The 1933 Leinster Leader Cup final between Raheens and Athy was played on April 12, 1936, a full three years after the competition should have been completed. Raheens won by a single point, securing a dramatic victory in a game that seems to have been well worth the wait.
Why Was the 1933 Final Played in 1936?
The delay in completing the Leinster Leader Cup was not unusual at the time. As noted in the history of the competition, the Senior League frequently fell behind schedule due to the priority given to inter-county football. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Kildare football was at its peak, having won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championships in 1927 and 1928 and regularly competing at a high level in Leinster. This meant club competitions, including the Leinster Leader Cup, often took a backseat.
The 1933 edition was part of a wider pattern where the competition struggled to be completed on time, sometimes running years behind schedule. In fact, it was only in 1930 that the league principle was followed properly—every other year, the Leader Cup operated more like a knock-out competition but still ran late. Given the way fixtures piled up, it wasn’t until April 1936 that the 1933 final was finally played.
The 1933 Final (Played in 1936) – A Hard-Fought Battle
The final itself, despite the long delay, was a thrilling contest. Raheens and Athy were two of the strongest clubs in Kildare at the time, and the match lived up to its billing. The one-point margin of victory highlights just how close the encounter was, with Raheens snatching victory at the death with a well-taken goal.
The match report below describes Raheens as being well-organized, with a mix of experience and youth. The inclusion of key players like Mick Brosnan helped steady the team in crucial moments. Athy, on the other hand, were described as technically superior, but they struggled to break down the disciplined Raheens defence.
One of the main takeaways from the match was the resilience of Raheens—even when it looked like Athy might hold out, Raheens kept pushing forward, and their determination was rewarded. The match also highlighted the tough, physical nature of football at the time, with both teams going at each other hard, yet staying within the spirit of the game.
Legacy of the Victory
For Raheens, this win was part of a golden period for the club. They would go on to become one of the most successful clubs in Leader Cup history, winning 14 titles in total. The fact that the 1933 final was only played in 1936 just adds an extra layer to their achievement—it was a title worth waiting for!
This game is also an interesting reminder of how Gaelic football operated in a very different landscape at the time. Fixture congestion and inter-county commitments meant club competitions often suffered, and delays of months or even years were not uncommon. Thankfully, since 1975, the Leader Cup has been completed in the correct calendar year, putting an end to these lengthy postponements.
Final Thought – A Game for the Ages
The 1933 (1936) Leinster Leader Cup final was more than just a delayed fixture—it was a showcase of grit, determination, and footballing skill. Raheens, after waiting three years, showed that patience pays off, edging out Athy in a game that has earned its place in the history books. And while it might have been the 1933 final on paper, for those who played in it, it was very much a victory won on April 12, 1936—a day they would never forget.
Below is the transcript of the Match report from the leinster leader
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Raheens Last Minute Victory.
On the pop of time Raheens secured the Cup by a well secured goal. It was a hard contested game throughout and the victory puts the seal on Raheens championship win.
For many years our finals have been tame affairs and some of our supporters were lamenting the great matches to which they were treated when Kildare, Naas, Rathangan and Maddenstown were at their height. But last Sunday's match came up to the best of the matches of the past and every person who patronised the fixture was quite satisfied with the display given by both teams. At times the players were inclined to take matters into their own hands and ignore the orders of the referee, but these delinquencies were not of frequent occurrence.
Athy placed a formidable team on the field. They had called back to their help J. Murphy from Scotland, Jimmy Roche, Wexford, M. Mannion, Galway. Added to this was the powerful help and assistance of Geo. Comerford, the Dublin Garda player who has been transferred to Athy recently. With such a strong combination it was no wonder that they entered the playing pitch with confidence—shall we say over-confidence? For the hour they played beautiful football but the failure of their culbaire to stand up to the strain and the habit of the full backs of falling back on the goal where the factors that lead to their failure to hold the verile Raheens men.
Raheens were well served by their old reliables and the inclusion of Brosnan gave them great confidence in their abilities to hold Athy and beat them. Indeed to a great extent Raheens owe their victory to Brosnan, who secured the last goal when all seemed lost and when some of their supporters had taken it for granted that they were the beaten team. It was always dangerous with Raheens pressing vigorously and it was only a question of time till that team secured a goal for which they were keenly anxious. It was the failure of Athy to realise that their opponents were a perfectly trained team, a team which would play determinedly to the end. This determination had its reward when from a long shot the net was found at a time when a tired Athy team could not muster enough energy to secure a minor and so give them a chance of fighting another day.
It was a game that came up to the standards of some of the best games that have been seen in the county in the past. The centre field on both teams had the hardest work to performand its unfortunate for Athy that their stalworth Matthews received a heavy fall early in the play which seemed to upset him. Comerford, Matthews' partner was the outstanding figure on the field and his display evoked praise from all. Mulhall as usual gave a finished display, and Mannion was as elusive as formerly. The loss of Barney Dunne was felt by the Athy men; his inclusion would have strengthened the forwards with beneficial results.
Waters on the Raheens side had set himself a roving commission and helped a great measure by his long kicks to initiate all the Raheens' attacks. Sticks Murphy at centre field with Brosnan held up the Athy attacks on innumerable occasions, and it was in this section that the most damage was done to the Athy cause. Peter Sharpe, Malone and T. Campbell were outstanding. Raheens were the better balanced team and were more determined and sustained in their attacks. But Athy were the better footballers, but their combination and resistance were at fault and so caused their discomfiture.
But why be downhearted, Athy have lost; such is the luck of the game. A chance yet remains of securing a further meeting between these teams, in the 1934 “Leader” Cup, which is fast approaching completion. These teams can meet if they are determined to do so. Raheens in the North have yet to play Carbury to qualify for the final and in the South Athy play McDonagh or Rathangan before they reach the final. Athy in the 1934 Cup can play all the outside players which assisted them on Sunday, and they can then rectify any errors they made in the recent final.
Let us hope that last Sunday’s encounter is the beginning of a new period in the county’s football matches in which we will see vigour without roughness. This match should be a headline to the other senior teams to get going if they have any glimmer of hope that they will meet either of the combatants of Sunday last. It is only a few years ago when both Raheens and Athy were a negligible quantity in Kildare football circles, but by training, practice and enthusiasm they have forged ahead to a foremost place in Gaelic football. It should be an incentive to other senior teams, low down now, to put as an objective the emulation of the finalists.
