Students from 5th and 6th Class have been participating in the Fingal GAA League 2026. Our first match of the league took place on March 4th. This was a home game versus Balrothery. Despite a strong start on the Naul side, Balrothery came back strong and kept going into the second half. The Naul boys and girls played fantastic football, showing great teamwork and skill throughout the game. Despite the loss, the team enjoyed a brilliant, sunny day at Clann Mhuire, and took the loss as an opportunity to work on some aspects of the game going forward. 

On March 10th, the team set out to Fingallians GAA pitch to play against Holywell ETNS. With last year's memory of the semi-final, and with a few last minute injuries to some players, the team was apprehensive ahead of the game. Nerves aside, the team went out with determination and a positive mindset, which really paid off as the points and goals just kept coming for the Naul players. Each and every one of the players shone out on the pitch, displaying excellent passing, shooting and tackling skills. With the final whistle, Naul NS came out triumphant with a massive win of 7-13 to 2-1. The pride and happiness in the team was palpable!

The next match was due to take place on March 25th, however our opposition were unable to field and therefore Naul NS took the winning points with a walkover.

On April 15th, the team travelled to Balbriggan to play St. Teresa's Primary School. The boys and girls started strong with a steady lead of a few points. It wasn't long though before St. Teresa's started to come back and eventually take the lead. Their home side presence was felt although the Naul supporters were greatly appreciated and noticed! It was a nail-biting second half as Naul NS fought hard to keep the gap to a minimum and thankfully the perseverance of every player saw the referee's final whistle blow to end the battle with a draw game. There was a lot to reflect on after this game, so the team returned to school and training with a focus on ironing out a few weak areas.

Training has been going strong for the upcoming semi-final on May 07th. Coming in at second place in the Division 6 table, Naul NS will face St. Teresa's of Balbriggan once more in the hope of advancing to the final versus the top table team, Balrothery. The enthusiasm of every player is palpable and no doubt all the hard work of the students will pay off on the big day!

In response to the semi-final announcement, Aidan, our school GAA coach who trains the boys and girls on Fridays, kindly offered to train the 5th and 6th Class students on his day off! So the two classes set off for Clann Mhuire on Wednesday, April 29th. The boys and girls really enjoyed this training session and benefited greatly from it. Thanks to Aidan for all his help and guidance! Not only that, Carla Rowe kindly offered to help the team after school on Thursday, April 30th. The boys and girls gave 110% and learned a lot from Carla! The players were clearly tired after the session, which goes to show the effort they put in! Thanks to Carla for her support. 

Naul N.S played the semi-final versus St. Teresa's Primary School on May 07th. The team felt very prepared and fought hard in the first half. The boys and girls had plenty of fuel left in the tank for the second half and dominated the game until the final whistle. It was a huge success and the team celebrated with the knowledge of an upcoming final in Parnell Park. Naul N.S would now face Balrothery National School in the Division 6 Fingal G.A.A final.

Aidan and Carla returned for more training sessions before the big day. The boys and girls were ready for another battle versus Balrothery, knowing it would be no easy feat! Channeling nerves into excitement and positive energy, the team prepared for the final on Tuesday, May 19th. Ms. Faughnan and Sabrina made sure every player knew their role on the pitch and the back line in particular had tactics in place to defend against Balrothery. The big day arrived and the support from the entire school community was incredible. Students, parents, friends and family all turned up to Parnell Park to cheer on the Naul N.S students in the final. It was certainly a game of two halves, with a steady start in the first. Some great points were scored from our fine players, even our centre half back managed to score a point! However the situation became tight with just fifteen minutes to go. The Balrothery boys steamed ahead and just kept their momentum up, with a tiring Naul trying to keep up. The final whistle blew and unfortunately it was Balrothery who took the winning cup. The Naul players were mighty and did not give up at all. They should really be proud of themselves for their spectacular performance in the final, as well as throughout the League in general, getting to a final when they had only just been promoted to that division. What an accomplishment! 

The boys and girls received their medals, understandably with some tears, showing just how passionate they were. The support from the school and players' families was comforting, letting the players know just how proud the school community was! The team returned to school with their heads held high and a welcoming guard of honour from the students and staff. They enjoyed a pizza party, generously funded by the Board of Management, later that week as a celebration of their huge achievement.

The team will continue to train and play challenge games, including students from 3rd and 4th Class, in June. Wishing all the boys and girls in 6th Class the very best as they hopefully move on to play for their secondary school teams. We look forward to seeing the upcoming students from younger classes represent Naul N.S in the new academic year. 

Na hAille abú!!!