U14 Boys Leinster League, Division 2, Final
Portarlington RFC travelled to MU Barnhall to face Monkstown in the Leinster League Division 2 Final — and what a stage it was. Two fiercely contested games earlier in the season had seen Monkstown hold the upper hand on both occasions, and today was always going to demand everything this group of young men had.
Conditions were perfect — sunshine, firm ground, and a fantastic travelling support from Portarlington who made the journey to cheer the lads on.
First Half
The opening exchanges had all the hallmarks of a cup final — a battle of wits, physicality, and discipline, with both sides producing excellent attacking play matched by equally organised defensive work. A brilliant start.
Monkstown broke the deadlock on 11 minutes with a well-worked try down the left side to lead 7–0. Port regrouped with purpose, contesting each scrum and lineout with real intent and growing in dominance at both set-pieces. Monkstown added a second try on 15 minutes, finishing a sharp backline move off a scrum, through the middle, to extend their lead to 14–0.
Port refused to panic. Gathering from the restart, they set a ruck and delivered a perfect ball to Tom Coen, who came onto it at pace from the Monkstown 22m. There was no stopping him — he crashed over for a try that gave Port and their supporters an immediate lift. 14–5.
The impact was instant. Captain Bradley Cooper collected from the restart, moved the ball across the backline into Monkstown territory, then looped back in on the right, took a high pass at full tilt, and drove his legs over the line for Port's second try on 18 minutes. 14–10. The crowd were electric. Port had turned the tide heading into the break.
Second Half
The second half resumed at the same intensity. Monkstown steadied and converted a penalty on 7 minutes to restore a seven-point cushion. 17–10. Port were under real pressure — but their defensive organisation held firm throughout.
Then came the moment. Eoin Connell seized a turnover ball, spotted the gap, and powered down the right side with outstanding support from the rest of the team to cross over and bring it to 17–15. Everything to play for.
Monkstown poured forward in the closing stages, pinning Port deep inside their own 22 for the final eight minutes. What followed was a defensive performance of the highest order — the boys held out three near-certain tries through exceptional tackling and sheer determination. In the end, Monkstown found a way over in the dying moments to seal the result at 22–15
Men of the Match: Tom Coen, Tadgh O'Connor, Eoin Connell, Sam Lyons
Brilliant Performances: Jack Turley, Jack McDonald, Sam Petriw, Sean Fitzpatrick, Pierce Milner
Special Mention: Oisín Geoghegan (Vice Captain) — a model of consistency and effort from first whistle to last.

Squad: Jack McDonald, Ciarán Moore, Harry Robinson, Finn Costello, Oisín Geoghegan, Tadgh O'Connor, Pierce Milner, Tom Coen, Jack Turley, Eoin Connell, Sam Lyons, Thoma McGrath, Sean Fitzpatrick, Sam Petriw, Tommy Walker, Michael Owens, Bradley Cooper, Mark Finlay, Aidan Scully, Arran Dunne, Michael McCallum, Sean Kiernan, Charlie Merriman.

An unbelievable performance from this group of young men in their first ever Final. Let that sink in — their first ever Final.
They travelled to face a side that had beaten them twice before, fell 14–0 down inside 15 minutes, and in that moment every single one of them made a choice. They chose to fight. They chose each other. And they clawed their way back to within two points of the most remarkable comeback game to date.
When Monkstown came at them in those final eight minutes — wave after wave, inside Port's own 22, the crowd willing them on — these young men held the line. Not once. Not twice. Three times they turned them away. Every tackle a statement. Every ruck a battle won.
They didn't get the result their courage deserved. But every parent, every sibling, every supporter who made that journey to MU Barnhall saw something that can't be measured in a scoreline — they saw their boys become a team. A real team.
To the parents and families: you have every reason to burst with pride for these boys. The values you've instilled in these young men showed in every single minute of that game — in how they all carried themselves when things got hard, in how they supported one another when it mattered most, and in how they walked off that pitch with their heads held high.
This group of players has an incredibly bright future ahead of them.
Today was not an ending — it was just the beginning.