History Makers - Champions at Last! A tribute to our amazing Girls Gaelic Football Teams!

We did it! We finally did it! On October the 21st, 2025, this amazing group of girls created history by becoming the first Sruleen Gaelic Football Team EVER to go to a final in Croke Park and bring back the cup by defeating a tough and gallant St. Brigid's team! We have had plenty of great teams who have managed to reach the final in the past and we have also had some superb teams that have went to Croke Park and won the shield final but this is the first team that actually went all the way and won the cup!!

And honestly, I can't think of a more deserving group of girls. These girls didn't become this great team by accident. Sure, it was fairly obvious to me from way back when the current Sixths were in Third Class that this group had the potential to become our best ever team but these girls are so driven and have practiced so hard to become the great players they are today that it was so pleasing to witness them have their moment in the sun last week in Croker! And they have endured their fair share of heartbreak. Many of them were involved in that oh-so painful semi-final loss two years ago and of course, they were all so devastated after last year's final but they dusted themselves off and came back, stronger and more determined than ever! It just goes to show sometimes you have to lose in order to win and these girls have resilience in spades!

As for the final itself, it was a brilliant all-round team performance. St. Brigid's were a formidable team with some very strong players down the centre especially and players more than capable of soloing the pitch if you'd let them. But our girls were not to be denied. Our defense took everything that St. Brigid's had to throw at us and our forwards, just like they have had all year, had that extra bit of class to get the scores we needed to carry us to victory. Each and every player deserves a special mention for their special contribution to this special History-making team.

Incredibly, Amelia has been the goalkeeper of the Sruleen Girls Senior team for the last 3 years (she's been our number 1 since Fourth Class)!! The best compliment that I can pay Amelia is that we never, ever have to worry about the goalkeeper position knowing that she is back there. She can deal with high balls, she can react to low balls, she always knows when to come out for short balls and we know her huge, straight kick outs are always gonna land past the midfield. Amelia just makes us all feel so safe! The players feel it too. The knowledge that there was such a great goalkeeper behind them did genuinely fill all the outfield players with confidence this year. There were times when Amelia didn't have all that much to do this year but she was always alert when called upon and made two crucial reaction saves with her feet that prevented St. Patrick's from getting back in that all-important semi-final. She is actually a fantastic outfield player too but to put it simply, she is our best ever goalkeeper and in my opinion, probably the best school's goalkeeper in the county!

Ria is a very busy girl indeed. She does dancing in her spare time. She is also very dedicated to her soccer training with her new club, St. Francis. She even does a bit of rapping on the side! But this year is probably the most eager I've ever seen her to play GAA and it certainly showed out there on the pitch! Ria is what you call a 'Big Game player' and as usual she saved her best performances of the year for the semi-final and final! Her tackling this year has been phenomenal (especially in the final in Croke Park - there was just no getting past her!). We needed that natural power and speed that Ria possesses back in the full backline too which was no better evidenced than in the semi-final when it looked a certainty that the St. Pat's forward was straight through on goal but Ria managed to catch her from way behind just in time to make that crucial interception! She always has such a positive attitude and by the way, that already hugely impressive school medal count of hers just keeps growing - and I'm sure she's hoping there will be more to come before her days at Sruleen come to an end! If she keeps piling up the medals, she could end up having the record for most successful ever Sruleen athlete - I wouldn't put it past her!

And now to our left corner back, Lucy (aka the Hoover)! To say Lucy made an impression on the people who came to watch the matches this year would be a huge understatement! Everyone was full of praise for Lucy and I regularly heard her name being put forward for 'Player of the Match'. And that's too right because some of her performances this year were actually literally PERFECT! Lucy is a 'GO FOR IT' sort of player! She attacks every ball that comes her way with 100% commitment and always makes the right decision when she gets it. If the handpass is on to someone in a better position, she will find it. If she is under pressure and needs to make an urgent clearance, she can do that too and off either foot (amazingly Lucy has been kicking off both feet pretty much from the get go since she joined Towers). Lucy is also such a fair but ultra-aggressive tackler and her quick reactions when it comes to being ready to pounce on a breaking ball is like that of a cat on a mouse! She's also made some incredibly brave blocks this year ....I mean, I could go on and on! Let's just say.... What a year! What a player! What a brilliant attitude! And let's keep working for next year, Lucy!!

When deciding on who would ultimately be the captain of this special group of players, it really was a difficult decision! There were so many strong candidates for the job but at the end of the day, it just felt like it had to be Molly. Molly was probably the first Towers player of the lot and she has always been a player to stand up and be counted on the biggest days - that's what being a captain is all about! Molly's style of leadership is very calm. Calm, but focused and confident. She always leads by example through her effort on the training pitch and on match days but when she spoke, her instructions were always clear and logical and the players always listened! As a player, there are a lot of reasons why Molly stands out so much on the football field. First of all, there's how she reads the game. She knows where opponents are going to kick it even before they know it themselves. Then there is the fact that she is completely two footed (never hesitates when on her left side, as the photos from Croke Park highlight). And finally, there's the 'Velco Hands'! When I think of Molly while remembering this history-making team, I'll always think of those breath-taking over head catches! She played another stormer in Croker last week but capped it off with one of her trademark overhead catches in the middle of a crowd of players - you couldn't have scripted a more fitting way for a footballer to finish their Sruleen career! What a player! What a captain! ALL TIME GREAT!

As for our superstar at right half back, Carly, she's one of those players that I've just always found really exciting to watch. She just has a spark about her out there - an 'I'm going to make something happen' kind of attitude! Carly is fast, flighty and feisty. She is a ball-winner - probably one of the best winners of primary possession on the whole team. She can jump up in a crowd and catch huge high balls securely onto her chest or snap up awkward balls bouncing towards her at full speed. And Carly is an All-Round player. She can literally play any position at a high level. She has even played midfield at one stage this year. She can run through defenders on a solo run, she's a very accurate shooter and she can run all day long too so really when I think of next year, I see Carly being a big, big player for us! But let's celebrate all the fantastic performances she produced for us this year and also thank her for all the cheerfulness and good vibes she brought to every training session!

And now we turn to the 'Queen of the Block' herself, our centre-half back warrior, Keeva. Let's just get this out of the way now. Keeva = ALL TIME GREAT! I cannot stress enough just how important Keeva has been to this team. She may not necessarily be the flashiest player but believe me, every player who plays with her and also against her knows exactly how good she is! Keeva holds and controls that centre back area. She is a thorn in the side of all centre forwards she marks but she is also so often the one who halts the dangerous solo runs of the opposing team's midfielders with her impeccably timed tackles. It happened over and over again in Croke Park last week and Keeva was a huge part of the reason St. Brigid's who were clearly a running team, just couldn't break through. But Keeva is also such a classy player on the ball. She has tremendous balance, is one of our best ever high catchers, is a confident, dynamic ball-carrier and kicks excellently off both feet. She even capped off her 'Player of the Match' performance in Croke Park last week with a brilliant point. Keeva is possibly the most well rounded sports woman in the whole school considering she is both a fantastic athlete, brilliant camóige player too and also a very talented soccer player so luckily we will get to see a lot more of her in a Sruleen jersey next term!

Leah, Leah, Leah! Leah is quite simply one of the most naturally talented Gaelic Footballers I have seen in this school for many a year now. Her technique off that lethal left foot of hers would actually remind you a little of Dublin star, Hannah Tyrell. Leah is also a seriously tough woman to stop on a solo run as she has both power and great close control but she is also very unselfish with possession and always looks to give the pass once she draws the player towards her. However, it is some of her breath-taking high catches that will stand out most in my memory of this campaign! Leah was extremely nervous before the semi-final and we were quite worried that she wouldn't be able to play to her potential on the day. But then what does Leah go and do? She produces a Player of the Match performance for the ages - she pretty much won every single ball that came her way!! She produced another fine performance in Croker, dominating her position once again and she really did seem to relish the opportunity to play on the biggest stage this time around! Leah is a gas character and one of the funniest girls on the team and I'm sure the girls will certainly be looking to Leah again come camoige season for both entertainment and outstanding camóige play. Any chance you can deliver both, Leah??

Lacey has been playing soccer, camóige and Gaelic Football at Senior Level for the school since Fourth Class so we she has always been a special talent but as great as she has been in recent years, I don't think anything could have prepared us for exactly how incredible Lacey was this year. Lacey was EVERYWHERE! She was making tackles in defence, catching kick outs at midfield both sides of the pitch, she was scoring goals, she was scoring points, she was creating goals and points, she was soloing the length of the pitch at times! She did it all and above all, she was DOMINANT! No opposing player could compete with her. There were times when I was watching Lacey this year that I thought 'Is Lacey actually one of the best Gaelic Footballers of her age in the county right now?!' The more I saw, the more she confirmed to me that she actually is! And of course, she played a stormer in Croke Park ,scoring 4 points from play, no less! I don't think there would be one person who has seen our matches this year that would disagree with the following statement : Lacey is the 2025 Sruleen Girls Senior Gaelic Football Team's 'PLAYER OF THE YEAR!' (The year History was made!)

And who was Lacey's partner in crime at midfield this year? Only 10 year old prodigy, Ciara! Ciara was even midfield on a team that made it to Croke Park last year so that gives you all an idea of the level she is operating at. Ciara is an outrageous talent! If Lacey was our box to box running midfielder this year, Ciara was very much the playmaker - the one who pulls the strings, as such. Not that Ciara didn't also run herself into the ground this year too but she just had a maturity about her game this year that was very noticeable. She read the game so well and always knew what positions to take up, she always had a great sense of when to take on a defense herself and when it was better to bring her teammates into play. Needless to say, there weren't too many Sruleen scores this year that Ciara wasn't involved in at some stage of the chain but perhaps the most memorable score of all was the goal she scored in Croke Park herself when she caught a ball in behind the St. Brigid's defence, took one quick bounce and then rifled it in to the back of the net in front of a raucous, exhilarated crowd of Sruleen fans - that is really is a dream moment , memory for life stuff! Though something tells me, Ciara will be eager to be making plenty more of those kind of memories and being the natural leader she is, she'll be even more determined to try and get back to Croker next year as......... captain!

Ella Mc was the baby of the group this year - it probably speaks to just how strong our panel was that we only had one Fourth Class player on it. ie Ella. Ella was the midfielder of the Girls Go Games last year and when you play midfield in the Go Games, that's generally a good indicator that you will be able to make the step up to Senior Level the following year! But Ella didn't just prove she was able to hold her own at Senior Level this year - she shone out there! Ella is strong, fast and fit (we're talking about our only Third Class cross country winner from last year after all!). She's also a brilliant ball winner and ball carrier - her soloing technique is darn near perfect and she managed to break the lines and solo through for great scores on a number of occasions this year. The older girls were all so impressed by Ella this year - they really rated and trusted her. I will say that there was one moment in a match down in Towers that showed her class : Ella got swarmed by a few defenders out by the sideline. She didn't have an immediate pass on so she soloed the ball backwards on about a 25 metre arced run before finally recognizing a pass was on - then she delivered what looked like a 20 metre fist pass to Heidi down the centre and I think it lead to a score. I remember thinking ' If she can do that in Fourth Class, what will she be able to do by the time she gets to Sixth Class'! Well done Ella on your historic achievement!

And here we are again - back into ATG territory as we move on to our leader and orchestrator of our lethal forward line, Vice-captain, Heidi! What a legend!! Sometimes when I watch Heidi play, I feel like I am playing the playstation and she is just making all the right decisions out there that I want her to make with my controller! What can I say? She is just such an intelligent and unselfish player. She knows when the right time to shoot is, when the right time to pass is and when the right time to create space with a solo run is. So much of our good attacking play revolves around Heidi. She was our top point scorer of the year for sure (and many of those points were absolute beauties) but I reckon about half the assists for Sruleen scores this year are directly attributable to Heidi. This was a great forward line this year but Heidi was the orchestrator - the one who made it tick through her ability to carry the ball and draw defenders (hence making space for others), her accuracy of passing and her vision. Heidi is a great role model to all the younger girls because she has worked so hard to become the brilliant player she is and it was just so pleasing to see her shine and play so well in Croke Park last week. We'll miss her but yeah, at least now I can declare that 'the Enforcer' has absolutely cemented her ATG status now after her performances of these past two months! (ALL TIME GREAT!!!)

I said on the blog last year that Mia was one of our most outstanding young talents - she was the Top Scorer on that Go Games team for a reason! The question was - was she going to be able to make the step up to Senior Level this time round? The answer - was it ever in doubt?! Mia is still very young for Fifth Class and was usually one of the smallest girls on the pitch in every match but what she lacked in size, she more than made up for with her bravery and skill. The reason we played her at half forward in that crowded middle third of the pitch is exactly because she is so great at winning the hard ball, the highball and the breaking ball. And then she is a little genius at maneuvering her way out of tight spaces, she is so elusive and difficult to dispossess on the solo run. She is also pretty accurate and contributed plenty of scores for us this year too. Mia can be very proud of her performance in Croke Park last week...as per usual, she got stuck in, played with no fear and won lots of primary possession on a tight, crowded pitch. Mia is just a great kid who always gives her very best out there and doesn't make a fuss. Oh and by the way, wait until you all see Mia come camoige season- she is going to be having defenders running scared!

Zofia is one of our few players on the team who doesn't play with Towers but she is has always been so dedicated to the training here in Sruleen and has made massive progress regarding her GAA skills. She is blessed with natural footballing talent and she produced some moments of real class this year! Against Clonburris she scored about 2 goals and 3 points and against Gaelscoil Clondalkin, she literally soloed the length of half the pitch before blasting it in the top corner for what would have to be a contender for goal of the year! And then of course, there was her crucial point in the final in Croke Park. She received a pass, knew the tackle was coming and in less than a second she set herself and hooked the ball over for one of the points of the day. Not many players have the skill and quick thinking to do that but Zofia does! She played really well in Croker... she was running up and down that field non-stop to the point where people must have thought she was playing a third midfielder role. She just wanted to be in the action and we love to see it! Zofia is a player that still has so much potential so even though she had a great two months of GAA, we hope that she keeps practicing because we really believe she can produce something special this time next year!

All great teams need their Match winners! Sadie at full forward is what you call a real Match Winner! The difference maker! Sadie was just 'different level' this year. She was an absolute goal machine! It was getting to the stage where you were nearly thinking 'there could be a goal on here' any time that Sadie got the ball into her hands. And she was scoring these goals against good teams too. She scored 4 against Gaelscoil Clondalkin, 2 against St. Patrick's in the semis and 2 more again in Croke Park (both absolute crackers). Sadie is deadly accurate and has scored plenty of great points this year too but once again, just like last year, Sadie has to be awarded with the score of the year. That first goal against St. Patrick's was pure class! She won the ball out near the sideline, gave her marker the slip and soloed the whole way in at full speed before rifling it to the roof of the net. She is just so naturally good at this game. She has the X factor - the ability to produce magic moments that most can't, the type of player that fans get excited about just because the ball is in her hand and they know what she is capable of! Soccer is still Sadie's first love and I'm sure she is already really excited about the school soccer season next term but all I'm going to say is that apparently there are rumours on the street that Round Towers are planning to make a 3 million euro bid for her for the upcoming 2026 season!

Speaking of soccer stars, what a class act Shamrock Rovers star, Lucy, has been up front for her us. When you think of players who are capable of filling a whole highlight reel with their own scores, you can't look too much further than Lucy. The point she scored from close to the sideline against Clonburris certainly stands out in my memory but it was those 3 clinical points in that tight first half of the semi-final that really showed Lucy's class. We were struggling to break down the St. Patrick's defence at the time but Lucy was presented with 3 chances (none of them easy) and she stuck all 3 over the bar - as cool as a cucumber! She hasn't played much GAA but she keeps showing new strings to her bow. In the final in Croker, she made a great catch from a long ball from Keeva only to then embark on a solo run right into the goals that nearly resulted in a score and when I saw that moment I was already having flashes of next year and Lucy perhaps becoming the new Sadie! :P Lucy is soccer-mad and really talented at that sport but we really appreciate how dedicated she was to this school GAA team because we knew the quality she was capable of bringing to the table and boy did she deliver in some really big moments this year!

Kylie has been an ever-present on the school GAA panel since way back in Fourth Class. She has always been a really whole-hearted player that will give you her best efforts regardless of whether she is asked to play as a forward or defender. However, something felt different about Kylie this year. She is just playing with so much more self-confidence these days and she is so hungry to compete and make an impact out there. And make an impact, she certainly did. In Croker, she was an absolute handful for the St. Brigid's defense never giving them a moment to breathe with her relentless tackling but they also weren't able to live with her speed. There was one ball in the second half where she was well behind and she was still able to get out ahead of her marker where I thought 'Wow, Kylie really needs to try out for the relay team next term...she has serious pace now'! Kyle has always been very versatile - in the final she was called on to be an attacker but then also to help the defense see out the game. Kylie also plays camóige for Towers but didn't play last year for the school. Well, we're all hoping she'll be playing this year because there is one final chance to try and make it to Croker and Kylie can certainly help us in that quest! One final stat regarding Kylie : In the space of just two years, Kylie has won Four Cumann na mBunscol Gaelic Football medals! She has two medals from the Go Games and Two Senior medals from Croke Park. So that's a pretty darn successful Sruleen career she has had - one that she can be very proud of and hopefully there is still more success to come!

Sophie was one of the most impressive players on last year's Go Games team so there was always a good chance she would be making the step up to Senior level this time around. Sophie is one of those players who just absolutely relishes being in the thick of the action. She's a battler so whatever position you assign to her, you can guarantee that she is going to be competitive in it. Her soloing is of a very high level these days, as is her catching on her chest and her shooting has also greatly improved. My favorite Sophie moment of the year was the cracking point she scored against St. Clare's. Above all, Sophie is just a true team player. She doesn't complain about who she is marking at training or what position she is in...she just gets on with it and competes hard! And she is a dual star too down in Towers, loves her camóige and will no doubt be eager to make her mark for Sruleen again come camóige season - I certainly was very impressed with her the last time I saw her play! Overall, I just have a feeling that the best is yet to come from Sophie and we're very excited to see how she develops and improves over the next year. I also want to mention Sophie's sister, Maia here. I did a little bit of Gaa with her a week or so ago and I am already fully convinced that she is a special talent so I'm hoping to one day hear that she too has joined her sister down in Towers because she is definitely one to watch for the future.

Sadie R was looking destined to have a great year playing Gaelic Football for the Senior Team this year. She was outstanding at full back as the Go Games captain last year and then this September, she played really well at the Clondalkin blitz. And then unfortunately, she had a bad accident at a party and suffered an injury that basically ended her Sruleen GAA campaign for 2025. It must have been devastating for her as I know how much she was looking forward to testing herself at Senior Level this year. She would have been a great addition to that team too. Sadie is a tough player and has a great, safe pair of hands. She's also very composed in possession and very rarely gives it away. We had her playing in defense to start the year but she is very accurate off that left foot so she could easily have ended up in the forwards too. Anyway, we will have to wait until next year to see the best of Sadie on the football and camóige field. But one thing that has to be said is that we certainly saw the best of her off the field of play. She has been so stoic during her injury and so supportive of her teammates. You can tell how much that support meant to the girls given how many of them ran over to herself and Ellie to hug them after the match! Hopefully, Sadie still enjoyed the experience of being with the team in Croke Park last week but one thing is for sure - Sadie's day to shine will come and she will be a crucial player to next year's GAA team - not to mention camóige!

And what about Isabella? Bella is another one of our dual stars (camóige and football) down in Towers and you can really see the improvements she keeps adding to her game. Bella's ball-striking is so consistently straight that it is quite striking to witness. She also really has this uncanny knack for positioning herself in the right place at the right moment and when she got her opportunity in that important group game against Gaelscoil, she didn't hesitate and let loose with a powerful shot that went straight and true and over the bar! Bella's importance to the school team cannot be overstated. The sheer enthusiasm she brings to every match and training session is infectious. She is always looking to pounce on a mistake from the opposition and is also a great girl to get an important block in too! Hopefully, Bella really enjoyed being involved with the Senior team this year but I also really hope that this experience inspires her to get lots of practicing done for camóige season so that she is fully ready for action and battle when the time comes!

And now we come to the Amazing Alisha! Alisha is a really fearless player who never holds back! If Alisha sees an opportunity to win the ball for her team, she will attack that ball with full commitment even she knew that she could get a hard knock in the process! She is just a brilliant winner of primary possession. And we have needed Alisha for her ball-winning skills and big clearances on plenty of occasions this year - she made some absolute crucial interceptions and clearances in Croke Park last week and seemed so thrilled with her contribution to the team. It is also worth mentioning that Alisha has excellent close control on the solo run too. Alisha always plays with a smile on her face, never complains and always has her teammate's back. When the final whistle blew last week, Alisha's first instinct was to run over to our injured players, Sadie and Ellie, to give them a big hug and it was a beautiful moment that I hope lives long in all the girls' memories!

And last but most certainly not least, we turn to Ellie K! I've always said this about Ellie K but she is as brave a player as you are ever likely to see on a GAA pitch! Ellie has made some important blocks this year and there's no better woman to power out of defense, breaking a number of tackles on the way! She may still be Under 10 but she has a lot of strength for her age! Unfortunately, Ellie got injured just two weeks before we made it to Croke Park and she couldn't play in the final. She must have been so disappointed but she came along, gave her full support to the girls and was smiling the whole day. That's what a true team player does! Ellie is also a dual star down in Towers and I know for a fact Ms. Reynolds was really impressed with her performances in camoige for Sruleen this year so hopefully, she will be as motivated as ever to practice her camoige skills over winter as we will need her at her best come the new camóige season!

We also had a superb year in the Girls Go Games competition as our super-talented girls finished third in a league of 6 teams! We have never before had this many young girls interested in playing GAA and the Go Games competition has given these younger girls a chance to showcase their talents that they would not otherwise have had in years gone past. And what exciting prospects these young girls are! Most of these girls are still very young so they will not be receiving as comprehensive a write-up as the Senior girls because there will be plenty to say about these great talents in the coming years but they still deserve a special mention for their achievements and efforts this year.

Where better to start than our Captain Fantastic, Marilyn! Marilyn only joined Towers less than a year ago and her progress has been absolutely rapid. Marilyn was solid as a rock all year, not letting anything past her in defense. She is tall and athletic and has the strength to shake off numerous tackles while driving up the field. Marilyn seemed to really relish the captain role this year. She lead by example admirably in this campaign and she is definitely going to be pushing for a place on the Senior team next year if she keeps up this level of progress!

Ivy has been a Towers star for a few years now but this has been her first full campaign of playing GAA for the school and wow, has she been impressive. She is like an energizer bunny out there - She just keeps going and going! She never stands still and is brilliant at maneuvering her way out of tight spaces, her catching is superb and she is really quick to react to breaking ball! I know Mr. Marrinan and Ms. Kearns have been very impressed with her performances this year and I can definitely see Ivy challenge for a spot on the Senior Team next year!  

Fourth Class star, Saibh, was a real powerhouse at midfield this year. She was absolutely outstanding in all her matches. She's a superb overhead catcher and is more than capable of running the length of the pitch on a solo run! And Saibh has no qualms about winning the hard ball either! Saibh loves her GAA and I can certainly see her featuring prominently at Senior level next year. She is also very skilled with a hurl so that can only surely spell good news for our camóige team! Also, I just want to give a shout out to Saibh's brother, Conor! Conor is a big Mayo fan and committed Towers player and I'm sure he is very proud of how his sister has played for Sruleen this year.

I've always thought there is huge Gaelic Footballing potential in our All Ireland Kick-boxing champion Georgia. She is so powerful, fast and brave and just loves to compete. The truth is that with a bit of training behind her, there's no doubt in my mind that Georgia would have been able to play at Senior level this year. However, she understandably couldn't commit due the fact that she has had to prioritize her kick-boxing (in which she is performing at an unbelievably high level!). However, we're really hoping she will be able to play next year because she certainly has so much to offer!

This was Esme's first year playing Go Games and honestly, I never realized that she even had much interest in GAA. BUT.......when I saw her out playing on the pitch this year, she actually reminded of a certain player : none other than the 2025 Senior Player of the Year , Lacey (Esme's sister). Esme looks like such a natural athlete out there. She has a great engine, is so fast and the best part about it is, she's getting stuck into the action. I really hope Esme commits to playing GAA with Towers because based on what I've seen this year, she could be a real weapon for Sruleen in future years!

If you can find any girl in the country that loves her GAA as much as Andrea, I'd be very impressed! Andrea missed the first few weeks of the season with a knee injury which must have been so frustrating for her but thankfully, she was able to compete for the whole 5 games of the Go Games competition. Andrea is a fantastic player who definitely knows how to find the back of the net! But she's also a very unselfish player and she provided a lot of assists for others to score this year. And the best thing about Andrea is that she is ambitious and is always practicing to improve and I've no doubt that she will be ready to make the step up to Senior Level next year!

Nadia was the warrior of the team this year! She is strong, brave and so tenacious with her tackling. She is also super fast! I'd love to see a Fourth Class sprint race between herself and Ella - that would be a close one. Also, Nadia dropped some fantastic news just before the Halloween break - she has recently joined Towers! Great news for us and great news for Towers and with that extra bit of training with Towers behind her, I believe Nadia will end up being one of the best players on the team come Sixth Class!

This was Tess's first year playing GAA for the school but she really seemed to enjoy competing in this Go Games competition. Tess is naturally athletic and is always full of running on the football field. Her catches have improved and her handpasses are very accurate. She also has a great instinct for being able to knock the ball out of an opponents hands when they are least expecting it. We're really hoping this experience inspires Tess to join her friends down in Towers and keep building on her progress.

There was a girl in Third Class playing midfield for Sruleen who was the talk of the tournament and that girl's name is Saoirse. Even at such an early age it seems obvious that Saoirse has all the attributes to be a superstar player : skill, work-rate, courage, speed and heart! She was incredible in all 5 matches and we are so lucky that we will be able to call on her services for 3 more whole years! Just remember the name - Super Saoirse!

Libby is also in Third Class and is a fairly new Towers recruit! Libby also had a brilliant debut campaign for Sruleen. Libby was our number 1 goalie this year and my goodness, did she make some brave saves and great catches this year! But what really stood out was the power she possesses behind those monster kick-outs - those kickouts were HUUUUUUUGEE!! She is also a very capable outfield player and really seems to have caught the GAA bug so Libby is always going to be getting better because she is always practicing! Well done Libby!

Even at this early stage, it's pretty obvious Sofia is going to be one of the 'Big Time' players for Sruleen over the next few years. She's strong and athletic but more importantly, she's already very skillful too. She's really great at her high catches in particular and she also scored a few cracking goals this year. Above all, I just love how enthusiastic Sofia is about this game! Sofia is one to watch out for, for sure!!

Speaking about players to watch out for, what about Zoe! Zoe has been an absolute goal machine in her first year playing GAA for the school. She's an absolutely clinical finisher and excellent ball striker. Zoe is one of our brightest prospects (in both Gaelic and Camóige) and she is a massive Dubs fan! There is no doubt that she must have been inspired by the Dublin ladies winning the All Ireland last year but Mr. Flynn did ask me to tell her that the only reason Dublin won was because Kerry weren't trying to win it this year!

Sienna has scary potential. She is so strong, so fast and so athletic. When Sienna runs at a team, she is so hard to stop - that turn of pace is frightening. She still needs to keep practicing her soloing at pace and her left foot but her confidence is certainly building and she's also working hard and tackling hard for the team so we think Sienna's future is very bright and honestly, the sky is the limit with regards to her potential!

Amy may not be our biggest girl, but what she lacks in size, she more than makes up for with fighting spirit. She spent a lot of the year in defense chasing and stopping much stronger girls trying to get through for goals against us. But no one gets by Amy easily, that's for sure! Amy is definitely one of the top catchers on this Go Games team - especially her catching on her chest and she made loads of great interceptions for us this year. Off the field, Amy loves a good joke but when she is on the field of play, she is all business and she certainly impressed in a Sruleen jersey this year!

Isla also had a fine year for the Go Games team this year. Her hand passing has been excellent but it's her catching that has improved the most these past two months. She is also getting much more power behind her kicks now so all in all it's great to see how she has progressed this year. You'd also be hard pressed to come across a more mannerly and respectful girl on and off the football field! Well done Isla and keep up the practicing! 

Millie is a football star for Rathcoole FC but she seemed to adapt effortlessly to her first ever Gaelic Football competition for the school. Just like her older sister, Ella-Fleur, she is strong, fast and athletic! Her best attributes are really suited to this sport and I just have a feeling that she is going to possess the most enormous kick of a football you will ever see at school girl level by the time she gets to Sixth Class! 

Robyn is yet another one of our Towers stars and she is one tough cookie! She can play in any position - she really excels in defence and she has even played in goals. Nothing gets past Robyn easily and she has a great ability to time her tackles to perfection. She has also made some great catches and clearances this year. Robyn has such a great attitude and the good news is that she also plays camóige down in Towers and boy, are we always happy to hear that here in Sruleen!

Lilli-Blu is a very exciting prospect indeed. She doesn't have a whole lot of GAA experience but she recently joined Towers and the speed at which she is improving is incredible. Lilli-Blu is a real battler! She doesn't wait for the game to come to her, she gets stuck in straight away - she loves nothing more than to be in the thick of the action. She is also fast and brave and has made some spectacular high catches over her head too. If Lilli-Blu sticks with Towers over the next few years, I reckon she is destined to be one of our best players by the time she gets to Sixth Class!

I bet a few months ago Rylie would have never thought that she'd have played 5 GAA matches for the school before the Halloween. Rylie's main passion up until now has been dancing but she has recently taken a keen interest in GAA and has started to really enjoy it - She even joined Towers. Rylie has bags of talent. She's a natural runner and she has a great pair of hands for catching too. Above all, she brings so much cheer and positive energy to the group and that cannot be underestimated. Hopefully, this experience inspires Rylie to keep working on her skills because she has fantastic potential!

And last but most certainly not least our top scorer of the year, Ava! She has only been playing for Towers for 6 weeks or so but Ava has amazing talent. Every time she gets the ball, you can feel a bit of a buzz in the air because she's capable of creating something special out of nothing! She's fast and both direct and elusive at the same time. She's also completely fearless and will never give up on her tackling duties. Ava just seems to love her GAA right now and if she stays motivated, there is superstar potential there for sure! 

So there you have it! As you can see we have so many girls enjoying GAA at school right now. Ms. Kearns, Mr. Marrinan and our Sna, Ros, have really enjoyed being the coaches of the Go Games team this year and have been genuinely blown away by the talent! As for next year's teams, we have so many girls who want to play now that it is going to be difficult to manage to accommodate everyone but we will try. Considering how young the Go Games team was this year, we really think that they will have a good chance to compete for the Go Games title next year. Just regarding the Go Games team, it is generally a team for Fourth and Fifth Class girls or boys. However, we have a rule that if a Third Class girl or boy is playing for a GAA club, they will also be allowed to try out for the Go Games team. We have this rule because the numbers interested are already so big and we feel like it is a great incentive for girls and boys to join their local GAA club. For example, when we brought this rule in last year, within the space of a couple of weeks three girls joined Towers and they are absolutely loving it down there now!

As for the Senior panel, the competition for places on the panel and starting team next year will be even hotter than it was this year! We might be losing some of our all time greats but we will still have a whopping 14 players from the current Senior panel staying with us next year and I'm sure there are plenty of the older girls on the current Go Games team who will be determined to make the step up who will also be more than good enough. But there will only probably be an extra 5 or 6 spots so players will have to work hard to earn one of those spots. And those on the current Senior starting team can't be resting on their laurels either. We will be starting from scratch again and the team will always be picked based on merit. So keep practicing everyone!

We will always try our best to accommodate all who want to play in school (whether with the Senior Team or the Go Games team) but given the numbers (particularly in girls GAA) , it might be difficult to give all the girls a satisfactory amount of game time here at the school going forward but it always a big consideration for us. This is why we encourage the girls to join Towers or another GAA club if they are really interested in playing GAA because Towers can field numerous teams and their GAA season lasts much longer than it does here in the school.

Mr. Kelly was extremely proud of all our girls and boys who took part in the GAA season this year. He is very passionate about the promotion of sport in our school and couldn't have been more pleased for the girls after their historic triumph - he has been waiting for a day like that for the school for a long time! As for the girls Senior team, Ms.Molony has been a massive help this year

and the girls really enjoyed having her as their coach. She loves her GAA and was so delighted to see the girls lifting the cup this year. Ms. O'Donovan has always been involved in the coaching of the girls teams over the years too but couldn't be a part of it this year due to her maternity leave but she was there to see their big win in Croke Park last week and the rumours are that she shed more than a tear for the girls!

We also want to thank all the parents and grandparents who have been so supportive of all the boys and girls all throughout the campaign. We always had more than enough volunteers to provide lifts to the away matches. We want to assure you that these sacrifices do not go unnoticed. We also have to thank the Fitzsimons family for their generous donation to the buses for Croke Park, all the families involved in organizing the pizza party and a special thanks to Louise, Breda and Kim for feeding the kids on the day and a big thanks to Frank Costello for his donation towards school sports! If anyone is wondering who made that incredible placard at the front of the school, the Lennon family are responsible for that! We also have to thank the LGFA , the Maldron Hotel and Wayne Gaynor from R'n'R cleaning for sponsoring our jerseys and the Fitzsimons and Kenny families for sponsoring the team jackets and bags respectively. I apologize in advance if I have missed out on any person who has made a contribution or donation that I am not aware of. Above all, it has been great to see so many people come out and support the girls and boys this year and long may it continue!

We also have to thank all the Sruleen children who came out to support us in Croke Park and we are particularly impressed by the fantastic posters of support. There is amazing artistic talent in this school, for sure. We also should give a special mention to last year's Sixth Class girls (now First years) who all came out to support our girls in the final and were so happy for the girls. Those girls played a huge role in the current group's development , shared some amazing experiences with them (not sure that last year's semi-final nailbiter will ever be topped) and fully deserve to share in this year's team's success too.

We also want to take a moment to thank the volunteers at CnmB who do a mountain of work that goes unnoticed behind the scenes to make these amazing CnmB competitions possible. Our own Mr. Stevenson knows all about it for the Santry Athletics. It's not easy work and it should not go unappreciated!

We also want to thank Matthew Lysaught for his incredible photos of the action in Croke Park last week. Some of the shots he took are absolutely frame-worthy and you can all take a look here : https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/YdciwsAVALED9gfVkJHO0WgxplxFINcbag1kkaP7PhJ

The other link shows the official photos taken for the CnmB website on their flickr section : https://www.flickr.com/photos/cnmb_ath_cliath/albums/72177720329862190/

Finally, we once again want to thank St. Brigid's for such a sporting final and to congratulate the school on reaching the final in Croke Park for the Second Year in a row. We also want to pass on our congratulations to our neighbours, Gaelscoil na Camoige who also reached the final of their respective CnmB competition. They lost on the day but by all accounts played really well. They have some truly outstanding players and a lot of our girls are teammates with them down in Towers so it looks like Towers are going to have some very strong girls teams going forward. Indeed, I remember playing Gaelscoil na Camóige in a challenge match many years ago when they were all only in Second and Third Class. Who would have thought then that they'd all be playing in Croke Park on the same day many years later! Great to see so many local girls doing so well!

Happy Halloween everyone!!