Rathnew very proud of their young warriors

THE Rathnew Under-15s squad from last year’s 2023 season had their medal presentation last weekend, and they were cheered on by members of the club’s Senior squad, committee and parents.

“These boys’ attitude was brilliant all season,” said Richard Dignam.

“In terms of competitiveness, the boys won three trophies and reached the county ‘A’ final.

“They were entered in the ‘B’ league and the boys won this, putting in some excellent performances across all their games.

“A target agreed at the beginning of the year was that the club wanted the lads to get a great experience in the Féile.

“They achieved this and more besides; winning the Wicklow Feile and then taking home the shield from the regional Féile in Meath on a weekend the boys and their families will remember for years to come,” he added.

Following on from their trip to the Royal County, the Rathnew boys made the trip to Ashford for a delayed league final against great rivals St. Patrick’s.

Adrift by 10 points at half-time, they put in a classic Rathnew comeback and won by six thanks to a barnstorming second-half performance.

Following a change in the championship format and buoyed by their early successes, these lads got an opportunity to play football in Division 1.

This opportunity they attacked with relish in the preliminary stage, qualifying for the ‘A’ section of the championship.

“This was when they really got the bit between their teeth and leaders showed up in numbers,” said Richard.

“The boys showed what they were made of, getting the better of all the big towns and several group teams to qualify for the county ‘A’ final.

“The semi-final replay against Blessington will live long in their memory as the boys played their best football of the year and bounced into the final against a very good St. Nicholas side.

“The Under-15 coaches and the village are immensely proud of these boys.

“The respect, effort and willingness with which they attacked this season (and indeed, every season since nursery) is a credit to them, their parents and their club and we look forward to watching these boys become men in the club over the next number of years,” he added.