Minor Football League – Sunday 9 th March 2025

Posted March 11, 2025

Naomh Mearnóg 3-09
Fingal Ravens 2-17

Minor Football League – Sunday 9 th March 2025

Naomh Mearnóg and Fingal Ravens played out a high-scoring and entertaining contest in the March
sunshine at Páirc Mearnóg on Sunday morning. In a game full of attacking football and momentum
swings, it was Ravens who emerged victorious, pulling away in the second half despite a spirited
fightback from Mearnóg.

First Half
Mearnóg made the brighter start, with early points from Daniel Burns and a well-taken goal by Louis
Burell, after a strong run by Matthew Reen. However, Fingal Ravens gradually asserted themselves,
winning key midfield battles and putting the Mearnóg defence under sustained pressure. Jack
Clarke, in the Mearnóg goal, made a couple of timely interceptions but Mearnóg’s discipline let them
down. They conceded numerous frees in the opening half, five of which resulted in scores for
Raven’s accurate free takers. Despite playing against a stiff breeze, Mearnóg remained in touch,
trailing by just a point at halftime: Mearnóg 1-4, Fingal Ravens 0-8.

Second Half
Mearnóg may have fancied their chances with the wind at their backs, but it was Ravens who took
control early in the second half, hitting 1-3 in the first six minutes to seize momentum and leave
Mearnóg chasing the game.

On 38 minutes, Liam Hogan gave Mearnóg hope with a cooly finished goal following a sublime pass
from Shane Rafter but the visitors responded immediately with another 1-2, stretching their lead to
seven points after 43 minutes.

Mearnóg refused to go down without a fight. A strong spell saw Reen and Burns adding points
before Reen produced a moment of magic, cutting through the Ravens’ defence and unleashing a
stunning left-footed strike into the top corner. Suddenly, the gap was down to just three points, and
the game was back in the balance.

However, as had been the pattern throughout, Ravens found a way to reassert control. They added
three further points to keep Mearnóg at arm’s length. Despite Matthew Reen responding with three
frees for the hosts, Ravens saw the game out comfortably, finishing with a five-point winning
margin: 2-17 to 3-9.

Mearnóg Scorers: Matthew Reen 1-5 (4f), Daniel Burns 0-4, Louis Burell 1-0, Liam Hogan 1-0.
Panel: Jack Clarke, Cian Cronin, Adam Kerr, Patrick Corcoran, Ciaran Doyle, Jake Gregan, Oisin
Carroll, Theo Dunne, Dylan McGowan, Liam Hogan, Matthew Reen, Louis Burell, Shane Rafter, Daniel
Burns, Mossy McGowan, Killian Lyons, Cillian Slevin, Senan Miland, Ronan O’Brien, Shane O’Brien,
Ethan Fitzgibbon, Darragh Fahy, Cillian Brennan, Sam Reid.