Simonstown opened their 2025 Senior Football Championship campaign with a frustrating defeat to neighbours Wolfe Tones on a perfect evening for football in Walterstown.

There were positives to take, particularly from an encouraging first-half performance. Sean Tobin lit up the game midway through the opening period with a stunning solo goal, putting Simonstown in front and giving the travelling support something to cheer about. Tobin, alongside Eoghan Gough, stood out as key performers on a day that offered glimpses of promise despite the disappointing result.

Momentum shifted late in the half when Wolfe Tones were awarded a penalty for a foot block. The spot-kick was converted, and Simonstown went into the break trailing 1-7 to 1-3.

Hopes of a second-half comeback were dealt a blow early after the restart. A speculative long-range effort from Thomas O'Reilly dipped unexpectedly into the top corner, pushing the Tones' lead out to seven points. Simonstown responded with two fine points from Padraig McKeever, but the gap ultimately proved too much to close.

While the result was not what the team had hoped for, there are plenty of positives to build on. The squad will regroup and aim to bounce back stronger in the next round, set for two weeks' time against Na Fianna in Páirc Tailteann

Simonstown: R.Burlingham , M.Devlin, M. Gavin, S.Gallagher, E. Nash(0-1), M.Gardiner, B.McGrath(0-1) S.Barry, S.Conlon, S.McEnery, P.McKeever (0-6), N.Kane(0-1) E.Gough(0-2) ,A.Farrelly, S. Tobin(1-0) Subs: T.Hanrahan(0-1)/S.Barry, B.Conlon/M.Devlin, O.Meade/S.McEnery, A.Chinchilla/E.Gough