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Rugby girls going from strength to strength

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5 years ago

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FLYING THE FLAG: Members of Killarney RFC girls' section proudly display the 20x20 flag at the club's grounds in Aghadoe.

It’s a case of onwards and upwards for Killarney RFC’s female players as the club have announced this week that they have signed up to the inspiring 20x20 initiative aimed at promoting and keeping girls and women in sport.

Coaches and players recently came together at their Aghadoe base to celebrate the announcement and also to unveil the new kit that will be worn by the girls during the forthcoming season.

Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, Minis (U6-U10) co-ordinator Liam Murphy says that the progress being made by the girls’ teams has already exceeded the club’s initial expectations.

“It really has come on leaps and bounds since 2018. That’s when Killarney RFC members came together to discuss and formulate a three-year plan to develop youth girls’ rugby, with the aim of fielding an U14 girls team by 2021.

“Thanks to the full backing of the club, as well as the enthusiasm of the players, parents and coaches, we now boast an U14, U16 and a fledgling U18 team.

“We are delighted to have support from Munster Rugby who regularly send coaches to us for training sessions.”

Numbers have grown exponentially over the course of the past two years and there are now over 60 girls aged five and up attending weekly sessions at the club’s wonderful facility at Aghadoe.

“It is truly amazing to see the progress being made in girls’ rugby right across the club,” Liam says. “This is especially fantastic given the fact that very few, if any, of the girls who are now playing rugby had any rugby experience to start with.”

The club’s commitment to promoting the girls’ side of things has been reaffirmed by signing up to the 20x20 charter and Liam says that Killarney RFC were “delighted” to do so.

“For us as a club, the 20x20 initiative is so important in encouraging girls to play sport and in particular rugby. With our girls’ section flourishing it is also vital for the girls to receive the recognition they deserve.

“These girls can be the role models for younger players coming through.”

The work being done behind the scenes across all underage male and female teams was acknowledged by Munster Rugby this past week when Killarney RFC won the prestigious Youth Section of the Year award.

 

If you have a daughter, a sister or a friend who may be interested in playing rugby, the club invites you pop along to training or reach out to any of the club’s co-ordinators. Training takes place every Wednesday evening at 6.30pm for the U14, U16 and U18 teams and on Saturdays from 10am for Minis (U6 to U10).

For further information contact Fiona Landers (U14) on 087 2304689, Anne Gabbett (U16-U18) on 086 3125722 or Liam Murphy (Minis) on 087 4145662.

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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4 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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4 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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