Campaign begins for hurlers on Saturday
THE ERA of new Sligo senior hurling team manager Stephen Sheil begins in earnest this coming Saturday when Sligo commence their Allianz Hurling League Division 3A campaign for 2024 – a home game against Cavan at Markievicz Park (2pm).
How Sligo cope without last year’s top scorer, Andrew Kilcullen, is the major issue facing Sheil – Easkey’s Kilcullen is understood to be heading to Australia soon.
But Carlow man Sheil has received a boost with the return of Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch and Finnian Cawley – both were in the Sligo senior Gaelic football panel last year and won Allianz Football League Division Four medals.
In terms of replacing the aforementioned Andrew Kilcullen’s scoring power, Gerard O’KellyLynch and his brother, Tony, are very capable free-takers, with Thomas Cawley and Conor Hanniffy also adept scorers.
Saturday’s game is the first of three home fixtures for Sligo, who’ll play Monaghan and Mayo at Markievicz Park on March 10 and March 16 respectively. Sligo’s two away games are against Armagh (February 11) and Louth (February 25).
If Sligo top the standings after five games they’ll qualify for the final that is scheduled for either Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, March 31. Finishing either second or third in the group will ensure a semi-final on March 23 or March 24.
Sligo, who were relegated from this year’s Division 2B after they lost the relegation play-off to London, last played in Divison
3A in 2021 – the year they won the title and promotion under Stephen Sheil’s predecessor, Padraig Mannion. That triumph two years ago followed the previous year’s Division 3B title (2020). Sligo were Division 2B finalists in 2022.
Sligo senior hurling panel (Allianz Hurling League 2024): Eoin Comerford, Luke Comerford, Oisin Hennessy,
Conor Gillen, Eddie O’Donoghue, Shane Brenan (Coolera-Strandhill); Michael Munnelly, Donnchadh O’Brien, Liam O’Kelly-Lynch, Tony O’Kelly-Lynch, Donal Keaveny, Fergal O’Kelly-Lynch, Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch, Niall Feehily, Darragh Cawley (Naomh Eoin); Donáll Hanley, Joe McHugh, Rory McHugh, Finnian Cawley, James Weir, Fionn Connolly, Gavin Connolly, Fionn Moylan, Eoghan-Rua McGowan, Niall Kilcullen, Thomas Cawley (Easkey); Ciaran Keenan, Darragh Flynn (Western Gaels); Michael O’Callaghan, Declan Reidy, Brian Shannon, Conor Griffin (Calry-St Joseph’s); Conor Hanniffy (Oranmore Maree, Galway); Kevin O’Kennedy
(Tourlestrane).
SUMMERHILL College were waiting on another miracle but it never came. The holders and last year’s All-Ireland finalists are sadly out of the Connacht GAA Post Primary Schools Senior ‘A’ Football Championship.
Last Friday’s three-point loss to St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, 1-9 to 0-9, on a wintry night in Bekan was – at first glance – a close contest.
But the Sligo town secondary school were punished severely for a scoreless first-half against the breeze at
Lidl Ladies NFL
Division Three – Round Two Clare 4-11 Sligo 2-6
THE SLIGO Ladies Footballers are without a win after two rounds of this year’s Lidl Ladies National Football League. However, they are learning all the same as they bid to remain in Division Three.
There were positives galore from their opening round draw away to Offaly on the Sunday before last – a game Sligo could have won – but there were different type of lessons from the 11-point loss to Clare, 4-11 to 2-6, on a breezy afternoon in Clarecastle last Sunday.
Five points down at half-time, 2-5 to 1-3, after a wind-assisted first-half, Sligo raised their game in the second period. But a devastating phase from the home side, which saw them scored an unanswered 1-4, put paid to Sligo’s chances of a recovery. The excellent Fidelma Marrinan notched her second goal to help extend Clare’s lead to 12 points, 3-9 to 1-3. Midfielder
Sinead Regan’s goal for Sligo kickstarted a response from Cormac Reape’s side, with Sligo outscoring their opponents, 1-3 to 1-2, over the last 20 minutes.
Leah Duffy scored 0-4 and Leah Kelly was Sligo’s goalscorer in the first-half. Jade Lyons and substitute Lauren Normanly scored a point apiece.
Clare, runners-up in last year’s Division Three final and also All-Ireland Intermediate Championship runners-up in 2023, were favourites to win at Clarecastle’s all-weather pitch.
But Sligo boss Cormac Reape thought his charges could have gone at Clare to a greater extent.
The number of points that separated Sligo and Clare in last Sunday’s Division Three game.
He said: “It is definitely a disappointing result. In the firsthalf it slipped away from us – maybe we treated Clare with a bit too much respect.
“There were a lot of good things from our players in the first-half but maybe we were afraid to pull the trigger – maybe we didn’t back ourselves as much as we should have. When we done it in the second-half you could see the change. But there is still a lot to be happy about.”
Reape continued: “We are building a panel. No player is happy to be a sub. The likes of Eryn Lavin, who made her debut, was excellent. Eimear Hunt also came on and those minutes will have done her the world of good. We are going to have a very competitive panel in a few months’ time.”
Sligo’s third round fixture is a home game against Down on Sunday week, February 11. Eastern Harps GAA Club’s Fr Kevin Brehony Park, Keash, is the venue (1pm start).
Down have played twice, losing to Roscommon (0-11 to 0-4) and Wexford (1-5 to 0-5). “Right now, we have to target the Down game [to get a result in],”