Athea GAA Club Notes:
Club Result:
Woodlands House Hotel County Premier Junior A Football Championship- Group 1-Round 3
Athea 1-14— Mountcollins 1-10.
On Thursday last we met Mountcollins in Mick Neville Park in Round 3 of the Premier Junior A Championship.
Athea opened the game with strong intent, establishing control early on. Points from Tadhg Ahern and TJ Hunt, helped us build momentum and in the 17th minute Dylan Griffin slotted home a well-taken soccer like goal, giving Athea a solid cushion of 5 points. TJ added a free before James Brouder got Mouncollins’ first score from a 45 on 21 minutes. Shane Mulvihill and Brian O Connor added further points before Mountcollins notched two late points before the break. Athea led by 7 points with the half-time score Athea 1-7 Mountcollins 0-3.
Mountcollins came out fighting after the restart and traded points with Athea. TJ Hunt with two and a good score from Evan Curry on the run restored Athea’s lead to 7 points. A critical moment came in the19th minute when Eoin Collins struck for a goal, narrowing Athea’s lead to just 3 points. However, Athea remained composed under pressure. Key points from Andrew O Riordan (2), and TJ Hunt kept the scoreboard ticking and the gap intact. Even as Mountcollins pushed hard in the closing minutes, Athea responded with points at crucial moments from Shane Mulvihill to retain control.
Mountcollins’ goal midway through the second half brought them back into contention, narrowing the lead to 2 points at one stage however Athea responded immediately with key scores to kill any comeback momentum.
Athea’s blend of experience and composure proved the difference in a tightly contested second half. The combination of Evan Curry, Tadhg Ahern and Jonathan Fitzgerald around the middle worked well and provided a good platform for the Athea forwards to get scoring opportunities throughout the forward line. TJ Hunt and Shane Mulvihill combined scored 9 points between them. Mountcollins can take pride in their fightback but will reflect on missed opportunities and lapses in the first half. Final score Athea 1-14 Mountcollins 1-10.
Round 4 is on September 25th against Fr. Casey’s B. A win or a draw in this game would leave us in good position to qualify for the knockout stage. Team Gerard Ahern, Eoin Sheahan, Tommy Quaid, James Hunt, Callum Buckley, Andy Ahern, Eoin O’Shea, Evan Curry (0-1), Tadhg Ahern (0-1), Jonathan Fitzgerald, TJ Hunt (0-05,2f), Andrew O’Riordan (0-02), Brian O Connor (0-1), Dylan Griffin (1-0), Shane Mulvihill (0-4), Subs used Sean Twomey for Eoin O Shea, Sean Ryan for Dylan Griffin, Kevin Murphy for James Hunt.
Woodlands House Hotel County Junior C Football Championship- Group 2-Round 3:
Athea 1-11 Camogue Rovers 2-7
Athea held on for a narrow but deserved one-point victory over Camogue Rovers in a fiercely contested match that saw momentum swing dramatically in the second half. Despite a powerful comeback effort from Camogue, Athea’s first-half dominance and crucial scores down the stretch were enough to see them over the line.
The match started under windy conditions at Meanus, with Athea immediately setting the tone. Darren Murphy opened the scoring with a good point from the left in the second minute, and from there Athea never looked back in the first period.
Camogue Rovers had plenty of possession but were wasteful in front of goal, registering six wides before the break. Their only two first-half scores came from play,
Aidan Curry had kicked a two pointer and a free before Martin Chawke kicked a further two pointer to extend the lead to 5 points in the17th minute. Michael Tierney, Rory Cleary, and Alan Kelly all added their names to the scoresheet.
Camogue finished the half with their second score leaving the Half Time Score: Athea 0-9 Camogue Rovers 0-2
Camogue Rovers came out revitalized in the second half, clearly determined to close the seven-point gap. Within minutes, they had narrowed the margin, scoring from a free and then scoring a goal in the 8th minute. A further point from a free reduced the margin to two points
James Broderick netted a goal in the13th minute, giving Athea a five-point lead and vital breathing room. The home team responded with a point before an in form Aidan Curry knocked over two frees in difficult windy conditions to restore our cushion to six points.
Camogue continued to press, and while they added a couple of frees, they also registered two more wides, bringing their total to eight. A late goal in the 29th minute gave Rovers real hope, cutting the deficit to just one point as the match ticked into stoppage time.
Despite a final push from Camogue, Athea showed composure and tactical discipline to close out the game and secure a hard-earned win.
For Athea, this gritty win reinforces their ability to grind out results, even under late pressure. Their composed performance, especially in the first half, laid the foundation for victory.
Our next game is at home to Claughaun in three weeks’ time. Team Tomas Ahern, Jamie Collins, Philip Daly, , Cillian O’Connor, Jason Kelly, Conor Fitzgerald, Gavin Ambrose, Michael Walsh, Martin Chawke (0-2, 1x2pt), Darren Murphy 0-1, Michael Tierney 0-1, Rory Cleary 0-1, Alan Kelly 0-1, James Broderick 1-0, Aidan Curry (0-5,1x2pt, 3f).
All-Ireland Challenge Cup Final:
Hard luck to the Limerick Masters footballers captained by our own Mike Reidy who played London last Saturday at St Peregrine’s GAA Club, Limerick lost out to the Londoners on a scoreline of 1-14 to 1-11.
U14s Championship:
Best of luck to Athea/Glin who face Cappagh in county semi final in Cappagh this Wednesday 10th September at 6.30pm.
U8 Girls:
Huge well done to our U8’s who play a blitz in Ballysteen Saturday morning where they met Granagh/Ballingarry, Fr Casey’s and ABK. Our girls showed great skill and determination in all games with some great blocking, defending and point scoring. The girls really displayed the progress they have made this year. This outing was noteworthy for their hand passing and single hand tackling. Huge thanks to ABK for hosting us.
Intermediate Championship:
Hard luck to our girls who were well beaten last Sunday by met Galtee Gaels. They will now met Monaleen in intermediate B semi final on Sunday 26th.
U8 Boys & Girls:
Well done to the Athea U8 Footballers who played 3 great games at the Killeedy GAA Blitz in wet conditions in Raheenagh.
Their skills, determination and teamwork is improving with very game so keep it up boys and girls. Well done everyone.
Hurling:
Hurling training will continue over the summer. Wednesday nights 7pm to 8pm for U14 and U16. Sunday morning for all ages 10 am to 11 am
Split the Bucket:
The last draw took place the 8th of September. The Lucky winner of €334 is Annmarie Ennis. The next draw will take place on Monday the 22nd of September
The tickets can be Purchased at Collins shop, Ger Whites bar, Brown Joes bar, Gables Grill, O’Riordans Pharmacy, Credit Union, Bingo Friday evenings and also online @ https://atheagaa.clubforce.com/products/draw/athea-gaa-draw
Healthy Athea:
Are you a parent, teacher or caregiver struggling to make sense of teenage behaviour if so we can help. We are are running a workshop ran over two sessions on Thursday 2nd and 9th October at 7 pm this will be a very beneficial workshop ran by Cora O’Brien of Core Therapy
Please phone 0876103840 to book your place, Venue Athea GAA Clubhouse.
Photo below of
John Hunt Chairman, Margaret O’Connor, Secretary, Mary Ellen Quille Treasurer along with players Tommy Quaid, Michael Walsh, TJ Hunt, Brian O’Connor and James Hunt receiving newly sponsored jerseys from Paul Collins of Collins Shop
First club draw of 2025 congratulations to all winners. Next draw 28th September see photo below. Thanks to everyone for supporting our annual fundraising draw.
Membership:
Our 2025 membership registration is now live. Please see link to register with the club and purchase our club draw tickets for 2025, all players need to register ahead of the season and we would encourage everyone to become a member and purchase a ticket for our club draw as it all helps towards the running and up keep of the club and walking track. https://atheagaa.clubforce.com/products/membership