Kerins O'Rahillys secured our first win of the County League and a vital two points in Strand Road this afternoon, overcoming Beaufort in a hard-fought contest. Ahead of throw-in, there were a couple of late changes to the starting fifteen, with Gearoid Savage stepping in for Barry John Keane, and Conor O'Sullivan replacing Jake Hoare. Beaufort also shuffled their deck significantly, making six changes to their named team.

The Blues started brightly. Conor Hayes opened our account from play, followed by a Gearoid Savage free. Beaufort responded, but Darragh O'Connor soon found his range, nailing a two-pointer from play to give us an early cushion. Ben Hanafin added his name to the scoresheet after some smart work around the middle.

While the inside forward line had looked sharp early on, they were seeing limited possession as the half wore on with Beaufort growing into the game. The visitors stayed in touch through Fergal Hallissey frees and a two-pointer of their own. 

Playing with the breeze, Strand Road produced a late flurry seeking a lead to take into the interval. First, Ben Hanafin managed to set up Darragh for another two-pointer to put us two to the good. Moments later Conor Hayes almost had the home fans in raptures after jinking beautifully through the Beaufort defense, only to see his shot cannon off the base of the post and away to safety. Good pressure around the middle led to a turnover and a free which Darragh converted, leaving us with our noses in front on a scoreline of Kerins O'Rahillys 0-9 to Beaufort 0-7 at the short whistle.

The second half began as a scrappy affair. Both sides traded turnovers and Beaufort’s Darragh O'Connor capitalized with an early point from play.

A strong midfield partnership was developing between Tom Hoare & Ben O’Brien, and this was to prove telling as we began to turn the screw in the third quarter. A long spell of possession in the 42nd minute concluded when a smart ball from Daniel Bowler found Darragh for a well-worked score. 

Shortly thereafter the crucial score of the game materialised. A hard-won turnover by Gearoid Savage saw the ball worked to Ben Hanafin, whose direct running had been causing headaches for the Beaufort rearguard throughout. He was able to find Darragh close to goal, whose precise pass across the square was palmed to the net by Conor Hayes.

That gave the home side a cushion they would never look in danger of relinquishing. While Beaufort battled gamely, crucial turnovers from Donagh Buckley & Jake Foley snuffed out a couple of key attacks. 

With Ben & Tom continuing to secure the lion’s share of possession for the Narries, we built patiently in the closing stages, recycling the ball effectively through Shane McElligott, Barry John & Gearoid Dillane. Indeed, the home side would finish the stronger, with a free from Darragh and two points from play by Conor closing out the scoring. 

A fine second half performance on a fine day for football in Strand Road and a real sense that the season is off and running. 

Scorers for Kerins O'Rahillys: Conor Hayes 1-4, Darragh O'Connor 0-7 (2tp, 2f), Gearoid Savage 0-1 (1f), Ben Hanafin 0-1.

Kerins O'Rahillys: Con Barrett; Seamus Cahill, Donagh Buckley, Jake Foley; Gearoid Dillane, TJ Heaphy, Daniel Bowler; Tom Hoare, Ben O'Brien; Ben Hanafin, Gearoid Savage, Shane McElligott; Conor O'Sullivan, Conor Hayes, Daragh O'Connor.

Subs Used: Barry John Keane, Jake Hoare

Beaufort: Jason Foley; Mikey O'Shea, Ethan Coffey, Jeremiah O'Sullivan; Josh Coffey, Nathan Breen, Fergal Hallissey; Eoin Kissane, Adam Neary; Darragh O'Connor, Darragh Coffey, Fionn Kennedy; Kevin Coffey, Eoin O'Hagan, Rory Breen.