St Nicholas GFC continued their promising start to the season with a well-earned victory over Sean McDermotts in Round 2 of the Kevin Mullen Shield in Darver. Once again it was the club’s younger players who impressed, with Ross Brady delivering a Man of the Match performance.

Playing with a strong breeze in the opening half, the Nicks settled quickly into the game. Conditions in Darver were otherwise perfect, and Hayden Quinn opened the scoring with a well-taken free to get St Nicholas off the mark. The Nicks built momentum from there, adding five further points before the Sean’s registered their first score.

Excellent scores from Leo Quinn, Con and Cian Flynn helped St Nicholas establish control during the half. Sean McDermotts did create a number of opportunities but several of their efforts dropped short into the safe hands of Alex Finnegan in the Nicks’ goal. While the Nicks could perhaps have been further ahead, a few missed chances and half opportunities in front of goal kept the margin tighter than it might have been.

St Nicholas finished the half strongly with additional points from Senan Meagher and Ross Brady, sending the Nicks into the break with a deserved 9–3 lead.

The second half saw both teams trade scores for long periods, but the Nicks maintained a comfortable cushion of around six points throughout. Further scores from Cian Flynn and Fionn helped keep St Nicholas firmly in control.

The game became a little heated in the closing stages, with both sides reduced to fourteen men after both teams had a man sent off with around ten minutes remaining. Despite the brief flare-up, the result was never seriously in doubt as the Nicks saw out the game winning with a score line of 15 points to 9.

While not their most fluent performance, it was another positive result for St Nicholas GFC and further encouragement from a young group continuing to make their mark early in the season.

St Nicholas GFC Team:
Alex Finnegan
Stephen Finegan
Brian Carter
Senan Meagher (0-1)
Aaron Flanagan
Ruairi Hanlon
Dylan Brogan
Philip Kirwan
Cian Flynn (0-3)
Leo Quinn (0-1)
Hayden Quinn (0-3)
Con Sheehan (0-3)
Josh Byrne
Fionn Meagher (0-3)
Ross Brady (0-1)
Subs:
Barry Woods for Dylan Brogan
Sean Lynch for Josh Byrne
Lee Kavanagh for Leo Quinn
Dylan Maguire for Philip Kirwan