Kildare minors take on champions Longford in Leinster opener
The 2025 Leinster Electric Ireland Minor (U17) Football Championship gets under way on Saturday when Kildare travel to last season's winners, Longford
The 2025 Leinster Electric Ireland Minor (U17) Football Championship gets under way on Saturday when Kildare travel to last season's winners, Longford, in Pearse Park, a game that throws in at 2pm.
Kildare are in Group B, along with Meath, Westmeath and Saturday's opponents Longford.
Niall Cronin is the minor manager this season, his fourth season, having led The Lilies to Leinster finals in 2022 and 2023, losing both to Dublin.
Last season Kildare lost to Dublin in the semi-final, a real heartbreaker a late Dublin goal undoing The Lilies. However they did regroup and became the first winners of the inaugural Paul McGirr Cup following a five point win over Cavan at Pairc Tailteann, Navan, it was certainly due reward all things considered for the boys in all-white.
Speaking to manager Cronin last week he said they have five from last year, after picking up a few injuries in 2024 brought in a couple of U16s; so five lads from last year, who were involved, two got game time, Ollie Dellar and Senan Gallagher, the others being Hugh Martin, Aaron Martin, Jamie Wall.
So a new group; new game, new rules and a tricky opening game against defending champions Longford on Saturday 29 March, in Longford.
A lot of players have been looked at as manager Cronin explains.
“In total there are players from fifteen clubs, we looked at 160 players in trials; the most of the four years we have been involved; very difficult; trial process extensive; some might say too extensive but we wanted to try and give everyone a fair crack at it; not a perfect system, but everyone got at least two or three outings.
“You try and see what is front of you; a vision of what it is going to look like and try and pick players accordingly; some lads of course were disappointed they did not make the cut but that, unfortunately is always the way.”
Some lads who did make previous panels, explained the Naas man, have now gone on to make the U20 panel, no big surprise there; the whole process is all about developing players, this is in fact a development squad for the future for U20 and senior teams he insisted.
With Kildare schools doing so well in various competition, Ardscoil Athy lads very unfortunate this year and Naas CBS (junior) boys are in the final this week, so it bodes well, even if the schools competitions are still operating under the old rules.
In preparation for the opening game on Saturday Kildare have played many games “including against Clare the same day the seniors played in the league, we have played teams at home along with many internal games, the more exposure they get the better, the heat of the championship will be different, they will have to adapt and adapt quickly” insisted Niall Cronin.
While there are 15 different clubs represented there are three senior clubs with none but as the manager said “the bigger clubs don't always necessarily come through but we have always had in my terms a good number of clubs involved and this is no different.
“I think the club model is very competitive. U16 and minors teams over the last number of years, always felt a number of teams could win Division 1, look at Division 2 and they could be competitive in Division 1; it is great; you see it in the senior set-up with junior and senior clubs represented; if the players are there they will come through.”
While the manager insisted that we all want to win but “we have had a very frustrating three years; no more so than last year but this is development, that was how Mick Gorman described it; developing players to step up to u20 and ultimately senior.”
Cronin admitted they “had a few tight calls, between a number of players and you have to think and say well, who of these is more likely to go on to U20 and senior, and while that certainly does not always be the right call it is nevertheless the call; that is how the calls have to be made” admitting it is very difficult from say 160 to 120; down to 80 and so on, but hopefully we have got it right.”
2025 minor panel: Aidan Maddock (Clane); Aidan McGrane (Naas); Aran Martin (Naas); Calum Keaveny (Athy); Charlie Cullen (Ellistown); Charlie Doran (Clane); Cillian Long (Naas); Cillian O’Donovan (Sarsfields); Conor McBrien (Ellistown); Daniel Sargent (Eadestown); Daniel Shaw (St. Laurence’s); Eoghan Lyons (Clane); Eoin Markey (Kill); Hugh Kelly (Kill); Hugh Martin (Suncroft); Jack Reilly (Kill); Jamie Wall (Round Towers); Josh Finn (Kilcullen); Mark Travers (Naas); Max Rainbow (Sarsfields); Nathan Dunne (Naas); Niall Finnegan (Milltown); Niall McAndrew (Naas); Oisin Lynch (Leixlip); Ollie Deller (Round Towers); Pauric Carty (Rathangan); Rian Curran (Raheens); Robbie Millham (Naas); Rory Thompson (Raheens); Sean Gleeson (Round Towers); Senan Gallagher (St Laurence’s); TJ Donohue (Sarsfields); Turlough Donnelly (Kilcullen).
Manager: Niall Cronin
Backroom: Emmet O'Keefe, Paddy Beirne, Tom Moran, Liam Foley and Henry Barrett.