Ryan Bannon's strike three minutes from time helped Monasterevin take the season's first bit of silverware on Sunday afternoon when they edged to a two-point win over Raheens in the Keogh Cup final. Both of these sides will have serious aspirations of making it to the latter stages of the Intermediate Championship this year, and Raheens were also aiming to defend their pre season title after winning this same competition last year.

The unrelenting rain began to come down about 30 minutes prior to throw-in, and though it cleared for about five minutes midway through the first half, it remained for most of the opening 30 minutes. That paved the way for an ultimately scrappy affair that was full of spilled balls and wayward foot passing as both teams struggled to get to grips with the conditions from the offset.

That probably had a factor in the opening score of the game - and the only goal of the first half - when Raheens' David Malone's long range shot was dropping some way short, but John Jennings followed the flight of the ball and palmed it to the back of Adam Forde's net. Monasterevin responded well to the initial setback as their chiefs marksman, Wayne Fitzpatrick, landed two scores from frees to settle them into the tie.

Monasterevin goalkeeper Adam Forde was a busy man during the opening quarter as he twice denied Raheens certain goals. His first intervention was to stop a low shot from Jennings, while he then parried a powerful effort from Paddy Woodgate a couple of minutes later to keep the opposition at bay. Woodgate expertly dispatched the resultant '45, but Padraig Nash responded well at the other end by knocking over a free.

John Jennings' first point of the afternoon in the 17th minute began a 10-minute spell where neither side managed to score as mistakes blotted the pattern of the tie, but a superb point from Monasterevin's Cormac Stapleton eventually had the umpire reaching for the white flag once more. Rory Donnelly replied with a tidy effort from a tight angle at the opposite end, and a score each from Woodgate and Fitzpatrick sent the sides in with Raheens leading 1-4 to 0-5 at the break.

The game really opened up in the second half as the weather conditions improved, and there was a real free-flowing element to proceedings for the next 30 minutes. Rory Donnelly kicked Raheens back into a three-point lead with a good strike from a free, but Monasterevin then enjoyed their best spell of the game as they reeled off four points in a row.

Fitzpatrick led the charge with a pointed free, before Stapleton and Nash both sent over their second scores of the day to level matters. A fine effort from the left wing courtesy of Fitzpatrick put the blues into the lead for the first time in the game with seven minutes gone in the second half, but it was Raheens who would get the next two scores of the game at a crucial time.

They did take the lead however, and this time they managed to hold onto it as Nash slotted over a free and Ryan Bannon landed a long range effort. Bannon then got on the end of a looping pass from Mark Kelly, and with Raheens' defenders over complicating matters, the wing-forward managed to toe-poke the ball to the back of Campbell's net.

Raheens poured forward in search of a late goal to give them some hope, but they met a staunch resistance from the Monasterevin defence and the best they could manage was a couple of pointed frees from Woodgate as the south Kildare club held on for the win.

Scorers for Raheens: J Jennings 1-1, P Woodgate 0-4(3f, 1'45), R Donnelly 0-3(2f), D Fitzpatrick 0-1f.

Scorers for Monasterevin: W Fitzpatrick 0-5(4f), R Bannon 1-1, P Nash 0-3(2f), C Stapleton 0-2.

Raheens

D Campbell; S Crowley, J O'Brien, C Conlon(J Lawler 35mins); C Malone(C Power 58mins), G Waters(A Campbell 52mins), J Earley; R Hannick, D Fitzpatrick; D Malone, A Igoe(M Waters 48mins), J Jennings; P Woodgate, R Donnelly, L Power(T Dore 42mins).

Monasterevin

A Forde(C McCabe ht); D Dunne, G Worrell, T Kennedy(K Dunne ht); P Kelly, J O'Toole, R Bannon; P Maloney, W Sharpe(S Kerins 57mins); M Kelly, R Heavey, C Stapleton; W Fitpatrick, C Dempsey(L Havens ht), P Nash.

14/03/2017 - Senior Ladies Division 4 - Raheens 3-11 Robert Emmetts 3-10

This was a wonderful game of free flowing football with conditions perfect and Tom Lawler Park in immaculate condition. Robert Emmetts dominated the early exchanges through the excellent Nicole Gorey and she pointed on 3 minutes to give Emmetts an early lead. Gorey continued to cause problems for Raheens with her surging runs through the middle and on 8 minutes she found the top corner of the net with a wonderful goal. Raheens did come into the game and were guilty of some wayward shooting but did eventually find their range with an Ellen Murphy point. Shortly afterwards, Raheens corner forward Sarah Fitzsimons was awarded a penalty and Murphy calmly despatched it to the net.  Both teams exchanged points on 20 and 21 minutes with Nicole Gorey for Emmetts and Ciana O’Brien for Raheens and indeed Gorey again on 27 and 28 minutes, however, Raheens responded well with points from Emma Kielty and Ciana O’Brien to leave the sides level at half time at 1-04 each.

The second half was even better than the first as both teams began to find their range. Raheens had early chances but were unable to convert while Aoife Kiernan and Nicole Gorey (2) put Emmetts 3 points clear. Raheens had 2 great goal chances but Alannah Keegan kept them at bay and after the second attempt, Emmetts broke down the field and struck with a wonderfully taken goal from Niamh Hodson. More misery was to follow for Raheens as Aoife Kiernan had a point blank shot saved wonderfully by Meghan Campbell but Kiernan was clever and followed up to palm the ball into the net. The game looked over but the Raheens women are made of stern stuff and reeled off 4 points from Ciana O’Brien, Aoife Morrisson, Ellen Murphy and Sarah Fitzsimons. Robert Emmetts responded with points from Shauna Eaton and Niamh Hodson but a goal on 52 minutes from Lucy O’Brien after a goal mouth scramble gave Raheens some real belief. The goal was quickly followed by pointed frees from Aoife Morrisson and Ellen Murphy which left 2 points between the sides. A late Emmetts point on 58 minutes from Megan Callan seem to seal victory but Ciana O’Brien responded for Raheens  with a 59^th minute point and with almost the last kick of the game from Sarah Fitzsimons, who launched a high hopeful ball with the hop deceiving the Robert Emmetts keeper to give them victory on the night. There was great celebrations afterwards as this was the first ever game for this team to win. Conratulations to all involved.