A Superb Performance in Rathkenny

The pitch looked super in Rathkenny today (21 Mar 2026), the sun shone and it was like summer! Rathkennny started the better, and had three points on the scoreboard before our lads woke up, but when they did, they did! It was emphatic today, Rory Crawley first on the scoreboard, letting the Rathkenny cousins know that we were here for one reason only! Colin Hawdon added on another soon after, but Rathkenny were still dangerous, Conor McHugh having to pull off a super save soon after.

A super high catch from Ryan Halpin, a great match last night and another today; fed on to the speedy Shane Boylan, to Pearse, to Lee Healy, over to Dylan Garrigan and back to Pearse, positioned perfectly to slot her over. Level now, power on, Ronan Maguire, to Shane Boylan on a great run, to Paddy Rahill, to Rory and Oran Mulvanny, on via Colin Hawdon and over to Ryan Halpin for a lovely score. Ryan Halpin and Oran Mulvanny were dominant over the midfield, Rathkenny finding it hard to get even their own kickouts, while Tom Lynch was making great runs. A super dispossess by Oran O’Reilly soon after secured the ball for another Oldcastle attack, nearly at the scoring end when Rathkenny won it back again but another great dispossess, this time from Lee Healy, ball secured, turn and score!

More points from Ryan and Pearse followed, Rathkenny were rattled now, and while they were attacking, everything was going wide. Super defensive work from Cian McPartland, Dylan and Oran, helped by Darren Hawdon who was everywhere, had them on the run. The last ten minutes of this half were superb from Oldcastle, a lovely point from Shane, who soon after was closing in on goal, but seeing Colin Hawdon in a better position he made a great pass and Colin secured the goal! A sideline ball from Paddy Rahill found Lee Healy perfectly, and over the bar for the final score of the half, leaving it Oldcastle 1-09, Rathkenny 0-03 at the break.

The Rathkenny lads were facing an uphill battle in the second half, literally as well as figuratively, with the pitch on a fair auld slope. A Cian McPartland clearance made it all the way to the other end of the pitch, and over the bar thanks to Dylan Garrigan. Another super block from Cian secured the next ball, upfield via Lee, to Darren Hawdon and Colin, back to Darren, back to Colin, to Lee again and finally to Colin once more, before ending up in the back of the net! Rathkenny took a point, but it was Ronan Maguire with the next for Oldcastle. Another for Rathkenny thanks to a free, then a long period where neither team did much. Pearse Sheridan was next on the scoreboard with a converted free. One more score from Rathkenny, but fittingly the last score was for Oldcastle: Colin Hawdon looking dangerous once again in a scoring position, taken out of it, free awarded, Pearse converted. That left the final score Oldcastle 2-13, Rathkenny 0-06, and a feeling of optimism after a great weekend of wins, and a superb performance there this evening!

Oldcastle: Conor McHugh, Cian McPartland, Dylan Garrigan (0-01), Oran O’Reilly, Rory Crawley (0-01), Ronan Maguire (0-01), Tom Lynch, Oran Mulvanny, Ryan Halpin (0-02), Darren Hawdon, Colin Hawdon (2-01), Pearse Sheridan (0-04), Shane Boylan (0-01), Paddy Rahill, Lee Healy (0-02). Subs: Steven Lawless, Conor Delaney, Keith Connell, Rian Mulvanny, Conor Hetherton, CJ Healy, Ciaran Connell.