Shannon Notes March 22nd 2008

A much coveted semi final place in the Munster Junior cup was the reward for our seconds as they swept past the challenge of a battling Tralee side last Sunday in Coonagh. In the end it was a rather comfortable victory and the 27-7 final score is a fair enough reflection of the events. It was an even encounter for the opening quarter, but as soon as the lads got into their stride they looked impressive and likely winners. Colm McMahon was in top form and crossed for the opening trey after 28 minutes which was soon added to by Gary McNamara who came up with the ball after a close-in maul. Tralee didn't lie down and after Gary's try they pushed hard for a response and after sustained pressure crossed to leave the half time score at 12-7 and a reminder to the lads that they couldn't rest on their laurels. Any notions of complacency were dispelled soon after the restart when George Murray laid up an excellent kick for Mark Tuohy to chase and he made no mistake and went into the corner. By now we were more or less dominating the proceedings and a further buffer came when Eamon Lane tapped over a penalty to add to his previous conversion. The backs were playing well and the last try came when Shane Mullally rounded off a flowing move in the 73rd minute which sealed the well deserved win. So far so good for the seconds, but with the luxury of home advantage for our games in the cup to date now gone, the semi final against UCC will be a different prospect in Cork.

The date has yet to confirmed, but it looks most likely that it will be in the first two weeks of April.

On Sunday our under 13s completed their excellent North Munster League campaign with a 61-12 win over Ballina-Killaloe in Coonagh on Sunday. An excellent all round performance from the team saw two tries each from Greg O'Shea, Conor Burns, Jack Dineen and man of the match Patrick Kearns with Conor Glynn adding the ninth after a typical barnstorming run. Ronan McKenna converted four of the tries, Greg O'Shea two of them and Joey Purcell adding two more.

Ballina-Killaloe upped the pressure on us in the second half scoring two nice tries, but the damage had been inflicted on them in the first half. We now await results from some of the remaining fixtures to see whether we have finished on top of the league or whether we will have to playoff for the title.

The seniors return to AIB League action this Sunday when we travel to Musgrave Park to play top four contenders Dolphin. I don't think anyone at this stage of the season needs reminding how crucial the remaining fixtures are. A win will guarantee a playoff spot which is a huge incentive for the lads, but nothing can be taken for granted against a side that we have found very tough in our last few outings. Kickoff is at 2.30 on Sunday.

U/18 player Luke O'Dea is the latest Shannon player to gain international honours when he lined out for the Irish U/18 side in the European championship over the past week. He scored a try in their opening win over Russia and lined out again at fullback for their next victory over England. The Irish side play in the final against France on Saturday afternoon and we wish Luke and his colleagues the very best.

Congratulations must go to Peter Murray and his Castletroy College colleagues on their magnificent achievement in beating one of the bastions of schools rugby in the Munster Senior Cup final. It's a wonderful achievement for the fledgling school and one which will no doubt inspire others in the future.

The thirds play the O'Carroll plate this Saturday in Ennis at 2.30 and in Coonagh the U/18's entertain Haverford west from Wales.

Andrew McNamara

PRO, Shannon RFC