IN PICTURES: Steelstown snatch Féile Shield in one-point thriller

A full day of underage football took place at St Malachy’s Castledawson as eight teams from across the country competed in the John West Féile Peile na nÓg National Division 2.

The host club welcomed Carrickmore (Tyrone), Brian Óg’s Steelstown (Derry), Monaleen (Limerick), Ferbane/Belmont (Offaly), St Peter’s Dunboyne (Meath), St John’s (Antrim) and Ardara (Donegal) for a packed schedule of group and knockout fixtures.

The group stages were competitive throughout, with Monaleen emerging as one of the standout sides of the day, showing strong form on their way to the Cup final. Steelstown Brian Óg’s also impressed, carrying momentum into the latter stages after a solid set of group performances.

In the Shield competition, Ardara and Steelstown Brian Óg’s set up a tight final after both coming through their respective semi-finals. The decider was a close contest from start to finish, with Steelstown Brian Óg’s edging it by the narrowest of margins, winning the Shield Final by a single point after a hard-fought battle.

The Cup final brought together Monaleen and hosts St Malachy’s Castledawson in front of a strong home crowd. Despite Castledawson’s efforts and vocal support, Monaleen’s pace, structure and sharp finishing proved decisive as they pulled away in the second half to secure a well-deserved victory and claim the National Division 2 Cup title.

Overall, it was a well-run day in Castledawson with competitive games across all grades, finishing with Monaleen taking the Cup and Steelstown Brian Óg’s lifting the Shield after a very tight final.