NERL in big Kennedy Cup decider

Shane Barrett

The NERL Academy 2010 Boys today (Friday) will play in the 2024 SFAI Kennedy Cup final , becoming the first team from the NERL (formerly the NECSL) to progress this far in the competition.

They will play South Belfast at 3pm in University Limerick.

In the group stages the NERL Academy finished top of their group to progress to the main Kennedy Cup competition - a reward for all the teams who finish top of their respective groups.

This was a difficult task, as the NERL were third seeds, competing against Donegal (first seed) and Carlow (second seed).

However, the NERL Academy 2010 Boys blitzed all in front of them in the group stages, beating Carlow 4-0 and Donegal 5-0. Then in the penultimate game of the group stage the powerful NERL side also defeated Inishowen 5-0, which set them up for a quarter-final showdown with Cork.

The NERL, who were dominant throughout the game, missed a penalty in normal time, however they not to be denied a place in the semis, beating Cork 4-3 on penalties.

With Galway awaiting them in the semi-final, another tough opponent was awaiting the NERL. After beating the DDSL in their quarter-final, some might have imagined that the stage was set for a strong Galway team to progress to the final.

This wasn't to be the case, as from the first to the last minute, the NERL controlled the game and the bulk of the chances fell their way, Dara Loughran coming up with the all-important header to deservedly send the NERL Academy 2010 Boys into the Kennedy Cup final.

The NERL Academy have scored 15 goals and conceded none, which is a phenomenal achievement so far in such a competitive tournament.

* Today's final between the NERL and South Belfast in Limerick is live on SFAI TV (YouTube)

NERL Academy Squad:

Aaron McQuaid

Ben Doyle

Conor Farrelly

Conor Hassett

Conor Rispin

Craig Foley

Daire Geraghty

Dara Loughran

Darragh Reilly-branigan

Finn McCormack

Gearóid Hannigan

George Golds

Liam Fagan

Luke Lynagh

Mohamed Jaafar

Oran Conneely

Sean Clarke

Shane Bonar

Teniola Odusanya-Smith

Jacub Kowalewska

Head-Coach: Mark Jacob

Assistant Coaches: Alan Oakes, Gerard Haughton, JP Owens