By Rory Noonan, The Echo

Ballinora 3-6
St Michael’s 2-8
(After extra time)
BALLINORA won the Premier 2 Féile football title dramatically after extra time at Bishopstown.
And hero of the day was Ben Hegarty, who scored a goal directly from a free to win the title for his side.
Trailing by two points, he knew that a white flag was no good and with literally the final kick of the game he found the top corner to see his side come out on top after a simply superb game.
Both sides deserve credit for the part they played in the decider, with Jack Punch, Darragh O’Flaherty, and Conor Stack leading by example for St Michael’s, who can’t be faulted for their efforts.
But huge credit must go to Ballinora as a team, for their resilience and never-say-die attitude when they went down to 14 late on.
They had outstanding displays all over the pitch, with Hegarty being one of them.
Others to impress for the winners included the likes of James O’Sullivan, Alex Lehane, and Billy Mehigan, to name a few.
Michael’s started the game the better of the two sides with early points from Punch and Stack putting them in front before O’Sullivan hit back for Ballinora.
With 10 minutes gone, Michael’s raised their first green flag when Darragh O’Flaherty scored a penalty, following a foul on Ronan O’Grady.
This put them 1-2 to 0-1 up, but it didn’t take Ballinora long to hit back, with Billy Mehigan finding the back of the net at the other end.
Stack pointed for Michael’s and just before half time, Punch was unlucky not to get another goal when his effort came back off the crossbar.
O’Sullivan pulled a point back for Ballinora at the start of the second half.
He then found the back of the net, after Lehane played him in, to make it 2-2 to 1-3. Hegarty added a point from a free to put three between the sides.
Oran Kingston made it 2-4 to 1-3 before Ballinora had Alex Lehane sent off for a second yellow card offence.
Michael’s made the most of the extra man, with Cian Coates scoring two frees to reduce the deficit.
Stack added another from a free before a late point from Punch had them level to take it to extra time, 1-7 to 2-4.
Michael’s got the perfect start to extra time when Punch scored a goal, with O’Sullivan replying at the other end.
Punch added a point and at half time in extra time, it was now 2-8 to 2-5 in Michael’s favour.
Denis O’Mahony pointed for Ballinora before we had that dramatic finish which saw Hegarty find the back of the net to secure the title for his side with a strike worthy of winning any final.
Scorers for Ballinora: J O’Sullivan 1-3 (1f), B Hegarty 1-1 (1-0 f), B Mehigan 1-0, O Kingston, D O’Mahony 0-1 each.
St Michael’s: J Punch 1-3, D O’Flaherty 1-0, C Stack 0-3 (3f), C Coates 0-2 (2f).
BALLINORA: D Fenton; L Gaffney, M Cremin, P Twohig: O Kingston, A Lehane, J O’Sullivan; B Hegarty, C Murphy; B Mehigan, C Murphy, F Murphy; P O’Mahony, D O’Mahony, D Conway.
Subs: O Murphy, P McCoy, T Mahon, T O’Reilly, H McCoy, P O’Regan, B Murphy, C Noonan, C Murphy.
St MICHAEL’S: A McEvoy; J Mahony, O Walsh, L Mackesy; J Gartland, D O’Flaherty, H Spratt; C Stack, O McCaffrey; B O’Callaghan, J Punch, K Stack; C O’Neill, R O’Grady, C Coates.
Subs: R O’Connell, J Toomey, C Hanna, R Walsh, F Butler, J Dwyer, R O’Donaile, J Kearney, T Mulconry, B O’Callaghan.
Referee: Luke Knight, Kilmurry.

By John Coughlan, The Echo

Ballincollig 1-12
Glanmire 0-2
IT WAS a comfortable win for Ballincollig as they were crowned Féile Peil U15 Premier 1 champions in style, following the defeat of Glanmire at Ballincollig.
It’s hard to believe these teams couldn’t be separated when they clashed in the group stages at Trabeg on the morning of this decider, but Ballincollig learned and brushed aside their opponents.
Inspired by some lovely kicking from Joe Miskella, son of former Cork football star John, Ballincollig seldom looked in trouble against a fatigued Glanmire side.
There is little doubt Ballincollig’s fitness was crucial as there was only a 15-minute turnaround from both semi-finals.
Ballincollig were pushed to the wire by a talented Carrigaline side 0-7 to 0-5 as Glanmire got the better of the Barrs 3-3 to 2-2.
Speaking after the game, Ballincollig manager Gareth Harrington praised the commitment of his players.
“This is an incredible group of players, as they struggled when we played Glanmire in the group game,” he said.
“However, as good teams do, they learned a few lessons and did the business in the final.
“We have never lost at any level in league or championship since these lads got together, and I think this win is just reward for the effort they have put in from a very young age.”
Ballincollig started in a blistering fashion, and consecutive points from Joe Miskella put them in pole possession.
The biggest problem Glanmire were encountering was winning possession, as they looked leg-weary.
It got worse for Glanmire in the fourth minute, when a sweeping three-man move saw the ball fall into the path of Eoin Stack, who drilled a low shot to the corner of the net.
On the rare occasions Glanmire got out of their own half, their shooting was wayward, as their supporters were willing them on to open their scoring account.
The Ballincollig defence was seldom troubled for the remainder of the half, and Miskella finished with a free that saw him chalking up his fourth point and helped his team lead by nine points at the break.
On the restart, the trend of the game didn’t change and Bobby Power could have put the game out of sight, but his fisted attempt producing a miraculous save from Glanmire keeper Tom Hurley.
Glanmire did break their drought with a Donagh Healy point, and the hardworking Tom Huggins got his just reward when he also split the posts.
That’s as good as it got for Glanmire, as the class and fitness of Ballincollig was evident from start to finish, with both teams putting in a hard day’s work at various venues around the city.
Scorers for Ballincollig: J Miskella 0-5 (0-3f), E Stack 1-0, F Walsh 0-3, C McDonnell 0-2, B Power, C McCarthy (0-1 each).
Glanmire: D Healy, T Huggins (0-1 each)
BALLINCOLLIG: D McCarthy; P Skehan, L Higgins, E Lynch; J Harrington, E Harris, J Costello; J Miskella, E O hUrnai; R Fitzgerald, E Stack, F Walsh; B Power, M Downey, C McDonnell.
Subs: B Farrell for M Downey (15), D Murphy for C McCarthy (22), R Doyle for J Miskella (26), S O’Brien for C McDonnell (27).
GLANMIRE: T Hurley; S Carey, A O’Sullivan, A Soltani; F O’Sullivan, C McMahon, E O’Donovan; E Considine, E Dawson; D Healy, M Sullivan, J Daly; A Maher, T Huggins, J Daly.
Subs: T Desmond for S Carey (inj 10), A McCarthy for F O’Sullivan (h-t), E O’Donovan for C MacDonald (20), D Forbes for J Daly (25).
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan, Valley Rovers.

The February and March Rebel Óg awards were presented at the Clayton Hotel, Silversprings.
The February winners were Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Junior A camogie team who won the All-Ireland championship.
March winners were St Francis College, Rochestown, who won the O’Callaghan Cup, defeating CBC in the final.
Two quickfire goals from Leah Hannigan in the 26th minute turned the Allianz Corn Gobnait All-Ireland Junior final in favour of Coláiste Choilm, who collected their first ever title in the 50th final of the competition. Hannigan had already scored a goal after nine minutes when Emily McGrath took two defenders out with a hand-pass from a move on the right wing.
But Hannigan’s two goals ensured her side came out on top by 3-8 to 0-13 against St Patrick’s Maghera. It was a superb win for the school with their goalkeeper Tara O’Donoghue, being name Player of the Game.
In winning they became only the second Cork school to ever win this competition, St Mary’s, Charleville, being the other. In the O’Callaghan Cup final Rochestown College got off to the perfect start with Ronan Dooley grabbing their first goal after two minutes and a minute later he got their second, to make it 2-0 to no score.
From here they drove on to victory with impressive displays from the likes of Dooley, Liam Kelleher, Mark O’Brien and Charlie Lucas.
CBC recovered from the slow start but in the end Roco won by 2-15 to 2-9 after a top-class game of hurling.
Michael O’Mahony, chairman of Rebel Óg congratulated the two winners on their success and wished those facing exams in the next few weeks the best of luck.
He said to be only the second Cork school to win that particular All-Ireland competition was a major honour and one all involved with Coláiste Choilm should be proud of.
Michael said the same of Rochestown College, winning the O’Callaghan Cup is never easy and it was great to see the school win the title for the first time in a number of years.
Rory Noonan, on behalf of the judging panel, also congratulated both schools on their wins and said that success at schools’ level was vital to the future of both hurling and camogie for Cork inter-county sides.
To nominate a team, club or person for a monthly award email: probng.cork@gaa.ie stating who and why you are nominating them. All nominees are passed on to an independent judging panel.

The Rebel Óg monthly awards have returned for 2024 and the January winners are Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG An Mhainistir Thuaidh.
They recently won the Cork Colleges U16 A hurling championship, defeating Midleton CBS in the final by 2-14 to 3-9.
This was a huge win for the school as they took on a side that won the Münster U15 A championship last year and would have been considered favourites to win.
The corresponding AG team lost the first round of Münster U15 B to Glanmire Community College, so huge credit must go to all involved to turn that disappointment around.
At the start of this championship, no one expected Gaelcholáiste Mhuire an Mhainistir Thuaidh to reach the final let alone win the championship. But after an inspirational 14-point victory against Christians in the county semi-final, this team showed that it had a phenomenal spirit and work ethic.
Five of the starting AG team were U15 hurlers, all of Na Piarsaigh GAA – Jack O’Connor, Ruairí Quinlan, Jayden Cregan, Nathan Coffey, and Callum Coffey – all playing a year above their age, which made this feat even more impressive. These young U15s were supported by U16 stars such as Luke Hurley, Craig O’Sullivan, Ryan Cronin, and Evan McGuckin.
To beat Midleton CBS teachers and selectors of the AG team, Donagh Seartan, Tomás Ó Mainnín, Seamas Mac Amhlaioibh, and Éanna Ó Deasúnaigh, knew they would have to have a plan and execute it meticulously to have any chance of winning. It was a surprise to many when they came out on top, winning only a second A grade hurling title for the gaelcholáiste since 2002.
The outpouring of emotions and celebrations spoke volumes of the victory.
Vice-chairman of Rebel Óg, Peter Watson, congratulated the school on their win and wished them the best for the coming season, both with their school and clubs.
Nominations for the monthly award can be sent to probng.cork@gaa.ie stating why they are being nominated and by whom. All nominations are considered by an independent judging panel whose decision is final.

Please note that all Feile games planned for this weekend are now postponed. New fixture dates to follow.

GAMES OFF: All Rebel Óg games scheduled for tonight, Monday,  have been postponed due to the weather.

POSTPONED: Rebel Óg are postponing all games this Friday, Saturday and Sunday due to the wet and hazardous conditions forecast and for the safety of all, due to the storm warnings issued by Met Eireann. The refixing of these games will be discussed at a later date.

Link to the calendar for the 2024 season so clubs have an idea when games are on.

Please note these are subject to change by  the CCC

 

Calendar for clubs for 2024 season

If you want to follow the draws tonight download document here to fill in as you go along.

 

Championship draws 2024

Rebel Og, the heartbeat of youth GAA in Cork, is all set to kickstart the anticipation for the upcoming season with their highly anticipated championship draw.

The draws are set to take place on Thursday, February 8th, at 7pm, this event promises to set the stage for an exhilarating season of hurling and football competitions across various age groups and regions.

 

Rebel Og will live-streaming the event. Catch the draw live on both the Cork GAA website and Rebel Og site. Additionally, the draw will be streamed on various social media platforms for maximum accessibility.

The championship draw will encompass

  • U14 Hurling and Football
  • U16 Hurling and Football
  • Minor Hurling and Football

Competitions from the following regions will be included:

  • Rebel Og Premier
  • Rebel Og East
  • Rebel Og North
  • Rebel Og Mid
  • Rebel Og West

Watch the draw below