Killavullen’s League quest scunnered by home defeat
June 22, 2026
In the penultimate game in the Red FM Cork County Division 6 league, and our last game at home, Killavullen were simply too wasteful and amassed too many wides in our game on Saturday against Kinsale. With two similar jerseys as their home kit, Killavullen wore their away kit of Red and Blue.
Kinsale had the opening point of the game, before Killavullen quickly equalised and then took the lead with a sharp goal from Colm Hannon in the 8th minute of the game, set up by a strong run from Jamie Magner. Kinsale regrouped though, and in their centre forward, they had the dominant player of the opening half and had the lead back down to a single point, by the 11th minute after two quick fire points. Killavullen stretched out the lead again, with a Jamie Magner free, only for Kinsale to go into the lead after scoring a fine goal. Killavullen were rocked when our sea-sided opponents hit us for another goal, inside the same minute to take a decisive lead, of four points. Killavullen hit back with an exquisite point from Niall Feaheny but Kinsale proved that they had not made the long journey into scenic North Cork in vain by rattling off a succession of points from range, to bring their tally at the short whistle to 2-07 as against a meagre 1-05 of us, in a largely forgettable half, with to many ball handling errors and a plethora of wides.
Killavullen rejigged their team formation during the interval, and moved Darragh O Grady, from midfield to full forward in an effort to get back into the game. Lacking a number of prominent players, due to injuries and holidays, the changes worked the oracle and gave us much more of a threat in our forward division. It did not have an immediate effect though, as Kinsale pushed out the lead further with two more unanswered points before Darragh use his strength and ability to strike confidently from his left and right, to rattle off a series of points, that dragged us back into the game. Indeed, by the 16th minute of the half, the seven point lead of Kinsale had been whittled away and we had a drawn game, and Killavullen looked to be in the ascendancy. We pushed that lead out to 3 points, by the 20th with points from Eddie Cotter, Niall Feaheny and Jamie again, but we were erratic in our shooting, from dead ball and from open play situations, and by the end of the hour, we had amassed a total of 21 wides, which is far too many to be productive. Kinsale got a point back but we answered that back from Jamie from a free, and we had the lead out to 4 points in the 26th minute.
A misunderstanding in our defence in the 29th kept a ball in play that was going wide, and back in play now, it was finished to the net by the Kinsale full forward. It proved to be a costly mistake because it was Kinsale who equalised from another long range score and ultimately won the game from an unlikely position with another point from range, in the 31st minute. Killavullen tried hard but were thwarted in their endeavours to equalise and went down by that single point at the end of the game. For Killavullen, Kian Lane, Darragh O Grady and Niall Feaheny exceled with fines games also from Pa Angland and Conor Griffin. We just had too many wides, over the course of the game, and that will need to be improved.
Killavullen play Aghada in the final game of the league, on Sunday, the 28th of June at 11.30 AM in Aghada. Even a win in Aghada would hardly be sufficient to get into the league final now, as Sarsfields must play Kinsale and could over take the second position in the league. Strange things happen, as Kinsale proved on Saturday, when a team is fighting for survival in the grade, their commitment is total.
The team and scores were:
- Charlie Cremin
- Fionn Magner
- Pa Angland
- Kian Lane
- Brian Cotter
- Seamus Fox
- Conor Griffin
- Darragh O Grady (0-06, 0-01F)
- Eoin Birchill
- Eddie Cotter (0-03)
- Finn Killion
- Niall Feaheny (0-03)
- Colm Hannon (1-01)
- Jamie Magner (0-04) (0-3F)
- Mickey O Connor (0-01)
Substitutes
- Mike Walsh for Finn Killion
Killavullen GAA effected a shop from the red container, behind the goals, and this venture was popular with those in attendance. Thanks to Dominck Lynch, Sarah O Farrell and Marion O Regan for reestablishing this nice little undertaking, as much a social gathering as a money-making exercise.