PREVIEW: Allenwood's nerve could win them Division 2 final over Leixlip
Daragh Nolan previews a hard-to-call Hanlon Concrete Kildare SFL Division 2 final between Leixlip and Rathangan
Leixlip and Allenwood have been promoted to Division 1 for 2027 and now face-off to decide who will take home a trophy following their Kildare Senior Football League endeavours. The sides meet in the 2026 Division 2 final at 2pm on Saturday, July 18 at Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
Leixlip, after a mixed bag in their first three games, went on to dominate Division 2 for the remaining eight rounds. Their opening day win over Eadestown was followed by an 0-17 apiece draw with 2025 Junior Champions Grangenolvin before they slumped to a 1-16 to 0-10 defeat away to Ellistown. From then on, it’s been perfect with eight wins from their final eight games which saw them finish top of the pile in Division 2.
Allenwood amassed the exact same record with nine wins, one draw and one loss record but without the same neatly packaged run of form. The second-placed finishers on scoring difference drew with bottom-placed Confey in Round 10, who were beaten by Allenwood in last year’s SFC Relegation Play-off to send them to Intermediate level for the first time since 2011.
The fixture that could potentially indicate the destination of this decider came in Round 7 when Leixlip beat Allenwood 3-12 to 2-8 on home soil. Allenwood started the game brightly with early green and orange flags, but the home side took over from there and were six up by the break.
Leixlip have been on the precipice of something special for quite a while with Intermediate final losses in 2019 and 2024 alongside with plenty of other knockout football near-misses recently too. A Division 2 trophy won’t rank alongside any Championship win but plenty of Kildare teams in recent years have seen huge Championship benefit in getting off to a strong start in SFL action.
During Leixlip’s struggles, Allenwood have proven that they know how to get over the line and their experience of winning county and Leinster finals could prove a huge asset in a decider.
The finalists’ positions in the table tell a story that everyone who watches either will be familiar with. Allenwood scored seven more than Leixlip but conceded 28 more as well. Their swashbuckling style remains intact from the Leinster Intermediate champions of 2023 while Leixlip have been in far more control throughout their campaign.
Allenwood’s chaos could prove unsettling on the final day but Leixlip need to see this game as the first step on a potentially glorious 2026 as they take aim at the Kildare Intermediate title once again. It may not get your picture on the wall of the clubhouse but winning is a great habit to have headed into Championship season.
All signs point to Leixlip for the destination of this final with a previous win and a more assured approach, but those factors are also exactly why Allenwood are so dangerous. Mark Murnaghan’s men have Senior Championship experience under their belt (and more on the way), although their only win of 2025 came in the aforementioned relegation final following a dire Division 1 campaign, which in fairness was before the Moorefield man took charge.
These two teams will be ready to do battle on July 18 in what should be an enthralling contest between two incredibly well-matched sides. Much like the IFC often does to the top tier, this Division 2 final could be the game of the weekend as these sides open the curtain for Naas vs Moorefield in the Division 1 decider.
PREDICTION: Allenwood