For the first time since 2017, St Brendan’s GAA Club’s Flagship team, the Men’s Football 1st XV, start life in the 6th tier of Dublin Club Football following relegation last July.
There are some brand spanking new faces lining out today for both the 1sts and 2nds, playing later this afternoon in Longmeadows against Fingal Ravens.
Also during the winter, St Brendan’s landed a major coup when landing Meath Football Legend, David Beggy, onto the management team. It took a lot of persuasion from his son, Harry, to get his father in the clubs management ticket, but he agreed.
So far in 2026, it has been an absolute washout weather wise with so many pitches waterlogged and loads of matches this weekend called off. But for St Brendan’s first opponents of the AFL6 season, Na Fianna, they had the luxury of renting the Astroturf pitch at the St Patricks College Drumcondra campus and that is where today’s match was played.
And it appeared that Na Fianna’s familiarity with Astroturf pitches showed when racing into a 4 point to no score lead after 11 minutes with four singles and the advantage of a strong breeze.
The Dark Force, wearing their Dynamic Safety Solutions sponsored jerseys inside out due to a colour clash, saw their first shot of a score go wide off debutant Adam Lynch. However a minute later, Nicky McCafferty, back in the Black and Amber, after a 12 month Australian adventure, was pushed to the ground when pulling the trigger. He dusted himself down and took the penalty and yielded a goal, 0-4 to 1-0.
This would be the closet St Brendan’s would get to Na Fianna, because The Mobhi Roaders beat Eoghan ‘The Bridge’ Clogher for two goals in a space of three minutes, the first of which took a lucky bounce and a two on one situation.
After another point, Na Fianna, in essence, put the contest to bed with a third goal, followed by a two pointer 3-7 to 1-0. The Bombscare Donal Clarke gave The Na Fianna keeper something to do when forcing a save off his shot. The Golden Mullet Conall Morgan and Kevin ‘The Seventy Sixer’ Berry recycled possession to allow debutant Tom Grainger to shoot over the bar to make it 1-1.
McCafferty added to his goal with a point after a soccer style ground pass from Neon Leon Broderick to Morgan, who arrived into Dublin Airport at 8am this morning after a trip to South Korea, and a long pass to The Antrim Adventure Man and the point.
Another Na Fianna two pointer rounded off the first half and a score of 3-10 to 1-2.
Now, as I said, there was a strong breeze which St Brendan’s will be using in the second half. Can The Dark Force produce a comeback similar to Roscommon against Galway in yesterday’s National League Fixture?
But that never materialised as Na Fianna were well in control in the second half, despite only scoring three points in the teeth of a strong wind, the first of that trio scored 20 minutes in. Adam Lynch saw a free in fall short after three up breach from the home side.
The Shoeman Brendan Brogan scored point number three for St Brendan’s after a turnover from Washington Sean Whelan and final pass from Grainger. McCafferty got recklessly fouled when in a good position and that allowed Lynch to make amends from a previous miss to point the free, 3-10 to 1-4.
Donal Clarke hit the third point in a space of two minutes following excellent play from Kevin Berry and McCafferty made it 4 inside three minutes with a long distance effort, but was inside the 40 meter arc so it was a single.
Three minutes into injury time and a long ball by Whelan was played into the square where Tom Grainger showed more power in his legs then Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo did on the hills in the Winter Olympics and leaping and fisting the ball into the net in what was the last touch of the match.
Despite the defeat, both John Tuffy and David Beggy will take heart from the fightback in the second half. Next up a rematch from last September's Championship against Beann Eidair.
Final Score from The St Patricks College Drumcondra Campus Na Fianna 3-13 St Brendan’s 2-6.
Meanwhile in Longmeadows, the 2nd XV played their opening Go Ahead AFL 10A fixture against Fingal Ravens, but it was an afternoon to forget for The Darkest Force, going down 2-18 to 0-5.
The 2nds starting XV: 1. Ken Byrne, 2. Diarmuid Breslin, 3. Colin Folan, 4. John Joyce, 5. Dave McElester, 6. Micheál Bruen, 7. Conor Hayden, 8. Alan Pierce, 9. Donagh Morrissey, 10. Darragh Long, 11. Andy Moran, 12. Richie O’Hara, 13. Cillian Gallagher, 14. Dylan McHugh, 15. Lorcan Long.
Subs; Dermot Condron for McHugh, Damien Daly for Joyce.
There are some brand spanking new faces lining out today for both the 1sts and 2nds, playing later this afternoon in Longmeadows against Fingal Ravens.
Also during the winter, St Brendan’s landed a major coup when landing Meath Football Legend, David Beggy, onto the management team. It took a lot of persuasion from his son, Harry, to get his father in the clubs management ticket, but he agreed.
So far in 2026, it has been an absolute washout weather wise with so many pitches waterlogged and loads of matches this weekend called off. But for St Brendan’s first opponents of the AFL6 season, Na Fianna, they had the luxury of renting the Astroturf pitch at the St Patricks College Drumcondra campus and that is where today’s match was played.
And it appeared that Na Fianna’s familiarity with Astroturf pitches showed when racing into a 4 point to no score lead after 11 minutes with four singles and the advantage of a strong breeze.
The Dark Force, wearing their Dynamic Safety Solutions sponsored jerseys inside out due to a colour clash, saw their first shot of a score go wide off debutant Adam Lynch. However a minute later, Nicky McCafferty, back in the Black and Amber, after a 12 month Australian adventure, was pushed to the ground when pulling the trigger. He dusted himself down and took the penalty and yielded a goal, 0-4 to 1-0.
This would be the closet St Brendan’s would get to Na Fianna, because The Mobhi Roaders beat Eoghan ‘The Bridge’ Clogher for two goals in a space of three minutes, the first of which took a lucky bounce and a two on one situation.
After another point, Na Fianna, in essence, put the contest to bed with a third goal, followed by a two pointer 3-7 to 1-0. The Bombscare Donal Clarke gave The Na Fianna keeper something to do when forcing a save off his shot. The Golden Mullet Conall Morgan and Kevin ‘The Seventy Sixer’ Berry recycled possession to allow debutant Tom Grainger to shoot over the bar to make it 1-1.
McCafferty added to his goal with a point after a soccer style ground pass from Neon Leon Broderick to Morgan, who arrived into Dublin Airport at 8am this morning after a trip to South Korea, and a long pass to The Antrim Adventure Man and the point.
Another Na Fianna two pointer rounded off the first half and a score of 3-10 to 1-2.
Now, as I said, there was a strong breeze which St Brendan’s will be using in the second half. Can The Dark Force produce a comeback similar to Roscommon against Galway in yesterday’s National League Fixture?
But that never materialised as Na Fianna were well in control in the second half, despite only scoring three points in the teeth of a strong wind, the first of that trio scored 20 minutes in. Adam Lynch saw a free in fall short after three up breach from the home side.
The Shoeman Brendan Brogan scored point number three for St Brendan’s after a turnover from Washington Sean Whelan and final pass from Grainger. McCafferty got recklessly fouled when in a good position and that allowed Lynch to make amends from a previous miss to point the free, 3-10 to 1-4.
Donal Clarke hit the third point in a space of two minutes following excellent play from Kevin Berry and McCafferty made it 4 inside three minutes with a long distance effort, but was inside the 40 meter arc so it was a single.
Three minutes into injury time and a long ball by Whelan was played into the square where Tom Grainger showed more power in his legs then Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo did on the hills in the Winter Olympics and leaping and fisting the ball into the net in what was the last touch of the match.
Despite the defeat, both John Tuffy and David Beggy will take heart from the fightback in the second half. Next up a rematch from last September's Championship against Beann Eidair.
Final Score from The St Patricks College Drumcondra Campus Na Fianna 3-13 St Brendan’s 2-6.
Meanwhile in Longmeadows, the 2nd XV played their opening Go Ahead AFL 10A fixture against Fingal Ravens, but it was an afternoon to forget for The Darkest Force, going down 2-18 to 0-5.
The 2nds starting XV: 1. Ken Byrne, 2. Diarmuid Breslin, 3. Colin Folan, 4. John Joyce, 5. Dave McElester, 6. Micheál Bruen, 7. Conor Hayden, 8. Alan Pierce, 9. Donagh Morrissey, 10. Darragh Long, 11. Andy Moran, 12. Richie O’Hara, 13. Cillian Gallagher, 14. Dylan McHugh, 15. Lorcan Long.
Subs; Dermot Condron for McHugh, Damien Daly for Joyce.
