Match Report Posts
Match Report - Hurling - Erin Isle - 10/10/15
Raheny U9s RAHENY LIONS Report by Padraig Kent The Lions were on duty in Finglas this morning at Erin’s Isle. Weather conditions were perfect and the Islanders had the tractor in this week so we weren’t going to lose the sliotar in the long grass today. With a good turnout both teams with 10 young men ready to play. There would be no subs today. However the pitch was minimum dimensions and there wasn’t much open space or room to manoeuvre out there. We started with ground hurling and the Islanders gave a good account of themselves competing for ever loose ball. It was obvious however that we had the opposition under pressure from very early on and though they hurled well to get the ball out of their own half, our midfield group of Ciarán Matt Lawless and Luke sent it straight back up to our forwards, leading to some desperate clearances many going straight over the side line. Ciaran was assigned side-line balls and every cut was better than the previous. The only respite came from the Islanders puc outs. They had a good man between the posts and they needed it because he had to go long every time with the Raheny men picking up every player in their back line to midfield. This gave Jack, Ryan and Matt Dowdall their first real taste of the game as they cleared out anything coming past mid field. When the Referee signalled for Air Hurling the Lions went up another gear and it was only a matter of time before the Islanders net was rattled. The assist came from Colin who was a man on a mission playing down the left wing, as he sent the sliotar into the goalmouth. The opposition Goalie thought he had the situation covered but Luke Morgan stepped up and took it off his hurl and broke his heart and the back of the net. The tight spaces and the physicality shown by both sides presented opportunities for free taking but when they came our way we made sure we were in their half. Luke McCullough got one on the halfway line and sent it high and over the bar and even more importantly right between the posts causing spontaneous applause from the opposition coaches. Although we were well in control at this point the Islanders redoubled their efforts and came back at us. Our back line held strong each man tackling for all he was worth. Some nice pieces of skill were on display too with Matt Dowdall’s work rate off the scale. Ryan’s tackling was also excellent. He intercepted two over head shots taking them both on his hurl and sent straight back up the field. Evan kept a clean sheet in the first half between our posts and his puc outs were excellent. In the second half the opposition came back with a goal during the ground hurling period. They drew some breath from this and they commenced a final stand with some terrific hurling on show from both sides. However Raheny kept their head and when there was a free to be taken Luke McCullough did the business with another extremely well taken puc. In our front line it must be mentioned that Rudi was nothing short of a class apart for the whole match. He was an example of exactly what we are looking for in our young men. He tackled like he was the last man between himself and his goal and never allowed an easy clearance to the islanders. Indeed on more than one occasion the defender would look down to see he was combing the grass as Rudi had dipped him and was already heading to goal with his prize. This was a great morning’s work by the Lions and the score of 1 goal and two points to 1 goal was just one of the things they should be proud of. Well done.
RAHENY GIANTS Report by Kieran Doherty The Raheny Giants achieved a well-deserved victory over Erin’s Isle in Finglas on Saturday. The final score of 2-2 (8) to 3-0 (3) gave the Giants a comfortable 5 point winning margin. Before throw-in, the mentors had emphasised the need for the Giants to make a strong start to the game, stand up to the physical challenges that they would face, and remember the skills that had been covered in the week’s training. The boys certainly rose to the challenge and the headlines will go to Cormac Baldwin who scored two brilliant points and a goal, but this really was a strong team effort. Dan O’Grady scored the other Raheny goal and was unlucky not to add to his tally. There were assured performances between the sticks from Adam Roberts in the first half and Jamie Nolan in the second; their accurate puck-outs set up a number of Raheny attacks. John Broderick, Joseph Doherty and Ultan Fitzpatrick were mainly deployed in midfield and defence and were tireless in their challenges and unflinching in their tackles. In a well-contested encounter, Adam Robinson, Jamie Nolan, Max Osborne and Conor Watters kept the opposition under pressure and showed their superior hurling skills all over the pitch. There were some great examples of hooking and hand-passing. The home side’s scores were courtesy of some lax marking by Raheny so this is something the Giants can work on. Otherwise, the boys can be proud of their performance. They were stronger in their challenges and more skilful with the sliotar. Well done all! RAHENY TIGERS Report by John Strain
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Football - home - Noamh Olafs - 3/10/15
Hurling Blitz - Away - Barrog and Na Fianna - 26/9/15 posted
9 minutes agoOct 5, 2015, 6:32 AM by raheny gaa
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Hurling Blitz - Away - Barrog and Na Fianna - 26/9/15
Raheny U9s RAHENY LIONS Report by Padraig Kent The lions strolled onto Baróg pitch 13 in St Anne’s last Saturday morning with great anticipation. They had looked on in admiration week in week out from their own battle scarred venue of pitch 12a, at the lush green and very even top coat of this under used accessory and wondered how the other half lived. Now they were about to find out first hand and it would be Baróg that they would first use to test it. From the tip it was obvious who was in charge with the sliotar spending most of its time in the Baróg half. With Ryan, Jack and Matt Dowdall in the back line Matt Lawless was to have little to do between the sticks. Where Baróg were more than competent at ground hurling and our lads practice it very little it was a competition of sorts for the first period. Our forwards made the enthusiastic error of drifting into midfield to support their own but brought their defenders with them. Although we were clearly on top in the middle we were losing it when we went forward. A stalemate existed in the first half even when we started to Air hurl. However in the 2nd half as soon as we were allowed to lift we looked like a different team. Matt Lawless was the first to strike with an excellent puc from 15metres. I’m sure if the Baróg keeper had seen it coming he would have been able to do very little. Luke wrapped it up a few minutes later with an excellent point from play. Though Baróg got a goal at the end it merely painted a picture of respectability to a clash where Raheny were always in the driving seat. Our second encounter was Na Fianna and similar to the first game our first half was a battle in the middle where the opposition gave no quarter but did not appear to be have any real graw to threaten our goal. Once again our backs were excellent with Matt Ryan and Jack in complete control and leaving Adam to recover from the exertions of the first game in goal. Evan Ciarán and Mathew Grant were tireless up front and when we at last got a chance to air hurl Na Fianna realised they were in a blitz and Raheny were conducting the raid. Credit must go to the opposition for their tenacity and managing against all odds to keep a clean sheet the first half. The second half was different and though na Fianna’s commitment remained soon Raheny found a crack which Matt Lawless found and punished with extreme prejudice. It was a fine puc that sailed over the crossbar form 20 metres. Four goals followed with Sam first in line threading a needle between 4 defenders, finding a gap that the keeper didn’t know was there until the sliotar whizzed past his ear into the net. Luke stepped up to take advantage of a poor clearance to rattle the back of the net with another. Mathew grant was soon after with a similar strike and the game closed after the other Matt finished as he had started the day with another fine goal. It was obvious to all who enjoyed the encounter how much the lions had improved since they last met both of these groups. It seems to me where Na Fianna and Baróg are both obviously still practicing ground hurling it was the only period of both games where they seemed capable of competing with Raheny. Once the signal was given to lift the sliotar, Raheny appeared to be from a different age group. Well done the Lions for a great mornings work. RAHENY GIANTS Report by Tony O'Grady. RAHENY TIGERS Report by Joanne Kerrisk |
St. Pats - Away - Football - 19/9/15
Raheny U9s RAHENY LIONS Report Donni Rossi RAHENY GIANTS Report by Niall Watters. After a long drive, the Raheny U9s arrived - with only a few minor ‘I’m lost’ calls - to St. Pat’s impressive grounds in Donabate. This was only our second game against St. Pats. The U9s had played St. Pats as our first game of the season back in February in St. Annes and on that occasion they were very strong opponents. Thus, the boys were told in training and from the outset to be prepared for a very tough match as our opponents play twice as much football as us given their focus on Football only. With this in mind the game got off to a very competitive start. Today, Raheny Giants were premiering fully our quick kick outs ala Steo Cluxton. Jack was our goalkeeper in the first half and his goal keeping was impressive and his quick kick outs ever more impressive, so impressive indeed even some of our own players were not expecting the ball to come out just as quick as it did, a big credit to Jack. Our backs in the first half were Ultan, Joseph and John and the held the line excellently, ably supported in midfield by Adam and Luke. Luke had an outstanding game both in the mid in the first half and in the backs in the second half. His fielding, passing and scoring was exceptional even playing on with a cut lip for most of the first half. Up front Dan, Conor, Colin and Cormac combined to pull the St. Pats defenders from one side to the other opening spaces for our scores. The game was marred a little by some ‘dodgy’ refereeing decisions from the slightly biased home referee on the day: St. Pats were awarded a number of pointed frees from close to the goal that Raheny didn’t seem to get for similar infractions at the other end. It was one of those days. The first half was therefore hard fought with St. Pats going into an early lead rattling of some fine points. The Giants came literally roaring back, with scores - following excellently passing play beforehand - from Luke (2 goals and 1 point) and the ever reliable Colin and Dan (1 point each). At half time it was 0:4 to 2:3 in favour of St. Pats. In the second half, the pattern continued with Raheny generally domineering the game, only to be pegged back by more scored frees than poinst from play. Raheny scored 3 points in the second half (Luke 1 and Cormac 2) only to be outdone by four points from St. Pats. We in fairness missed two frees near the end (when the refereeing became more balanced) which would have put a fairer reflection on the game. The final score in the game was 0:8 to St. Pats and 2:6 to Raheny. A loss by a point according to U9 rules but the Raheny Giants were the better team on the day and if not for some, as noted, curious refereeing decisions in the first three quarters of the game, the Giants should have won. Nevertheless, it was a great battling performance and it will surely bode well for the boys in the remaining games of the season. Well done lads. RAHENY TIGERS Report by John Strain Score:
St. Patricks 2 Goals - 4 points - 6 skill points Raheny Tigers 1 Goal - 2 points - 7 skill points Raheny Tigers put in a battling performance against a strong St Patricks side who scored two late points to win the game. Raheny can take a lot of confidence going into the next game with the amount of opportunities they created against St Pats. When Raheny Tigers rediscover their dogged determination and self-belief the victories will come. Adam toiled relentlessly in midfield scoring a fantastic point along with five blocks, an outstanding individual performance. Adam was ably assisted by Sam who played a pivotal role in midfield and defence winning the 50/50 ball and turning defence into attack. Sam chipped in with two fine blocks. In the second half Cathal scored a fantastic point and showed in flashes the latent talent that is waiting to be untapped. In defence Brian was a pillar breaking up St Pats attacks with Cian, Joe and Ryan acquitting themselves in their defensive duties. In the second half Luke Kelly and Ryan Kane combined to score a fine goal which cemented Raheny's period of dominance over St Pats. James and Joe always playing key roles constantly harassing St Pats defenders. Dylan played a crucial role in goals where his distribution was exemplary mixing long and short kick outs to great effect |
Na Fianna - Hurling - Away - 12/9/15
Raheny U9s RAHENY LIONS Report by Padraig Kent The Raheny Lions convened for an early morning breakfast at the back of Dublin Airport this morning. Na Fianna were on the menu today and the lads would not be going home hungry as their opposition showed up in numbers. With 11 Na Fianna warriors it meant there would be no rest for our group of 10. The storm last night left the ground in perfect condition except for the want of a haircut. It made ground hurling a little slow but lifting a little easier. The boys didn’t mind they were well up for this. From the start with Conor and Luke in the middle the sliotar was only heading in one direction, towards the Na Fianna goal. Up front the tackling was fierce with Ryan Jack and Seán giving as good as they got. Na Fianna’s back line was certainly a force to be reckoned with. It felt like they had an extra man and later we realised that they had. Nevertheless our forwards pinned them to their goal mouth for the opening minutes. Rudi entered the fray up front later in the half and provided a quickness that terrorised the Na Fianna Back line The oppositions only respite came after a Raheny strike travelled wide. The Fianna Keeper unleashed a huge puc and a communications error allowed a Na Fianna forward to split two of our defenders and open the scoring. The setback deepened the Raheny resolve and the pressure resumed with Jack finally getting the sliotar over the Fianna goal line. Conor Watters shone throughout this game however his sideline pucks most notably were fundamentally and technically excellent. Just as you applauded one aspect of his game he displayed another skill from his repitoire. This was even more evident when it came to air hurling. His lifting under pressure along with his ability to make room for his strike left mid field solidly under Raheny management. This coupled with Luke’s brave tackling, hard work and intelligent play provided excellent service for our forwards. The Na Fianna lads were no push over and they defended like Titans and credit must go to them for keeping the score down however Conor stepped up just before half time to take a 25 metre free from an acute angle and made no mistake. The second half allowed us the opportunity to move the lads around with Rudi in goal and Seán Jack and Max in the back line and Ryan playing in front of them. Conor and Luke remained in midfield and Martin, Evan and Adam were up front. Na Fianna came back at the Lions with everything they had but the back line was solid. With Ryan playing in front it allowed our mid field to push up to a more forward position. At one point it resembled pin-ball with Raheny keeping na Fianna under siege. Martin was the first to deliver with a fine strike at goal from 10 metres. Evan repeated the move some minutes later. The delivery may have been helped by Martin over the line though it was heading into the net either way. Adam delivered a fine point from almost 30 metres from along the sideline as Na Fianna attempted to stem the onslaught by packing their defence. This was followed a minute later by another score from Adam which although straight in front of the goal and 15 metres out he had far more to do as he lifted the sliotar with his back to goal and sent two defender’s the wrong way with a little shimmy and buried it in the back of the net as he turned the other way. The final score was 4 goals and 2 points for Raheny to 1 goal from Na Fianna. The score did not adequately reflect the contest as Na Fianna never made it easy. We were just better. Well done boys. RAHENY GIANTS Report by Joanne Brennan RAHENY TIGERS Report by Tony O'Grady |
St. Brigids - Football - Home - 5/9/15
Raheny U9s RAHENY LIONS Report by Joanne Brennan The Lions played host to Brigids this weekend. It took the Lions some time to get into their stride with Bridids taking full advantage. Brigids notched up a goal and a point before the Lions responded with 2 points from Rudi and Adam but Brigids came back with a point before the half time whistle.
The second half Brigids were clearly more physical in their tackling.
The Lions did start to get into more of their stride moving the ball quickly
and were unlucky not to convert on a few occasions. Sean was supplied from turn
over of play from the backs and scored the Lions only point in the second half.
Well done to Sean who picked up 2 skill points and Adam also got a skill point.
Great strenght and team play from Cathal & Jamie who continued playing while
picking up injuries.
Game ended Lions 12 points to Brigids 16 points.
Raheny Giants
Report by Kieran Doherty
On Saturday morning the Raheny Giants welcomed St Brigid’s to St Anne’s Park. The visitors started brightly and were on top in the opening exchanges and the Raheny back line of John Broderick, Joseph Doherty and Ultan Fitzpatrick had their work cut out to keep the Brigid’s forwards in check. Conor Waters started the match between the posts and was also kept very busy. As the match progressed the midfield of Luke McCullough and Dan O’Grady began to impose themselves on the game and provide more ball to Colin McAweeney, Cormac Baldwin and Martin Bishop. Martin was causing the majority of the problems for the Brigid’s backs and he was the first Raheny player to put the ball over the bar.
The second half saw a number of positional changes including Jack Codd taking over in goal and Matthew Grant coming into midfield. The visitors continued to put it up to the Giants, but to their credit the boys kept at their game and refused to give in. The other Raheny point scorers were Luke, Dan and Colin. Raheny also scored 5 skill points from blocks, including 2 from Joseph; however, Brigid’s were not to be denied and ran out the victors by 20 points to 17. It was a tough game for the Giants against a very good St Brigid’s team, but the boys can take heart from a good performance and a very narrow defeat. It was also a tough game to report on as the match referee needed to borrow this reporter’s pen.
Raheny Tigers Report by Padraig Kent |
V Naomh Mearnog -Hurling - away - 30/8/15
Raheny U9s
RAHENY GIANTS Report by Paul Nolan Wow! Watch a Game and What a Great Result. The Raheny Giants really came of age against a strong and disciplined Naomh Mearnog in their first hurling match of the new season. Raheny started very well without dominating proceedings as man marking by both teams meant that there was very little space anywhere on the pitch. However, as the first half rolled on Ultan Fitzpatrick and Dan O’ Grady gained the upper hand and provided valuable chances for Matt Lawless and Colin McAweeney up front. Two great points from John and Cormac Baldwin after demonstrating great stick work to make space for themselves put Raheny into a comfortable lead. At the back Joseph Doherty marshalled the defence well with great support and covering from Jamie Nolan and Adam Robinson who were strong in the tackle to win the ball. Half time came quickly with Raheny leading 1-2 to 1-1 with Matt Lawless grabbing the Raheny goal. A few tactical changes at half time meant that Raheny became even more competitive. Going man to man every time by every Raheny player meant that the Giants won most 50:50 balls. Superb points from distance from John, Dan and Cormac gave Raheny an unassailable lead of 2 goals and 5 points (total 17 points) to 2 goals and 1 point (total 5 points) after ten minutes of the second half. Great support play with Raheny players calling for passes from their team mates in space was really pleasing as chance after chance was created for Martin and Ciaran upfront. Naomh Mearnog did rally and put Raheny backs under pressure as the Giants tired in mid field. Gaps appeared at the back as Mearnog players broke forward to grab a few consolation goals. The final whistle blew with a great victory for the Giants by 17 points to ten. The victory was very well deserved. A lot of skills practiced is training were on view. Positional sense and anticipation when under pressure to defend is something that will need to be worked on over the next few weeks. A big well done lads from the mentors: Kevin Fitzpatrick, Tony Lawless and Paul Nolan. Note: No other reports submitted. |
Erin's Isle - Football challenge - 22/9/2015
Raheny U9s
RAHENY TIGERS Report by Brendan Shovlin On a lovely Sunny Saturday morning the Tigers lined up for the first time in Football against an Erin's Isle team that had trained all summer. For the first game back and only one training session done, the energy and skills on display were very encouraging. The team started off at a great pace with each player looking assured in what they were trying to do. James started out in goal offering assurance under the ball and good kick outs finding his man. With Dylan and Brian solid in the back and Ryan and Sam offering a continuous supply to the forward line, James and Callum were a constant thorn in the side of the isles defence with Joe working hard on the inside. The only the only mystery is how we were behind at half time. 6 first half wide’s cost the team dearly. The second half saw Joe move into goal where he again flourished. Two fortuitous goals, one from a sideline ball that went the whole way into the goal, were cruel blows. A goal from Dylan raised hopes of a comeback but two points from Isles at the death killed the game off. However the boys can be pleased with their efforts for the day. Good blocking and tackling were demonstrated and with a bit more training under the belt, it is looking like it will be a good second half of the season for the Tigers.
RAHENY GIANTS Report by ? No Report Submitted RAHENY LIONS Report by Conor Pitts The Lions welcomed Erin’s Isle to St. Anne’s on Saturday and a put in a wonderful team performance. The first half was tight with both teams sharing four points at the break. Martin Bishop in goal was deadly accurate with his quick kick-outs which led to many point scoring situations. Adam Roberts in midfield put in a serious shift, he was scoring at one end, one minute, then breaking up attacks at the other end the next. The second half started with Erin’s Isle on the attack but our defenders Adam Robinson and Matthew Dowdall were always first out to the ball, got blocks in and ensured we kept the ball with a wonderful exhibition of kick and hand passing. Both Cathal and Evan shared the keeping duty in the second half and continued with the accurate quick kick-outs. Evan produced the save of the game when a shot was goal bound but Evan just got his fingertips to it to tip it over the bar. The move of the game happened midway through the second half when Martin Bishop negotiated his way around two defenders and then unselfishly hand passed to Tiarnán to score his second point of the game. In the middle of the park Seán Quinn dominated with some wonderful fielding of the ball and got a point late on that his efforts deserved. Mentors for the Lions on the Day, John and Conor were delighted with the performance of the boys particularly in the second half .The level of effort and skills on show ensured the Lions ran out 10-4 winners on the day. |
Na Fianna - Football - Away - 20/6/15
RAHENY U9S Raheny U9s
RAHENY TIGERS Report by Brendan Shovlin On a sunny morning, the Tigers lined out for the final football game of before the summer break in confident mood. Playing up the hill and into a slight wind, Jonny set the tone for the game with a skill point in the first minute for a block. It was great stuff to watch with everyone putting in a great effort. Joe Bonor playing in goals pulled off a number of saves, one in particular where he collected a long ball, had time to go and have a chat to dad Paul who was behind the goal before clearing a lovely ball out to the wing. Paul received Gas and Valium from doctors to try and calm him down but to no avail!!!! Defence was tight with Cian Brian and Caden repeatable repelling Na Fianna attacks and James, Dylan and Tiernan a constant threat the Tigers went in only 4 points down at half time. The second half brought more pressure from the tigers with only some great Na Fianna defence denying them more scores. With Jonny gliding across the pitch like a gazelle in the Serengeti, Rudi again showing the best things coming in small packages and Luke Kelly kicking points from the half way line a victory was on the cards. However a few fortuitous frees allowed Na Fianna to pull away again and despite trying to the very end the Tigers could not pull back. Despite the narrow loss it was a great day for the tigers and they can be proud of the effort they have all put in this year where we won more than we lost. Enjoy the Summer, lads (Though we still have a hurling game left...Ed.)
RAHENY GIANTS Report by Kevin Fitzpatrick The Raheny Giants Faced a now familiar Na Fianna squad for their last football match before the summer break. Raheny were caught out when Na Fianna came quick out of the blocks and stole a lead with a well taken point. Raheny sprung to life and quickly responded with a point from play scored by Rian. Luke mc Cullough, Matt and Colin took control of the midfield and piled a lot more pressure on the Na Fianna goal. This paid off with Raheny scoring 3 more points and a goal with scores by Cormac, Colin, Dan and Luke mC Cullough. Na Fianna made some great runs at Raheny’s goal on the break throughout this half but Ultan was solid as a rock as the last defender back and combined with a great display in goal from John they kept Na Fianna from scoring.
In the second half Na Fianna had the wind behind them and the put a lot of pressure on the Raheny kick out. Despite great defensive work from Sean and from Matt in goal, Na Fianna scored 4 points in this period. In the last 10 minutes Raheny restored some order to their play with Colin and Luke Morgan putting in a lot of hard work to get the ball up to the Na Fianna goal against the strong wind. This paid off with Raheny scoring another 2 goals and a point. Despite being the stronger team for most of the match Raheny lost the game by a single point. Raheny showed great work and skill in recovering from a period of Na Fianna dominance and pushing the game right to the line. Well done to all the boys and all the coaches are looking forward to our next football match after the break. RAHENY LIONS Report by Niall Watters Lions roared loudly today in sunny Collinstown, aurally mirroring the sound of jets going to and from the nearby airport. Na Fianna were down a referee so our own Paul Nolan took the whistle and played it straight down the line (though specsavers might get some mileage out of him in their next Ad., on the visual side of things). Anyhow, the lads lined up in their positions and took control of the game though the last pass and our shots were a bit off in the first quarter. Na Fianna scored first with a poachers goal, but after that Max Osborne and Martin Bishop took total control of the defence. At half time, Na Fianna went in marginally up but our goal keeper Cathal Shovlin coined a new phrase, the 'booty block' as he pointed out that he intentionally made some great saves with his backside. Not to panic, in the second half the Lions kept at it with Brian Murray joining the defence in the second half and following Max and Martin's strong lead in the art of defencing. Adam Roberts went forward and scored two goals. The attacking midfielder, Ciaran Kerrisk and the forward pair of Jamie Nolan and Conor Watters ripped the Na Fianna defence apart with the passing and cross running play. Sam Mitchell played the defending midfielder well and was ably supported by Mathew Brigdale who improves with every game. In the end, Raheny Under 9s ran out comfortable winners by 2:7 (23) to 4:0 (4). Scorers on the day were Ciaran Kerrisk (9), Conor Watters (6), Adam Roberts (5) and Jamie Nolan (3). Well done lads great performance. |
V Na Fianna, Hurling, 13/6/15
Raheny U9s
Raheny Giants Report by: Tony O'Grady Mentors: Niall Watters, Tony O'Grady and Tony Lawless Squad: Cormac Baldwin, Dan O'Grady, John Broderick, Conor Watters, Adam Robinson, Ryan Kent, Matt Lawless and Jack Codd. Raheny welcomed Na Fianna to pitch 10 on a beautiful morning for hurling and the Raheny Giants served up a feast of hurling that highlighted the progression this group of players has made this year. The Giants played into a stiff breeze in the first half but they created a host of chances and only for some wayward shooting and great goalkeeping by the Na Fianna keeper, they would have had a comfortable lead at half time. It was Ryan Kent’s first time playing with the Giants and he did not look out of place with a typically tenacious performance in the forward line setting up numerous scoring opportunities for his team. Any threat on the Raheny goal was quickly snuffed out by solid defending from Jack and Conor. Jack always shows great awareness of where the danger is coming from and throughout the first half he ensured his goalkeeper was well protected. Matt was faultless in goal and his distribution was excellent, picking out John and Cormac in the forward line with unerring accuracy. The game was scoreless at half time but the Giants were clearly the dominant team and it was only a matter of time before the floodgates opened. The second half saw the Giants camped in the Na Fianna half of the field and the lads soon found their range with Conor getting on the end of a great ball from Cormac to finish to the net. Conor was a thorn in the side of the Na Fianna defence with his determination and skill on the ball and he doubled his and the teams score a few minutes later with another well taken goal. Adam was also in fine form in the forward line and on several occasions his battling qualities ensured that he won dirty ball to set up an attack. What was very satisfying to see was the range of skills the lads showed when the game switched to air hurling. The Giants have dominated against most teams this season when the ball is on the ground but have struggled at times when the game has switched to ‘all in’. This game was to be different however and as soon as the ref signalled the switch to air hurling Cormac’s speed to the breaking ball and great touch saw him score a great point on the run from out on the right. Dan managed to take advantage of the lack of pressure from Na Fianna players to bag 1-1 from play and both Dan and John made superb catches from Na Fianna puck-outs to add 2 skill points to the team’s total. Matt scored a beautiful point from a free to take the final score to 4-5 (2 skill points) to no score. The lads won this game as a result of their huge work rate and superior skills with the ball in hand. With this as a template for the rest of the season the Giants will be a match for any team they meet. Raheny Tigers Report by: John Strain Mentors: Squad: No Report submitted yet...
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