16 Skerries Harps 2-19; Raheny 4-9 Cuala 2-19; St Jude’s 1-6 Na Fianna 3-22.

In AFL2, Lee Gannon made a positive impression from the bench in helping Whitehall Colmcille to account for St Brigid’s by 2-10 to 1-10 on Sunday morning. 

The sides were deadlocked at 0-5 apiece by half-time but Gannon’s introduction turned the tide in the hosts favour as they confirmed their win through goals by Niall Carroll and Cian Ashmore, augmented by points from Sean Foran, Adam McDermott and Peter Moloney.  

On Friday night, Fingallians finished on the front foot to edge Templeogue Synge Street by 1-10 to 0-12 at Lawless Park. 

The contest was tight throughout with scores by Sean O’Neill, Gavin Hickey and Killian Murphy keeping Fins in the hunt while a two-pointer from Patsy O’Neill early in the second-half reduced the Synger lead to 0-10 to 0-7. 

The floodlights failed at that juncture, leading to a fifteen-minute break, and the hosts seized the initiative from then, with Mikey Caul’s penalty and late free getting them over the line.  

There was another comeback win in Broomfield as St Sylvester’s turned the tide on St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh, winning by 2-20 to 3-9. 

The hosts trailed by 3-7 to 0-5 at the break but controlled events in the second-half as Sean Guiden kicked an early two-pointer to create some vital momentum. 

Guiden finished with 1-14 to his name, including a 50th minute goal following excellent work by Ross Keogh, and with Pierce Donohue chipping in with regular scores, Syls finished strongly through a Sean Burke goal. 

GO-AHEAD IRELAND AFL2 RESULTS: St Sylvester’s 2-20 St Oliver Plunkett’s/ER 3-9; Whitehall Colmcille 2-10 St Brigid’s1-10; Templeogue Synge Street 0-12 Fingallians 1-10; Erin’s Isle 1-9 St Maur’s 1-23; Fingal Ravens 5-13 Naomh Barróg 2-11; Clanna Gael Fontenoy 0-10 Naomh Mearnóg 0-10; Kilmacud Crokes 0-6 Scoil Uí Chonaill 2-17; Round Towers Lusk 0-5 Naomh Olaf 1-18.