Sunday June 22nd 2025 - Men's Senior Football Championship - Kerry Boston vs Aidan McAnespies

Aidan McAnespies vs Kerry Boston 

Sunday, June 22nd 5pm
Aidan McAnespies 4-14 | Kerry Boston 3-17

It was a scorcher in Canton as Aidan McAnespies and Kerry Boston played out a thrilling, high-scoring draw in the Northeast Senior Football Championship.

The Macs got the game going with a 2-pointer from Shane McGinley after winning the throw-in. Kerry responded quickly with a point from Joe Cooper. Another score from play pushed the Macs ahead 0-3 to 0-1.

Then came the first big blow—Ronan Buckley with a dummy hop and he made no mistake in finishing it into the net for McAnespies’ opening goal. Cooper added another point for Kerry, but the Macs pressed on, even after losing Oisín Kiernan to a black card.

Conall Devlin split the posts with a tidy effort, and a second goal soon followed - Shane McGinley hit the net after Rory Brolly found him inside with a well-timed pass—2-4 to 0-2.

Kerry stemmed the tide momentarily with a pair of points, including another from Cooper, but McAnespies stayed in control. Eoin Gormley fisted over, and McGinley added another 2-pointer off the outside of his boot. 

Cooper pointed again for Kerry, but just before the break, Bobby Walker hit the Macs’ third goal following a fist pass from Gormley. McGinley closed the half with a free to give his side a 12 point lead.

Half-time: Aidan McAnespies 3-8 | Kerry Boston 0-5

Pete O’Connell opened the second half with a point for the Macs. Kerry began to settle, Eoghan Power and Jim Lynch landing points to close the gap slightly. O’Connell responded with another for McAnespies.

Then came Kerry’s comeback. Cooper knocked over two frees before Rob Stack buried a penalty into the bottom corner. Stack added three unanswered 2-pointers to reduce the margin to a single point.

Kerry’s surge was stalled momentarily when Matthew Nee was shown a black card. McAnespies took full advantage—awarded a penalty, Robbie Croft stepped up and rifled it home. The score read 4-10 to 1-15.

Stack pointed again, but the Macs hit back through Devlin after a long diagonal pass from McGinley. Kerry answered once more through Stack. 

O’Connell then swung over a 2-pointer, followed by a point from Gormley to push the Macs six ahead.

But Kerry weren’t done. Joe Cooper struck for not one, but two goals in the final minutes to level the game—sealing a dramatic comeback and a share of the spoils.

Full-time: Aidan McAnespies 4-14 | Kerry Boston 3-17

Teams & Scorers

Aidan McAnespies:
Robbie Croft (1-0), Timmy Gibbons, Darren Gibney, Bobby Walker (1-0), Conall Devlin (0-2), Owen Ward, Oisín Kiernan, Eoin Gormley (0-2), Steven Ward, Ronan Buckley (1-0), Pete O’Connell (0-5, x1 2pointer), Shane McGinley (1-4, x2 2pointer), Rory Brolly

Kerry Boston:
Nevin O’Donnell, Darragh Fleming, Matthew Nee, Eoghan Power (0-1), John Cooper, Jack O’Neill, George Kealy, Walter Hally, Noah Kearney, Rob Stack (1-9, x3 2pointer), Jim Lynch (0-1), Joe Cooper (2-6), Mattie Farrell

Referee: Anthony Coyne