RANELAGH Gaels ladies footballers will play the biggest game in the club this year on Wednesday night.

After less than a full season in competitive action the Gaels are set to take on Scoil Ui Chonaill in the Dublin Junior E Championship final at St Margaret’s (throw-in 8.0).

The team was only set up little more than 12 months ago and entered competition earlier this year, making their final appearance an incredible achievement.

Manager Ronan Murphy and his selectors Brian Regan and Denis Doolan have seen the team make huge strides in just a short space of time thanks to the players’ hard work and dedication.

The Gaels have met Scoil on a number of occasions this year in league and cup competitions and they have yet to register a win.

But they are getting closer every time and confidence will be high following an impressive semi-final win over Ballyboughal.

The management have some tough decisions to make with a strong panel all fighting for their starting place in the final.

Amongst the mainstays of the team are centreback Lil Whooley, who holds the defence together.

Midfielder Aoife Long is a top-class fielder and alongside her Fiona Manley displays the sort of work-ethic that would make a Tipperary hurler blush.

It has been rumoured that centre forward Laoise Martin has caught the attention of Galway’s senior selectors with her displays to date.

Claire Gleeson is currently a doubt with an ankle injury, though like the Kilkenny management with hurling legend Henry Shefflin last week, everything is being done to try to get her right for the big day.

Everyone at the club wishes the team the best of luck and expect a good crowd out to back them on Wednesday.

A FOURTH place finish in AFL Division 8 is still on for Ranelagh Gaels following their win over Liffey Gaels on Sunday.

Ranelagh travelled to Liffey Park at the weekend and took control of the game from the off.

It was a beautiful morning for football and Liffey Gaels’ big pitch suited the visitors fast-moving style.

Jer put the Gaels on road to victory with a clever lob over the Liffey keeper early on and Ranelagh went in with a nine-point lead at the break.

However, after the change of ends Liam O’Hagan’s team were playing into a strong breeze and they were forced to work hard.

With a number of regular players unavailable, the strength and depth of the panel was tested and the men who came in did what was required.

At one stage the gap was cut down to just four points, but the defence in particular was outstanding.

Denis Doolan and Denis Crehan both made vital blocks to help make sure that Dave in goals kept a clean sheet.

There are two games to go before the end of the season and though promotion is out of reach it has still been a positive campaign.

The past two years both ended in promotion so finishing at the top end of Division 8 is no small achievement.

RANELAGH Gaels came from four points down at halftime to win this tough Dublin AFL Division 8 clash with St Colmcille at Bushy Park on Tuesday night.

The visitors had the advantage of a strong breeze in the first half, but the Gaels were still disappointed to head in at the break trailing.

Colmcille took their two first half goal chances well, with good finishes for both, but Ranelagh didn’t help their case with some sloppy passages of play.

The men from Swords brought two big and effective midfielders with them and they proved that they could play football too when Conor saw his man sell the dummy and move away.

But the second half saw a complete turnaround with the home team playing some excellent football.

Conor and Gearoid got to grips with the centre of the field and Dave drove his kick-outs well.

Gaels made the breakthrough around the three-quarter way mark when the Colmcille defence, under severe pressure, conceded an own-goal to go with the own-point they put over the bar early on.

Barry, who was instrumental in setting up the first, scored the second to Ranelagh move into the lead.

However, the result was far from clear-cut and Liam O’Hagan’s team had to endure some tense moments before the final whistle.

Joe, who played at centre back before being switched to centre forward, gave a good account of himself and there were excellent displays all over the field.

Denis Crehan, in his first game back from injury, cleared his lines well at cornerback, James, Shane, Denis Doolan, Alan, Conor, Tim and Johnny all contributed to a great team win.

Ladies Junior E Championship Semi-final

Ranelagh Gaels 8-5
Ballyboughal 3-5

RANELAGH Gaels ladies footballers have made a championship final in just their first season in competitive action.

The team was only set up little more than 12 months ago and entered competition earlier this year, making their final appearance an incredible achievement.

On Wednesday night they travelled to Ballyboughal in North County Dublin and overcame a determined home team in the semi-final.

The scoreline may suggest an easy win, though in reality it was anything but with Bougal hammering on the door for long periods.

The Gaels, who were missing a number of familiar faces midweek, enjoyed a comfortable win over the same opponents during the league, but any complacency was blown away in the opening minutes.

In a frenetic first quarter the teams matched each other score-for-score, with a goal apiece for Ger and Babs keeping the tie level.

However, as the half progressed the Ranelagh defence began to show their class.

Their blockade and the efforts of Fiona and Aoife in midfield provided the platform for the forwards to shine.

Leading by example was Babs and her quick-fire 2-01 helped the Gaels into a lead which they never let slip.

Following on from Claire Reeve’s goal, a delightful chip from thirty yards, further goals from Marie and Fiona and a point from Laoise left the Gaels with a 7-02 to 3-02 half-time lead.

While the first half was dominated by the scoring pyrotechnics from the visitors, the second thirty minutes was an altogether different affair.

Despite the best efforts of Ballyboughal to force themselves back into contention they were continually repelled by a powerful Ranelagh backline.

With Lil and Aioife dominating the central positions, and ably supported by Caoimhe, Mags, A.M., Kate and Sarah, the Gaels restricted their opponents to just three second half points.

In response, Babs, prior to her substitution for a well earned rest, hit a wonderful goal from distance. The Gaels scoring was completed with points by Laoise and Lil.

All thoughts now turn to the county final, with manager Ronan Murphy and his assistants Denis Doolan and Brian Regan facing many tough selection decisions as competition for places hots up.

The Gaels, who were controversially defeated on Tuesday, needed to bounce back swiftly to maintain their dwindling promotion challenge, however this was not to be the case.

The hunger and desire shown by Ballinteer, who have been in a relegation battle all season, was evident in the second half when they outscored the Gaels by 14 points.

As irony would have it Ranelagh played some of their best football of the season in the first half.

The backs were outstanding at crowding out the opposition attack with Joe in particular making some great challenges, while the movement of Enda and Timmy at the other end produced some magnificent scores. The Gaels lead by six points to one at half time.

It was clear that after 10 minutes into the second half the Gaels were feeling the effects from Tuesday’s night battle against table topping Stars of Erin and had emptied too much of the tank in the opening 30 minutes.

St John’s were now playing down the hill and made very good use of their bench bringing on four very strong substitutes ten minutes into the second half.

Tadgh and Corky, both making their first league starts in AFL Division 8, tried their damndest in the full back line however the Ballinteer forwards were being sent an excellent supply of ball and this was always going to be telling.

Eventually they got their deserved goal to take the lead and they never looked back.

It’s a new situation the Gaels find themselves in not to have anything to play for over the final four games of the season and this will be a disappointment.

But following two consecutive promotion-winning campaigns the first year at Division 8 cannot be labelled a failure.

The difficult conditions at a rain-sodden Bushy Park made for a hugely physical encounter and the man in the middle was intent on flashing his cards.

Martin was shown an early red after an altercation with the Erin full forward – it takes two to tango though and there was surprise to see only a yellow given for his part in the fracas.

The home side kept their focus and stuck to their task well however with Ian driving his half-back line forward. It took a great penalty save from the Stars of Erin net-minder to keep the Gaels at bay but that wouldnt last long.

Johnny Conlon didn’t take long to forget about his penalty, putting over some outstanding points, both from play and the dead ball.

Conor and Barry were shipping some hefty knocks around the middle and the tackles were certainly bordering on the illegal.

 The sides were deadlocked at 0-6 apiece at the break, all to play for in the second half.

The Gaels lifted their efforts again and scored 1-2 without reply to put them in a commanding position entering the final quarter.

 The place kicking of the opposition’s dead ball specialist clawed them back into the game and they drew level with three minutes left on the clock.

Ian, Jer and Joe were all the subject of some cynical hits late on; the referee somehow kept in his card in his pocket after the latter was flattened by an elbow charge.

To rub salt into Ranelagh wounds, the away side snatched a goal late on to claim victory on a 1-9 to 1-12 scoreline.

The fourteen men had shown immense courage and heart throughout and didn’t deserve to finish empty handed. They don’t have much time to dwell on it, with a fixture at Ballinteer on this Sunday. Two points are a must.

RANELAGH Gaels had seven points to spare over Clanna Gael Fontenoy on Tuesday night in Dublin AFL Division 8.

It was a performance that secured another vital win, but the margin between the sides could have been more.

Clann came to Bushy Park with a young, quick side and the Gaels’ extra experience was a major factor in the victory.

Ranelagh went in at the break leading by 2-3 to 0-5 with Timmy and Enda getting the goals.

The second half was tight for long stretches and the contest could have been ended earlier had the home side taken more of the chances that they created with good approach play.

Conor F, playing at wingback in one of his first starts since joining the club, was in good form and Gearoid contested well when he came on for Denis D, who was forced out of centre back through injury.

Manager Liam O’Hagan had to make changes to his side with a number of regulars out and plenty of players made strong cases for their inclusion in the next game.

The Gaels now have two weeks off but they are well placed near the top of the table as the business end of the season heats up.

It was the first time that the team had to play two competitive games inside such a short space of time – just three days – but luckily they were both at home and they earned two brilliant results.

First up on Monday was Clanna Gael Fontenoy, which was a high-scoring fixture, and then on Wednesday Robert Emmets visited Bushy Park.

Ranelagh Gaels 8-8
Clanna Gael Fontenoy 6-10

THIS can only be described as one of the craziest and most enjoyable games that you could ever hope to see!

It turned into a complete goal-fest and it was the Gaels that got the scores that mattered.

Of all the goals, Fiona’s last minute top corner rocket not only saved the game for Ranelagh but was also the pick of the day

Unfortunately the RTE cameras weren’t there to show replays because it would easily have been a contender for their Goal of the Season competition.

Gaels got off to the ideal start hitting the net through Kristy, Laoise and Babs.

The toughest challenge for the home side in the first half was getting the ball out of defence and at times lacked the composure to clear there lines.

This handed Clan simple opportunities which they didn’t fail to convert.

Gaels were blessed with stand-in goalkeeper Caoimhe (if you’re interested in playing goals for the Ranelagh Gaels ladies team you can email us on info@ranelaghgaels.ie for more information) as she kept the home them in the game.

The second half tempo stayed the same as both sides exchanged scores, one of the best was Aoife long range effort falling under the cross bar.

Ranelagh Gaels 8-10
Robert Emmets 0-4

AFTER conceding so much on Monday night questions might have been asked of the Gaels defence.

But on Wednesday they answered them all by limiting Robert Emmets to just four points over the hour.

The ladies team are still struggling for a goalkeeper because it is such a tough job but somebody has got to do it.

Kristy stood between the posts for the first half and then moved out to full back for the second. At times the Gaels defence were fantastic at clearing the ball

The final 15 minutes of the game lacked a bit in intensity and Ranelagh were content to pick off their scores and conserve their energy on a hot summer’s day.

Many of the players found themselves playing out of position, but adapted well on a steep learning curve.

Ranelagh Gaels 1-11
Clontarf 3-5

RANELAGH Gaels didn’t know how to feel as they left St Anne’s Park with a point in the bag last Friday night.

At half-time they were lucky to still be in touch with high-flying Clontarf, but a 20 minute period of sustained excellence saw the visitors move into a six-point lead.

Two sloppy goals were then conceded and Ranelagh trailed as injury time ticked by but a point with the last kick of the game secured a draw.

The result keeps the Gaels in a wide open AFL Division 8 promotion chase, but a win – and it was a game that should have been won – would have been a major boost.

Once again the lads stuttered to a slow start and Clontarf, who knocked Ranelagh out of the championship earlier this season, slipped into the driving seat with an early goal.

Some tough talking and a few tactical switches during the half-time team-talk from manager Liam O’Hagan had the desired effect and Ranelagh went out to play some of their best football of the season.

The defence was rock solid with James a star in the corner and the midfield and half forwards cleaned up on breaking ball.

A goal set up by Johnny and finished by Joe, who was playing at full forward rather than centre back, was the least the display deserved.

But with the game as good as won the foot was taken off the pedal and ‘Tarf were allowed back into the game.

First they converted a penalty and then on the stroke of full-time they got a lucky goal to take a one-point lead.

It looked as though the Gaels were destined to another defeat this year by the narrowest of margins – and the second inside a month caused by the concession of a last-minute goal.

But real grit was shown not to give up, a scoring opportunity was worked and Joe fired over a great equaliser to ensure the draw.

RANELAGH Gaels got out of jail to take both league points against St Mark’s at Bushy Park on Tuesday night.

The home team were lucky to still be in the game at half-time and having equalised near the end Ranelagh fell behind again.

But a late goal from Johnny Conlon, his second of the day, and a couple of last ditch points secured a vital AFL Division 8 victory which keeps the Gaels in the promotion hunt.

Now attention can turn to Friday evening’s cross-town trip to St Anne’s Park to take on high-flying Clontarf, who knocked the Gaels out of the Dublin Junior C Championship already this year.

Mark’s flew out of the traps and quickly got a grip on this game in the middle third of the field. They moved the ball at speed with excellent running off the ball.

This gave them a tremendous attacking platform, but wayward shooting meant that they only led by 1-5 to 0-4 at the break.

Ranelagh were better for spells in the second half and a converted penalty from Johnny dragged them back into the game.

The visitors moved quickly back into a three-point lead, but huge credit has to go to the Gaels for the way they stuck to the task and never gave the game up as a lost cause.

The fullback line of Martin, James and particularly Denis Doolin had a strong second half, as did Denis Crehan who moved to centre back when Joe went off injured.

The forwards did well with at times extremely limited possession to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

A better performance will be required against ‘Tarf on Friday (throw-in 7.45), but spirits are high following a lucky escape.