Medals were handed out to the 30-odd players who helped secure the Dublin AFL Division 9 title for the Gaels, by far the most prestigious prize so far secured by this young club.

A special cup, kindly sponsored by Smyth’s Pub, was also presented to victorious captain Brian Regan.

There was a great turn out from players, officials and wider members of the Ranelagh community and it is hoped that this will just be the first of many such nights for the club.

Thomas Davis 2-0 Ranelagh Gaels 5-8

IT wasn’t Croke Park and there was no Sam Magiure at stake, but last Sunday was Ranelagh Gaels’ All-Ireland.

A win over Thomas Davis in their last match of the competition would ensure that they were promoted as winners of Adult Football League Division Nine.

The Gaels have a heartbreaking record in big games, but they put that to rights with an utterly convincing win over Thomas Davis at their Kiltipper Road home.

The visitors overcame poor underfoot conditions on a perfect day to produce their best display of the season.

Eamonn Courtney got the morning off to the perfect start with an early goal following a driving solo run through the heart of the Tallaght team’s defence.

Davis, who beat Ranelagh comfortably in the cup earlier this season, responded well with a goal of their own almost straight away and it was shaping up to be a tough contest.

But the Gaels were determined not to let this one slip and they took a firm grasp of this game.

Conor Harnett was outstanding at centre back, the fullback line held firm under pressure and the midfield of Denis Doolan and team captain Brian Regan won the battle around the centre.

This gave the ideal platform for the forwards to work off and despite kicking a few wides early on, they quickly found their range.

Alan Kelly got the second goal and Jer McCarthy added a third before the break to leave them leading comfortably at the break by 3-4 to 1-0.

Danny Kennedy and Courtney found the net after the break to seal a dominant victory, which sees Ranelagh win the league for the first time in the club’s short history.

It is an incredible achievement for manager Liam O’Hagan and his team considering that they only came up from Division 10 earlier this year and was just reward for the players who have been there from the start.

Next year Division 8 football awaits, but first the squad has a few well earned months of rest following two non-stop seasons.

Naomh Olaf 1-6 Ranelagh Gaels 2-11

RANELAGH Gaels’ promotion push was kept very much on track with a convincing win over Naomh Olaf at Pairc Ui Bhriain in Sandyford on Sunday.

Gaels were well on top throughout and the result was never in doubt, meaning that they stay at the business end of the AFL Division 9 table with just a handful of games to go.

The match was played at 10.30 on the morning of the All-Ireland hurling final and the squad of players showed great dedication to make the fixture.

Lads rose early from their beds and travelled from Sligo, Cork, Clare and Eamonn Courtney even took a break from partying at the Electric Picnic in Stradbally to kick a few points before returning to the County Laois venue.

Ranelagh, managed by Liam O’Hagan, only came up from Division 10 last year and they have proven that they are more than able to live and thrive at a higher level.

If you failed to pick up the Evening Herald last Tuesday, you missed the exclusive on The Edge’s twitter page; back pages splashed with Dublin thinking they can beat Kerry, which they haven’t done in over 30 years; Katie Price informing us she wants Julia Roberts to play her in a movie about her life; and of course Ranelagh Gaels win over Brendan’s.

For all our international friends and family all over the world and Dublin you can download it here from the Ranelagh Gaels website, courtesy of the Evening Herald.

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Does anybody else know any Dublin V Kerry Championship facts?

RANELAGH Gaels were laughing all the way to the bank with the two points they earned in Thursday evening’s convincing AFL Division Nine win over St Brendan’s.

The sides met at Bushy Park with a place in the promotion shake-up at stake and it was the Gaels who were smiling at the end following a nine-point victory.

Brendan’s came into this game full of confidence having beaten the home team in a challenge game earlier in the summer at their Grangegorman base.

But they headed back across the Liffey with long faces following a comprehensive defeat.

Man of the Match John ‘Johnny’ Conlon kicked over eight points in a brilliant forward display.

Ken ‘Kenny’ Fitzmaurice got the second with a brilliant half volley and this helped to set the Gaels up for a comfortable 3-4 to 0-4 lead at the break.

Brendan’s were always likely to up their performance in the second half, which they did.

And though they made it difficult for a while they never showed the sort of form that saw them easily beat Ranelagh in the recent challenge.

Ken got his second of the day and Tiernan ‘Tierno’ McNamara proved that he still knows the way to goal when he too raised the green flag before the end.

Manager Liam ‘Liamo’ O’Hagan played it cautious on the line, though David O’Connor did make it on for a brief cameo appearance before the end.

The match also marked the first appearance of Timmy ‘Timmy-o’ O’Keeffe at Bushy Park in over a year.

The Gaels stalwart left for Australia in 2008 and was back in the country for a brief visit so he took the opportunity to take a look at his team mates in winning action.

ST MARY’S, SAGGART 0-9 RANELAGH GAELS 1-11

RANELAGH Gaels headed on their summer holidays with two more valuable points secured in Thursday night’s Dublin AFL Division 9 clash with St Mary’s of Saggart.

There’s no more competitive football now for three weeks so the Gaels wanted to end this busy period on a high and keep their promotion push on track.

Getting the win was all the more important given the point they dropped at home in the draw against Clann Mhuire earlier in the week.

Ranelagh were comfortably the better team at Pairc Mhuire in Saggart, but they struggled to put scores on the board and this kept the game close for a long time.

They dominated the possession stakes in the first half, but shot a string of wides and several further shots fell into the grateful arms of the Mary’s goalkeeper.

Tiernan McNamara put away a vital goal just before halftime to give Ranelagh a four-point cushion at the break.

In the second half the defence, marshalled with authority by Denis Crehan and Shane Minahane through the middle, remained tight.

The midfield continued to win plenty of ball with captain Brian Regan and Danny Kennedy getting around the field over the hour.

The problem remained getting the ball over the bar, though this did improve markedly after the break with less over-elaboration and more directness

In the end they ran out winners by five points.

With so many regulars out through injury, suspension and travel this was a good win on the road and South County clubs are always particularly tough to beat on their home patches.

It sets Ranelagh up for the vital run in to the Division Nine season and the closing stages of the Junior C Championship.

RANELAGH Gaels battled to a hard-fought draw with Clann Mhuire on Monday evening at Bushy Park to keep them in the AFL Division 9 promotion chase.

The Gaels played much of the second half with 14 men and even though they had chances to win they will be happy to have come away with a point.

There were conflicting emotions amongst players and management after the game.

At one stage in the first half Ranelagh trailed by six points, but they moved through the gears and at the break they were four ahead – 2-7 to 1-6.

They only scored once after the change of ends – through Alan Kelly, who dashed forward from wingback to slot a dramatic equaliser – and lost momentum following Tiernan McNamara’s second yellow card.

So in one regard this was a point dropped, but looking at the positives it was a draw earned in trying circumstances and all of the players showed great heart when their backs were to the wall.

The visitors started brilliantly with the wind behind them and they were 1-6 to 0-3 up inside the quarter-hour mark.

They were in total control and had they not hit several bad wides and dropped a number of other shots short to keeper Conor O Droma, who made a vital second half stop, they could have been out of sight.

Ranelagh finally got to grips with the contest around the middle of the field and McNamara scored two brilliant points and set up another to begin the comeback.

Jer McCarthy showed great bravery to contest a high ball on the edge of the square with the Clann keeper to set up Alan Toolan for the Gaels’ first goal.

He required treatment after taking a heavy hit, but he got back to his feet and in the next three minutes slotted a stylish 1-1 to give the home side a a four-point cushion.

Playing with the breeze in the second half they really should have gone on to close out the game as they have done in style on a number of occasions this season.

But after a nail-biting finish a draw will do and sets Ranelagh up for their next game against St Mary’s of Saggart on Thursday evening.

Were you at the game? What way did you see this result for the Gaels?

RANELAGH Gaels steered their AFL Division Nine campaign back on track with a gutsy win over Park Rangers on Thursday night.

Following a disappointing defeat the previous Sunday, the Gaels needed to leave the Phoenix Park with a both points from an encounter with tough opponents.

And that’s exactly what they did with a committed display to confirm their place at the top of the table at the midway point of the season.

It was the ideal start to what will be a pivotal week in the campaign with another game to follow at the weekend.

The bumpy playing surface made good football difficult, but the biggest obstacle to overcome was the wind which whipped straight across the exposed pitch.

The signs in the first half were that it was going to be a low-scoring affair and Ranelagh left the field at the break with a slender 0-5 to 0-3 lead.

Ken Fitz was in brilliant form with the dead ball, kicking over a ‘45’ and two frees, one from long range, to make sure that the visitors got some rewards for their early efforts.

Early in the second half man of the match Ken Fitz set up Eamon Courntey to palm home the vital goal that gave Gaels some much needed breathing space.

The Gaels were cruising late on at seven points up, but then Park Rangers gave manager Liam O’Hagan some nervous moments when they struck for a goal near the end.

The referee added over five minutes of injury time, but Ranelagh’s players showed great composure and even broke out for a point near the end to make sure of the win.

The defence was excellent throughout, with wingbacks Alan Kelly and John Daly breaking up opposition moves and sending the ball back where it came from.

With the wind blowing across the field the forwards had to work extremely hard for their scores and they kept up their end of the bargain.

The attitude in every position right throughout the game was excellent, with the players all intent on rectifying their disappointing display days before against Ballyboden St Enda’s.

A poor showing from the Gaels in Bushy Park saw them end up being comprehensively beaten by a hungrier, more committed Ballyboden team. The Gaels can have little or no complaints about the result and will have to work harder and match the efforts of teams like St Enda’s if they are to continue at the top of AFL 9.

The first half was an even affair and neither side seemed able to gain an advantage in a tight, scrappy opening. All too often Ranelagh ran into cul de sacs and failed to capitalize on what limited quality ball they had. Johnny Conlon struck one excellent point from play and a few frees but even the normally dependable Conlon missed several frees which he would usually have converted.

Others seemed afraid to shoot and on several occasions failed to make the distance with the ball falling into the unchallenged keeper’s waiting arms. Even the arrival of the Gael’s goal from Tiernan failed to bring them to life. And the Gaels knew that better was needed as they headed in at half time one point to the good. Half Time: Ranelagh 1.03 Ballyboden 0.05

If the first half was bad then the second was truly forgettable from a Ranelagh point of view. Ballyboden came straight out of the blocks and took little time in establishing a lead which they would not surrender. Ranelagh found themselves pinned into their own half and unable to escape with any kind of regularity.

Although the Gael’s defence worked hard to try and halt the ‘Boden attacks the inability to cross the half forward line meant that a comeback never really looked likely. Further blows were dealt with an injury to Alan Toolan in mid-field and then the unfortunate sending off of his mid-field partner. It was only a matter of time before the Gaels defence was breached for a major and this duly came with about ten minutes to go.

The Gaels manager Liam O’Hagan described this as the team’s worst performance of the year to date and he will be working hard to eradicate the simple handling errors and stupid mistakes which were all too obvious, however it is a total change in attitude and approach which the Gael’s will need if they are to continue at the right end of the table.

The Gaels have a chance to quickly put the show back on the road this Thursday when they face the tricky trip to the phoenix park to play Park Rangers, a game which now has grown in importance following Sunday’s malaise.

RANELAGH Gaels endured some worrying moments in their top-of-the-table clash with Erin’s Isle at Bushy Park on Thursday evening, but eventually ran out comfortable winners.

The home side continued their winning ways in Division 9 though they didn’t have it all their own way against a well drilled side from the Finglas club.

When the game was still tight goalkeeper Conor O Droma pulled out a truly fantastic save, diving full length to his right to stop a point-blank effort and keep Gaels’ noses in front.

And then later in the first half an Erin’s Isle shot hit both posts and somehow bounced back into the square without crossing the line and a free out was awarded following a scramble for possession.

Ranelagh led by 1-6 to 0-3 at the break, but conceded 1-1 shortly after the change of ends and the game was suddenly back in the melting pot.

This woke the Gaels up however and they reasserted their dominance around the middle of the park and kept the ball moving quickly through the hands, which has been key to their successes this season.

Tiernan McMahon steadied the ship with his second goal and Ken Fitzmaurice came off the bench to score the third and fire over a 45. The visitors only raised the green flag again as a late, late consolation.

This was a brilliant result for Ranelagh considering the number of regular starters who were unavailable for all sorts of reasons.

But manager Liam O’Hagan was able to show the strength of his panel with several players coming into key positions and performing well.

Denis Doolan and Alan Toolan started in midfield and despite the pair of them suffering injuries in the opening minutes they battled on and only left the action once the game was as good as won.

Wingback Alan Kelly once again displayed brilliant drive over the course of the hour and also in defence the likes of Denis Crehan, Shane Minihane and John Daly were outstanding.

McMahon’s two goal haul was vital, but man of the match was Enda Marren who showed what he is capable of with a string of points in either half during an all-action display.