Aghada travelled to Kilmichael last Saturday evening to face Bantry Blues in what was a must-win clash to keep our hopes of progression to the knockout stages alive. Coming off the back of a slow start in the previous outing against Nemo Rangers, the lads knew the importance of hitting the ground running this time – and that’s exactly what they did.

Jamie O’Hanlon opened the scoring with a well-struck free before Diarmuid Byrne raised the green flag with a stunning finish to the top corner, following some excellent interplay between Sean Morrissey and O’Hanlon. Bantry responded with two points of their own, but Aghada quickly regained control. The ever-reliable Pearse O’Neill rolled back the years with a trademark score from play, before O’Hanlon and Byrne added fine points to extend the lead.

The highlight of the half came when Kyle O’Shea surged forward from deep, took possession, and rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner – a goal worthy of any championship game. This was soon followed by another point from play for Aghada from another defender, Jack Colbert. Bantry, to their credit, kept the scoreboard ticking and edged their way back into the contest. Points from the West Cork side reduced the margin to just a single point on 26 minutes, with our lads under real pressure heading into the break.

But just before the whistle, Tim Hartnett showed great composure in the corner, rounding his man before slipping a clever handpass to Pearse O’Neill, who coolly buried his shot into the bottom corner. That crucial strike gave Aghada a 3-6 to 0-12 lead at half-time, with our three goals proving the vital difference.

The second half began with Bantry on the front foot, hitting 1-1 in quick succession to edge themselves into a two-point lead. But when the pressure was on, Aghada stood tall. Sean Morrissey’s effort for a point dropped short and came off the crossbar – and Jamie O’Hanlon showed immense bravery and sharpness to fist the ball into the net. Minutes later, another scramble in the Bantry square saw Diarmuid Phelan pounce to finish emphatically for goal number five.

The Aghada supporters could hardly believe their eyes when, deep into injury time, Phelan struck again to notch his second of the night and Aghada’s sixth goal overall. When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read Aghada 6-8, Bantry Blues 1-17. This was a display full of resilience, character, and most of all, goals. Huge credit to Mick Kiely, his management team, and all the players for producing such a battling and high-quality performance.

A special word of thanks also to Kilmichael GAA for the excellent playing surface and first-class facilities that made for a great evening of championship football. This result keeps Aghada’s championship hopes alive heading into a mouth watering clash against last year's beaten championship finalists, Aghabullogue in a few weeks time.

Aghada: Cian O’Shea, Ed Leahy, Jack Colbert, Kyle O’Shea, Ronan Murphy, Diarmuid Phelan, Jordan Tynan, Jake O’Donoghue, Conor O’Driscoll, Seamus Moloney, Tim Hartnett, Diarmuid Byrne, Sean Morrissey, Jamie O’Hanlon, Pearse O’Neill. 

Subs used: Scott Whyte, Cian Hegarty, Joe McKenna, David Wallace, Tomás Condon. 

After the disappointment of their opening fixture being abandoned in Mallow due to floodlight failure, Aghada’s Premier Junior Camogie team finally got their championship campaign underway on home turf in Rostellan against Bishopstown. And what a way to start – a superb team performance capped off by a convincing victory.

Aghada settled into the game quickly, with Aoife Healy leading the charge. She struck a brilliant goal and added a fine point, while Ali Smith was in deadly form from play and placed balls, notching four points in the opening half. Abigail Ring also chipped in with a score to give Aghada a deserved half-time lead of 1-6 to 0-4.

With the wind at their backs in the second period, Aghada turned on the style and produced a breathtaking passage of play that effectively sealed the contest within ten minutes of the restart. Courtney O’Keeffe fired over a lovely point, Ali Smith added five more to her tally, while Abigail Ring kept the scoreboard ticking. The real damage, however, came from Clare Walsh, who struck two superb goals in quick succession to effectively end the game. 

By the 40-minute mark, Aghada had surged into a commanding 3-12 to 0-4 lead, and from there, they controlled proceedings expertly. The scores continued to flow as the girls showcased their full range of attacking talent, racking up an impressive total of 4-21 to Bishopstown’s 1-6 by the final whistle.

This was a statement win for Aghada – built on hard work, sharp finishing, and relentless intensity all over the field. Well done to manager Donal Godfrey, his backroom team, and every player involved in such a strong and polished performance.

Attention now turns to Sunday evening (tonight), when Aghada will travel to Mallow for their rescheduled fixture against Mallow at 6:45pm. Best of luck to all involved! 

Aghada: Carol Geaney, Sally McAllister, Sarah Walsh, Clodagh Walsh, Shauna Whyte, Rachel Leahy, Mary Leahy, Aoife Healy, Abigail Ring, Isabel Barry, Ali Smith, Cara Twomey, May Collins, Clare Walsh, Courtney O’Keeffe, Roise Steele, Clodagh Twomey, Marisa Godfrey, Kate Bowden, Isabel Colbert, Ally Rose, Fia Lane, Kiera O’Hanlon. 

Our Senior Ladies Footballers got their championship campaign off to the best possible start with two excellent victories in the space of just five days this week.

Last Sunday in Cloughduv, our girls lined out against St. Val’s for their opening championship fixture. Coming into the game on the back of a hugely successful league campaign, where they were crowned Division 1 champions for the very first time, the team knew the challenge would be tougher at championship level.

From the very first whistle, our ladies set the tone with a high-intensity, team-driven performance. The scores flowed throughout the game, with superb interplay and clinical finishing leading to five goals on the day. Our defense was resolute throughout with Katie O’Farrell and Yvonne Burgoyne impressing on the day. It was an excellent all-round display, full of teamwork, work-rate, and composure, ensuring our girls got their first win on the board in style. 

Just four days later, O’Donovan Rossa travelled to Rostellan for the second round. Having enjoyed plenty of success themselves in recent years, O’Donovan Rossa were always going to provide a stern test. Abigail Ring was in deadly form, striking two goals on the night, while Kaitlin Smith added a superb second-half goal to put some daylight between the sides. Sarah Walsh was exemplary between the posts, with Bríanna Smith and Mary Leahy working tirelessly up and down the pitch to start numerous Aghada attacks. The defense stood firm throughout, the work-rate across the field never dipped, and the forwards kept the scoreboard ticking to seal a commanding win.

By Thursday evening, our ladies had two championship wins under their belt which was a great start to their championship campaign. The focus now turns to round three against Clonakilty on September 7th, where our girls will look to keep the momentum going on a challenging away trip down west.

Aghada: Sarah Walsh, Katie O’Farrell, Amelia Cooper, Sally McAllister, Yvonne Burgoyne, Maisie McRae, Rachel Leahy, Sarah Leahy, Roisin Phelan, Ali Smith, Hannah Looney, Bríanna Smith, Kaitlin Smith, Abigail Ring, Mary Leahy, Briannagh McGrath, Clare Walsh, Lauren Linehan, Ava Coughlan.