18/08/2026
Last Sunday saw the 4th annual Rena Memorial Trophy take place, with Westmanstown U16 Girls welcoming Thurles Sarsfields to Dublin for what has quickly become a great annual tradition.
Thankfully, the weather played its part and the pitch was in perfect condition. With summer holidays still taking their toll on numbers, the game was played 13-a-side, but it certainly didn’t take anything away from the contest.
Sarsfields were quickest out of the blocks, picking off the early scores while Westmanstown took a little time to settle. Once they did, however, they found their stride and opened up an impressive 10-point lead. Sarsfields weren’t going anywhere though. A few clever positional changes shifted the momentum and they came roaring back, cutting the gap to just a single point at half-time.
The second half was a real arm wrestle, with neither side able to stretch the lead beyond two points. With five minutes remaining, Sarsfields edged a point ahead and, after three consecutive victories, it looked as though the trophy might be heading back down the road to Thurles once again.
Westmanstown had other ideas. With just two minutes on the clock, they rattled the Sarsfields net to turn the game on its head and held their nerve through a frantic finish to claim the Rena Memorial Trophy by two points. 🏆
A superb game of football from both teams, played in exactly the spirit this annual fixture is all about. Afterwards, both teams stayed around for a well-earned pitch-side BBQ, kindly hosted by our willing volunteers, before the trophy was presented to the Westmanstown U16 Girls.
A great day all round and after finally stopping the trophy making a fourth straight trip to Tipperary, roll on the return fixture in Thurles in 2027! Gaels Abú 🔵⚪️
