Sequels. Sometimes they live up to the original, sometimes they don’t.

The opening round of the Go Ahead Junior 1 Club Championship took place this Sunday and The St Brendan’s Football 1st XV, sponsored by Dynamic Safety Solutions, return to the scene of the crime in September last year when Cillian Morrison hit St Finian’s Swords with a last gasp smash and grab goal to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Today’s match will be seen as a bit of a grudge match.

Will St Finian’s Swords get their revenge or will St Brendan’s get an opening Championship win under our belts?

Well, you have to find out later because here is a brief summery with what’s been happening with the St Brendan’s Ladies teams in the last two weeks.

The Ladies 1sts, Sponsored by McGowan’s, were beaten by Clontarf 0-13 to 2-9 in a Division 3 League and Division 3a Cup Double header on August 6th.

The Ladies 2nds, Sponsored by Bartra Healthcare suffered a narrow defeat at home to Geraldine P  Moran’s  3-7 to 2-9 in the Junior G Championship opener on July 30th and on August 6th, went down 2-10 to 5-11 away to O’Tooles.

The Ladies 3rds, Sponsored by FTI Consulting, also suffered defeat in the Junior N Championship opener, losing 4-13 to 0-4 away to St Margaret’s on July 28th.

So onto Sunday, and The Swords side, still reeling from the manner they lost to The Dark Force last September, went on the attack straight from the throw in and were unlucky not to beat Eoghan ‘The Bridge’ Clogher for goal when Bryan ‘The Passenger’ Marley came onto the blind side of the Finian’s forward and provoked him to shoot wide.

The home side had scored two points, but also hit three wides too. Indeed it took St Brendan’s 8 minutes to get a scoring opportunity when Brendan ‘The Shoeman’ Brogan played a good ball into Diarmuid ‘Dempsey’ Cooney, but his fisted effort went straight into the Finian’s goalkeeper, then they started the move which resulted in Clogher beaten for goal, 1-2 to 0-0.

20 minutes gone and while Finian’s increased their tally to 1-5, Shane Feeney and John Tuffy introduced Scott ‘Ramor United’ O’Rourke in place of Cathal ‘Patrick Mahomes’ O’Donnell. 22:50 gone and that substitution made handsome dividends when O’Rourke was fouled when collecting a pass off Eoin ‘Quinn Roux’ Fallon. Cooney converted the free in and finally St Brendan’s were on the board.

Cooney, two minutes later, would score St Brendan’s first Championship two pointer following excellent work involving Washington Sean Whelan and Tom ‘Heatmap’ Gallagher, Finian’s replied with a single.

With as all Diarmuid Cooney scoring wise this first half, when he scored another free in after a foul in Gallagher after collecting a pass from Kevin ‘76’ Berry, as soon as the ball sailed between the posts, the referee blew for half time on a score of 1-6 to 0-4 to St Finian’s.

Both sides traded points in the opening 5 minutes, Stephen Durkan got nutmegged whilst in a good position, and the Finian’s number 7 got the only yellow card of the match. Cooney’s free in fell short but Gallagher was on hand to win possession however, he blasted his shot over the bar. 1-8 to 0-5.

Brendan Brogan gave his side hope for the rest of the match when collecting a low pass from O’Rourke and fisting the ball low and into the back of the Finian’s net, 1-9 to 1-5.

Shane ‘The Merc’ Feeney thought that the game was now there for the taking, but St Brendan’s could not make the most of the opportunity as the home side added four more points, whereas Tom Gallagher changed his mind at the last second when whether or not to go for a two pointer and ended up being a turnover and the fourth Finian's point of that sequence.

The referee gave an advantage to a trip on Conor ‘Tattenham Corner’ McGeough, the pass found Stephen Durkan and finally Diarmuid Cooney with the point to make it 1-13 to 1-6, that became 1-14 with another Finian’s point where even the dogs on the side line were barking with excitement for that point!

Cooney pointed what turned out to be the final St Brendan’s point from a 20 meter free in after St Finian’s fell foul of the rule of only having three players on their own half.

Finian's really really wanted to get a last minute goal to put extra icing on the cake, but Scatman John Dorrian made sure Clogher wasn't beaten again with a timely turnover, but Gallagher saw his two pointer bid end with a wide and the game fizzled out to its conclusion, disappointment that the sequel did not live to the original.

St Brendan's need to dust themselves down for the next Championship fixture on August 24th against Robert Emmet’s who were beaten 1-7 to 0-13 against Crumlin also this morning.

Final Score from Ridgewood Park Swords, St Brendan’s 1-7 St Finian's Swords 1-14.