The first competitive outing for the amalgamation of Naomh Eoin, O'Curry's & St Senan's Kilkee was the recent visit of Corofin to Pairc Eoin, Cross for round 1 of the u16A Championship. The teams met in the knock-out stages of our successful run in the u14B grade in 2014, and it went to a replay, after extra-time couldn't separate the teams on that occasion, before our lads prevailed. We knew that Corofin had a good winter's work done and that this would be a tough opening encounter.

Corofin started with the breeze and opened the scoring with two Gearoid Cahill frees on 5 & 10 mins. He added his first from play on 17 mins, and another free a minute later. A quickly taken line ball delivered long to Cahill set up the opening goal when he fed corner forward Enda Collins who slotted home. NaomhEoin/O'Curry's/Kilkee countered, breaking well when a Corofin free was intercepted and Paul Keating rifled home our first score with a fine goal with the half almost up. A pointed free from Thomas Clancy made it 1:4 to 1:1 at the break in favour of the visitors, and having played against the elements, we were fortunate to be within a score of them at that stage.
Cahill was again on the scoreboard for Corofin ten minutes into the second period, when he took on and beat a couple of opponents before blasting past Alex Harvey. Seamus Keane replied with a point from play, before Corofin looked to be secure for the win, when Declan Brennan forced home a rebound after Alex had made a good save, one of a number he made throughout the afternoon.
Cahill added a point before Thomas Clancy's point from play was cancelled by a like score from Corofin midfielder Kevin Keane. A free from Clancy and another from play by Seamus Keane reduced the arrears, and as the game entered the last few minutes, our midfielder Mark McQuaid burst through a crowded defence and shot low to the net to reduce the margin to four points. Another Cahill free extended it to five again before Clancy's late effort flew just over, leaving Corofin deserving winners on a 3:7 to 2:6 scoreline.
Corofin: Eoin Fitzgerald, Niall Hegarty, Padraic Cleary, Eoin Burke, Cathal O'Brien, Sean O'Brien, Darragh Power, Sean Danagher, Kevin Keane, Cian O'Loughlin, Gearoid Cahill, Ethan Neylon, Enda Collins, Declan Brennan, Joshua Ryan. Subs Adrian Shannon, Oliver Malone, Gavin Cosgrove, Gearoid Hanrahan.
NaomhEoin/O'Curry's/Kilkee: Alex Harvey, Tomas Bonfil, Eoin Lynch, Jack Hogan, Darragh Lynch, Alex Muldoon, Cormac Keating, Mark McQuaid, Thomas Clancy, Jack McNamara, Seamus Keane, James DeLoughrey, Colin Troy, Paul Keating, Shane Browne. Subs: Sean Keane, Cillian Hassett, Darragh Keane.