Victory in Templeville road is always one to savour, and with a slight tone of
revenge for our league defeat, Sunday's victory in the AIB cup was very sweet. We
were certainly made to work hard for the win despite taking a 13 point lead at
one stage in the first half. St Mary's are a resilient side and always seem to
have something in reserve when we play them. The second half was a really tense
affair with Mary's desperately looking for the score that would see them take
the lead after they came within a single point of our tally. However, it wasn't
only the home side that were resilient; the disciplined defence during the
period that we were under the cosh was exceptional, and when eventually the
siege was lifted, Sean Cronin put the result beyond doubt with a try
based around his scintillating pace. It was a very satisfying win, but probably
the most important aspect of the day was the recovery of Fiach who sustained
a rather frightening injury after a high impact tackle just before the half
time break. Immediately the seriousness of the situation was recognised and
swift and decisive intervention ensured that the situation was well under
control. A huge amount of credit must go to club doctor, Darragh Little and
physio Damien Mordan for their quick reactions and immediate diagnosis.
A few weeks on the sideline for Fiach is a small price to pay. David
O'Donovan took over the reigns at No.9 and did exceptionally well given his
relative lack of experience in the position while another player in impress was
Richie Mullane who is thoroughly justifying his position. A semi final
away to Galwegians is our reward and that game takes place next Saturday or
Sunday week. This Saturday we return to the AIB League when Terenure come to
Coonagh for the first time with a 2.30 kickoff.
On Saturday, the Thirds bowed out of the McInerney Cup against the
Thomond side they beat in the final of the competition last year. The lads did
very well to keep the score to 6-0 playing into the strong breeze in the first
half, but unfortunately could not convert their try-scoring chances when they
achieved good field positions in the second. The team has shown good potential
recently, and will hope for a more successful run in the Webb Cup.
On Sunday the Seconds play Garryowen in Dooradoyle in a challenge game
with a 2.30pm start while also on Sunday the U/20's play what is
probably their most important game of the season, when they travel to play
Young Munster in the AIL playoff. This is in essence, a cup game for the lads
and defeat will see them exit this season's competition, but there's a
determination in the camp to reverse the previous result when we played them
earlier in the year. The game is scheduled for 2.30 in Clifford Park.
Our Under 13s returned to winning ways out at Annacotty on Sunday when
they beat UL Bohemians 19-10 in the North Munster League. One of our best
performances of the season saw us score tries from Evan Fitzgerald, Ronan
McKenna and Greg O'Shea. Joey Purcell converted two of them. Man of
the Match was our hooker, Luke O'Halloran.
In their other U/13 fixture on Sunday (also against UL Bohemians) we emerged victorious
on a scoreline of 12-10.Try scorers here were man of the match Coarie O'Keeffe
and Paul Obande, with James Clancy converting one of the tries.
They play host to Newcastlewest this Sunday with an
Following on from their win over Bruff last week, the U/16's kept the
momentum going when they had another excellent win over Garryowen by 17-15. It
was a good solid team performance with no shortage of heart and determination.
Captain Keith McManus led from the front and with Darragh Doherty
scoring two tries and Danny Foley grabbing one; this was a big boost for
the lads. Hopefully they can maintain their good run when they play Ennis in
Coonagh this Sunday at
Also at home, the U/18's play St Mary’s at
We'd like to remind anyone that uses our facilities in Coonagh to please adhere
to speed limits on the road to the grounds and take great care when driving.
Please remember this is a residential area and many people walk along the roads
as well as children playing.
Andrew Mc Namara
087 2717163 amcnamara@eircom.net
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