PREVIEW: Go-Ahead Senior 3 Hurling Final- Naomh Mearnóg v Raheny

Thu, 26th October 2023

By Conor Martin

Naomh Mearnóg v Raheny, Saturday 28^th October 2023, O’Toole Park, 3:45pm

Naomh Mearnóg and Raheny feature at O’Toole Park in the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 3 Hurling Championship Final on Saturday afternoon.

Get match tickets here.

These two have already met in this year’s Championship, as they finished in the top two places in Group 2, with Naomh Mearnóg winning the group and heading straight into the semi-finals on the head-to-head rule.

Naomh Mearnóg will know how they can beat Raheny, after coming out on top in the first round of the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 3 Hurling Championship in July. They won by a comfortable eight-point margin that day, but couldn’t repeat their good performance in their second Championship outing as they lost to Na Fianna in their second match.

However, they would bounce back with a win against O’Tooles before wrapping up Group 2 with a 14-point thrashing of Scoil Uí Chonaill.

Na Fianna would be next as they faced the Mobhi Rd side again in the semi final. A Diarmuid Keevey goal got Naomh Mearnóg motoring as they opened up a five-point lead before they let Na Fianna back into the game. Shane Kavanagh and Liam Mullins were there to provide vital scores when required to see the Portmarnock club into the final.

Raheny missed out on the top spot as a result of their defeat against Naomh Mearnóg, despite Rahney having the superior points difference.

They took out their frustration of being beaten in their opening game as they thrashed O’Tooles 4-17 to 0-7. They followed that win up with a 20-point win over Scoil Uí Chonaill before comfortably beating Na Fianna.

Their dominant displays continued in a 1-21 to 1-8 win over Cuala in the quarter-finals. Liam Dunne shot the lights out at St Anne’s Park, as he amassed 12 points as Raheny progressed.

The semi-final against Erins Isle would be a far tighter affair, as Raheny edged the Finglas club by four. Dunne would shine as he scored a superb hat-trick on the way to hitting an outstanding 3-12.

Raheny Goalkeeper Ryan Coyne and defender Charlie McHugh also made important interventions to ensure Raheny sealed their spot in the final and promotion to the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 2 Hurling Championship.

With both teams looking forward to playing in the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 2 Hurling Championship next year, Saturday’s final is the perfect opportunity to end 2023 on a high and carry some momentum into 2024.

It remains to be seen if Raheny playing an extra match compared to Naomh Mearnóg will be a major factor this Saturday. Regardless of that, there’s no doubt it’ll be an entertaining clash to end the 2023 Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 3 Hurling Championship.

Path to Final:

Naomh Mearnóg:

Round 1: Naomh Mearnóg 1-15 (18) - 0-10 (10) Raheny

Round 2: Naomh Mearnóg 1-12 (15) - 2-16 (22) Na Fianna

Round 3: Naomh Mearnóg 1-24 (27) - 2-11 (17) O’Tooles

Round 4: Naomh Mearnóg – Bye

Round 5: Naomh Mearnóg 1-22 (25) - 0-11 (11) Scoil Uí Chonaill.

Semi - Final: Naomh Mearnóg 1-16 (19) – 1-14 (17) Na Fianna

Raheny:

Round 1: Raheny 0-10 (10) - 1-15 (18) Naomh Mearnóg

Round 2: Raheny 4-17 (29) - 0-7 (7) O’Tooles

Round 3: Raheny - Bye