Late goal ends Gabriel’s Collins Cup campaign

St Gabriel’s bowed out of the Jim Collins Cup after a hard-fought semi-final against Brothers Pearse at East Lane, with Brothers Pearse edging the tie on a final scoreline of 2-14 to 3-8.

There was little to separate the sides in the opening half, and they went in level at the interval, St Gabriel’s 1-04 to Brothers Pearse’s 0-07.

Gabriel’s appeared to have taken a firm grip on proceedings during the third quarter when two goals in quick succession from Sean Glynn put them in a commanding position. However, Brothers Pearse refused to go away and finished strongly, with a late surge proving decisive as they snatched the win in a dramatic finale.

While the result will be a disappointing one for Gabriel’s, particularly against close rivals, there was plenty to take from the performance. The back-to-back County Champions of 2024 and 2025 were without several of last year’s County final starting fifteen, while a number of intermediate players stepped up and made valuable contributions on the evening.

There were also encouraging debuts, with Jeff Keane of Naas, Kildare; Alan Dunphy of Lisdowney, Kilkenny; Sean Comerford of James Stephens, Kilkenny; Eoin Magee of Portaferry, Down; and Eamonn Hickey of Kilconieron, Galway all making impressive first appearances for the club.

Brothers Pearse now advance to meet Sean Treacys in this year’s Collins Cup final.

For St Gabriel’s, attention now turns to the league campaign, with the broader picture positive. With close to ten senior players expected to return in the weeks ahead, Neil Rogers and his management team will have plenty to work with as the squad regroups and builds towards the league and championship campaigns.