Castlemagner extended their reign in the Ashgrove Renewables Duhallow Junior A Football Championship with a commanding ten-point victory over Knocknagree on Sunday in windy and rainy Lismire. Despite the challenging conditions, the defending champions set the pace with an early surge, scoring two crucial first-half goals to establish a strong lead and secure a well-deserved win.

From the first whistle, Castlemagner displayed confidence and accuracy, with Conor O’Sullivan opening the scoring with two quick points. Knocknagree’s second team took time to find their rhythm, getting on the board in the 12th minute with a point from Daniel Murphy. Castlemagner’s dominance was further cemented in the 20th minute when, after Knocknagree goalkeeper Damien Browne saved Tadhg Fitzmaurice’s shot, Conor Murphy quickly followed up to flick the rebound into the net. Shortly afterward, a shot from Danny Linehan that seemed to be falling short fortuitously dropped into the net, boosting Castlemagner’s lead.

To their credit, Knocknagree fought back with determination, putting up four unanswered points from John F. Daly, Chris White, and Cathal O’Connor to close the gap to 2-4 to 0-5 at halftime. In the second half, Knocknagree increased their intensity, pushing Castlemagner to make some uncharacteristic errors. However, in a low-scoring third quarter, Castlemagner’s focus held firm, and team captain Danny Linehan stepped up with two points to maintain their advantage. Although Knocknagree added points through Daly and Daniel Murphy, they couldn’t overcome Castlemagner’s solid lead.

With a standout performance, man of the match Conor O’Sullivan helped steer Castlemagner to their eighth divisional title, sealing another impressive chapter in their championship run.