Encouraging signs for Carrigaline despite drop from Division 1 HL
Carrigaline’s David Drake lines up a shot on goal under pressure from Douglas goalkeeper Donal Maher during their Senior Hurling League clash this season. Picture: Chani Anderson
Despite suffering relegation, Carrigaline will take plenty of encouragement from their RedFM Division 1 Hurling League campaign.
The Carrigdhoun side entered the season on the back of a Division 2 league title success in 2024, though they couldn’t carry that momentum into the championship – falling short against Watergrasshill in the Premier Intermediate final.
That defeat ended hopes of a historic dual county title double, but with Eddie Murphy at the helm once more, Carrigaline approached 2025 with clear intent.
They managed just one win in Division 1, but what a win it was – a standout performance against Fr O’Neill’s. While results didn’t always fall their way, they were far from outclassed.
Draws with Carrigtwohill and Kanturk, along with narrow losses to Blackrock (three points) and Douglas (two), showed how competitive they remained in the top tier.
Player availability was a recurring challenge. Those absences played a role in defeats to both Douglas and Blackrock, and were particularly felt in their penultimate fixture – a heavy loss to St Finbarr’s.
After the win over Fr O’Neill’s, Murphy was quick to stress that his side were “learning” from competing in such a demanding division. If they can take those lessons into the championship, league results will quickly become irrelevant.
There were plenty of positives to take. Kevin Kavanagh was dominant in the air in that win over O’Neill’s and his absence was keenly felt in last year’s county final. Brian Kelleher once again led the scoring charts, finishing the league with 0-71 – 24 of which came from play.
When available, Kevin O’Reilly was a real threat, netting four goals. Éanna Desmond and Ciarán Kearney chipped in consistently, while defender Darragh King continued his upward trajectory.
Carrigaline also blooded new talent. Three minors from last year – Callum O’Farrell, Billy Cronin and Ian O’Donoghue – made the step up. Cronin lined out at corner-back against Kanturk and the Barrs. O’Donoghue scored a point on his only start, and O’Farrell featured regularly, contributing 0-4 across the campaign.
The PIHC is an incredibly competitive grade, and Carrigaline’s group will be a tricky one. They’ve got recently relegated Cloyne, Éire Óg and Ballymartle – but with the experience gained from Division 1 and a fully fit squad, they’ll back themselves to top the group and reach the semi-finals.
When fully fit they’ve got a very strong squad, with no shortage of young talent either. Patrick Mellett, Rhys McCarthy, Nathan O’Keeffe and Ronan Kelleher have all impressed at times throughout the league, and they’ve now added Cork footballer Brian O’Driscoll to the panel following his transfer from Bishopstown.
If they can stay healthy, Carrigaline will be a difficult side to beat – and are very capable of going one step further in this year’s championship.
Brian Kelleher 0-71 (0-45 f, 0-2 65), Éanna Desmond 1-16 (0-1 f), Kevin O'Reilly 4-3, Ciarán Kearney 1-11, David Drake 0-10, Rob O'Shea 1-7 (1-4 f), Ronan Kelleher 0-8, Rhys McCarthy 0-6, Harry Andrews 0-6 , Callum O'Farrell 0-4, Thomas Vaughan 0-3, Patrick Mellett 0-2, Kevin Kavanagh 0-2, Nathan O'Keeffe 0-1, Ian O'Donoghue 0-1, Dan Greene 0-1, Chris Vaughan 0-1, Finn O'Connell 0-1, Brian O'Driscoll 0-1.
Brian Kelleher, Éanna Desmond, David Drake, Rob O'Shea, Kevin O'Reilly, Ciarán Kearney, Rhys McCarthy, Ronan Kelleher, Callum O'Farrell, Harry Andrews, Thomas Vaughan, Patrick Mellett, Cian McCarthy, Darragh King, Steven Williamson, Dave Stack, Chris Vaughan, Sean Andrews, Dan Greene, Kevin Kavanagh, Nathan O'Keeffe, Ian O'Donoghue, Billy Cronin, Sean Buckley, Jamie Torpey, Denis McBarron, Liam Ahern, Cian O'Donovan, Jack McCarthy, Finn O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll.
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