Shannon Notes April 12th 2008


Last Saturday we were on the cusp of qualifying for two major finals, but come Sunday evening the weekend turned out to be somewhat bittersweet. The seniors gained entry to their first ever AIB cup Final, but for the seconds a junior cup final has eluded them for yet another season after an impressive UCC side outplayed them on the day.

Saturday's senior performance may not have been their most comprehensive of the season, but the old adage of playing poorly and winning is part and parcel of cup rugby. We headed to Galway short several key players due to injuries and that certainly took its tool on the balance of the team. Galwegians may well feel as if they had the opportunities to deny us, but our lads looked as if they could always scrape a win , in whatever circumstances. Niall Ronan's try just before the break, gave us a deserved lead and with the wind at our backs for the second half it looked likely that we would add to it, but Dunny's penalty was our only scoring addition. The theme of the day was defence and probably the only missed tackle of the day resulted in Galwegians scoring their only try of the game with a minute of normal time remaining. Earlier Riche Mullane's outstanding last ditch tackle saved a certain try, while John Clogan's direct opponent must have felt a little bruised and battered after some ferocious hits. Six minutes of injury time came left us a little perplexed, but after the anxious moments we could finally look forward to a crack at winning our first AIB cup. Blackrock have had to wait for some time for their final opponents and although we did beat them in Coonagh earlier on in the league, with the pitches getting a bit harder they will prove a formidable outfit to break down. Athlone is the venue for the 3.30 start and we are running supporters coaches to the game. Leaving at 11.30 from Thomond Park, the fare is €10 for adults and €5 for children. I can be contacted on 087 2717163 for bookings.

Sunday's trip south to Cork unfortunately didn't produce the desired result for the seconds. UCC were full value for their 17-7 win and there's no doubting that our own lads have played much better during the course of the season. It was only in the closing stages that we put any concerted pressure on UCC and despite Eoghan Grace's charge down try, the strenuous efforts at that stage were too little too late. Fatigue may have been a factor for some players with some playing the previous day in Galway, but it's an indication of the desire for many to win a junior cup medal. It wasn't to be and we'll have to wait another year for the opportunity.

Two underage league finals unfortunately ended in defeat despite both sides giving it their all. The U/15's went to Annacotty to play UL/Bohs and were beaten by 15-9 while in Coonagh the U/14's were gotten the better of by a fine Garryowen side. Both sides and their coaches deserve enormous credit for even getting to the final and I've no doubt they'll learn from the experience.

There was however some silverware last weekend when the U/12's had one of their teams win the Brian Fitzgerald memorial blitz. Two sides competed and both done extremely well. The blues went as far as the quarter final unbeaten where they faced an excellent Richmond side and it was there that their Tournament came to an end. Garryowen provided the semi-final; opposition for the blacks and it took extra time to separate the sides with the winner coming in the dying minutes from our lads. Richmond were the final opponents and in a fantastic display our lads won out by 5 tries to 2. Great praise must go to the Under 12s coaches for the great work they have put in all season; their skill in coaching was there for all to see last Sunday. We should all be very proud of both our Shannon Blue and Black teams. Well done

The U/13's played touring side Harpenden and with two sides in action both games were won comprehensively. Greg O'Shea had three tries for the Blues side while Liam Cronin replicated for the black side in an 11 try rout. This Sunday they begin their cup campaign with an away game against Thomond at 11am. Other games sees the U11's host touring side Stewart Melville

Our Annual presidents night takes place on Friday the 26th of April takes place in the Hilton Hotel. Music on the night will be provided by Shantytown with a disco to follow. Tickets are €50 and Liam Costello can be contacted on 086 0630427.