Rathleague Portlaoise was the venue for the John West Regional Féile 2022 as the Cill Óige U15 ladies journeyed to participate in the annual showpiece underage gaelic football occasion.
An early start ensued with Fingallians (Dublin ) providing first game opposition, an opening encounter which was swiftly followed by two games against Clara (Kilkenny ) and Glen Emmetts (Louth ).
With momentum being gained as the competition progressed, Cill Óige advanced to the Shield semi-final where they defeated Confey (Kildare ) and a place in the final fixture was secured.
With determination and focus paramount, Cill Oigé ladies now had their focus on competing in a Féile final and you could see the determination in the 19 players who took part and they did this with great team work and super scores.
At this stage of the competition, the use of bandages and freeze spray was commonplace amongst the squad, but no player was letting this team down and were willing to sacrifice the pain to get the required result.
Once again Glen Emmetts provided the opposition in the final fixture and playing with the wind in the first half Cill Óige were to the half time fore on a scoreling of 1-3 to 0-3.
The team, who continuously worked cohesively over the duration of the contest, repelled Glen Emmetts at every attempt and when the final whistle blew victory was assured on a scoreline of 1-5 to 0-6, scenes of unbridled joy amongst management and players clearly evident.
Team captain, Emily Winters, raised the plaque, engulfed by her celebrating team mates in the process, marking yet another progressive chapter in Cill Óige’s short history.
Much appreciation is afforded to all the supporters and parents who travelled on the day and the wonderful management and mentors Joe Farrell, Paddy Henson, Joe Sheerin and Bernie Winters.
