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Well folks hard to believe it’s that time of the year again. It really only feels like yesterday that I was signing off for the end of the season and here we are ready to embark on a new one. The break between seasons seems to be getting shorter and shorter. Even at our level which is well below that of the Dricos and Darces of this world. The break between the last game of one year and the resumption of training the next is down to as little as eight weeks. Ok well being honest that’s the case for the heavier set gentlemen like myself and a few select others (Ye know who ye are !!) who are harangued back into some semblance of fitness on the CBS Athletics track by the dreaded Paul “I’m an old man and I could still beat you” Nevin before the thoroughbreds arrive back from their holidays a little later, still leaving us for dead on the punishing pre season fitness runs. And people wonder why the forwards bad mouth the backs so much, at times you feel the only race you could beat them in is the one to Supermacs after Maximus. I suppose therein is the origin of our woes from a fitness perspective. Anyway enough of all that. Given our short…ish layoff between seasons we are now well settled into our routine from a training perspective and for everyone the arrival of meaningful fixtures is very welcome. We’ve worked hard in the pre season (Running, vomiting, more running, more vomiting!) and really its only game time now that will show us where we truly stand. Its been a pretty tough last few seasons in terms of getting off to bad starts, giving ourselves big holes to dig our way out of and ultimately disappointing ourselves when it comes to our final league placing. But after a fairly large turnover in players over a number of seasons with retirements etc, last year we really seemed to develop and settle as a team the more the year progressed. We can be reasonably happy with the levels of consistency we’ve shown after the pre Christmas horror show. That said all that goes for nothing if it’s not carried on so with almost all of last years squad in harness plus a few good additions pushing on is exactly what we hope to do. That begins this weekend with the visit of Portadown in the AIB Cup, who will also no doubt be wishing to hit the ground running so we will be under no illusions as to the task facing us. In a division as competitive as ours every team is well capable of beating any other on a given day so our only goal for this year will be to take each game as it comes on its own merits and hopefully that can help us build towards improving on our final standing come seasons end. Like I said in terms of players little has changed Mike Kennedy is back as captain for another year. He did a great job last year really growing into the role and will no doubt do likewise this year. Still could do with a haircut mind you!! We have unfortunately lost the long serving Robbie Powell aka Big Bad Bob aka Garth Brooks. He’ll be badly missed out on the field and just as badly missed in the sing songs afterwards. On the bright side the average age of the team has reduced by about 110 years since his departure although Johnny Moylan is rumoured to be embarking on yet another comeback via Milo’s Third XV which would send averages rocketing skywards once more. It could even get worse if Milo himself continues at the rate he’s going. Word on the street is I need to look out for my place at prop as he’s back tearing up all comers in the front row… There’s one for Age Action!! Some new additions to the scene are Darren Gallagher from Richmond in the second row, Shane O’ Callaghan from Tralee in the back row and the welcome return of Steven Carey in the backs. Its great to have them with us and they’ve already begun to show us that they will be big additions to the strength of our squad. Otherwise it’s as you were from both a playing and management perspective and hopefully that familiarity that a settled squad creates will help us to hit the ground running. That’s about all I have to say for now, I’ll be back with more news, views and more than occasional embarrassing stories of fellow players in the weeks and months to come. Best of luck to all teams and supporters for the coming season let it be a good one and an injury free one too.
5th October 09 - Nenagh v Connemara - First AIL game of the season
Despite most things going well last Saturday certain things clearly have to be worked on, the ease with which the Connemara open side sauntered in for his try being foremost on that list. We could also still do with keeping the penalty count… Are you listening Mike Kennedy, captains example my eye. Never funny at the time but hilarious on hindsight to see the main preachers of discipline cough up the penalties! There were obviously plenty of good points as well; Darren Gallagher had a seriously good day in the lineout as did Damien Dunne throwing the darts. Once again Bryan Williams was a nuisance extraordinaire at the break down and further out Steven Carey had a very good day at the office in the centre, scoring two tries and when looking like finishing off with a hat trick setting up Davy Corcoran with the easiest of finishes to get him off the mark. Rumour has it he was just taking pity on Davy who was none too happy with the centres having all the try scoring fun. David Delaney also made his return for the first time this season and got in on the scoring act immediately as well as dusting off the kicking boots slotting all his attempts bar one. Jet lag… What jet lag? Most things are obviously coming along nicely for us right now but we’ve been in this league long enough to know that ambushes are always waiting around the corner. There was a good win for the seconds at the weekend with plenty of guys putting in performances to put those of us on the first team under pressure. This is exactly what’s needed to keep everyone’s minds focussed in training and with a bit of luck hopefully this time next week it’ll be two from two but nothing can be taken for granted. Finally a special mention for Anthony Grey who is threatening to exhaust the Nenagh hospital’s supplies of stitching thread single handedly. After a nasty cut to the eye and seven stitches last week he still obviously wasn’t satisfied enough with his rugged looks and decided another boot to the face this week was the best medicine. Several additional stitches later the argument is well and truly settled. Open sides truly are more nuts than anyone else on the field.
17th October 09 - Lansdowne v Nenagh - All Ireland Cup - Round 2
The result tells its own story. A 43- 8 loss to prove to us that we have plenty of hard work to do as both individuals and as a team to fulfil our ambitions. To look on it in a more positive light, which really is the best approach in these situations; we learned many valuable lessons in this game. Physically Lansdowne were on a higher level playing at a really high tempo and we were slow to adapt to this. However at times, particularly in the second half we did up the ante ourselves and in doing so did ask questions of the opposition. There was much to be satisfied with in how we stuck at it and didn’t roll over. Even if the score line would suggest otherwise we were still working hard right to the last whistle and can take particular pride in holding the line intact in the last few minutes when down to 14 men after the bench ran dry due to injuries. There is plenty to be not so happy about too though and we have to be realistic. From now on we should be well aware of the necessity to hit the ground running and in physical terms to up the intensity and play the game on our own terms. Losing by a big margin is never nice, it wasn’t a good feeling after and it never should be but if we can learn the tough lessons from games like these the rewards will follow. This week its a Munster derby facing Sundays Well at home. Any game in any sport that pits a team from Tipp against one from Cork always has an edge to it and this will be no different. We have always had to work hard for results against the Well and the minds will be well focussed on the task in hand in training this week. Its one to look forward to and after a tough fortnight on the road we’ll all be chomping at the bit for a chance to play at home again and hopefully get things back on track from a results perspective. It’s a tough week and a really tough game ahead but nobody said it was going to be easy and it is for days and challenges like this that we all play rugby. 24th October 09 - Nenagh v Sundays Well - AIL League
First things first, the weather! I cant recall having got through the opening four match sequence that kicks off each AIL season at any stage since we’ve become senior without having at least one game of the four played in absolutely horrendous conditions. Last year it came first up against Corinthians where but for our own naivety in trying to play nice rugby on a day for ducks we could have kicked off the season in style. Instead as we all know we slipped and slid to a 10-0 defeat starting a run of early results we’d all rather forget. Pulling back the curtains last Saturday morning I don’t think there will have been any of us who were involved last year who didn’t immediately think back to that Corinthians game and see the opportunity for some form of atonement by adapting properly to the conditions this time. Those who were there to witness last Saturdays performance need no further commentary on it. To those who weren’t, the score was 6-0 to ourselves after a game where both defences were on top, both teams had three kicks at goal but luckily for us David Delaney had his kicking boots well primed and his two penalties were enough. Otherwise it was a roll up the sleeves and all hands on deck type of performance from the remainder of the team. There really isn’t much more that can be said other than the fact that on days like these it is a battle of wills and I don’t think anyone who was there would have begrudged us this victory such was the resolve shown in our defence particularly in the last few minutes where any score conceded could have meant curtains and the need for discipline was crucial. Looks like all Colm Mac’s preaching is finally paying off. Next up we face Barnhall to round off the opening sequence of games. This will undoubtedly be a very tough trip. After facing this opposition twice last year once in the cup and once in the league we know there is very little between the teams and on those occasions it was probably the benefit of home advantage that helped swing matters our way. Unfortunately there is no such comfort this time and it is us facing the trip so nothing short of another huge effort will see us through this one. Nonetheless we are looking forward to it and with huge competition for places right now there will be no slow down in the training effort. On a final note I am aware that I have been critical of our support here at times in the past but given the horrible conditions last Saturday and particularly the strong wind which can really sap the energy when running into it, I have to compliment the contribution of our supporters which really gave us a lift at crucial times. Believe me when the legs are getting tired and the inner fight is on to keep them moving, especially in tough conditions, every cheer, every shout of encouragement, every call of heave for a maul or scrum gives you that little bit extra to get you over the line. Thanks to everyone who contributed and please keep it coming and hopefully we’ll keep you shouting. On a final, final note may I say that we in the forwards would also like to thank the backs for all their “support” last Saturday. Without you bringing the water bottles to our huddles or allowing us to use your nice clean jerseys to keep our hands clean we’d never have kept going. Ye did a great job making sure the cleaners hadn’t too big a job this week. I suppose it is a time for cutbacks in the current climate and we may not have been able to get all 15 jerseys washed for next week but it was admirable how you insisted on keeping clear of all the donkey work just in case we’d exceed our laundry budget. We would like to remind you that we are quite happy to give you some of the ball we win for you. Sure we can’t win every game for ye!!
31st October 09 - Barnhall v Nenagh Ormond
Anyway hopefully that little spiel satisfied the terms of my sentence as set out by the court of Mr. Justice Michael Kennedy which, while sitting in transit somewhere between Portlaoise and Mountrath last Saturday night when my case came to light, took a very dim view of my previous comments. In fact several other breaches of discipline were also on the agenda and if I can’t slag backs anymore perhaps in future I may have to resort to ratting out the main criminals who have come to the attention of the players court. So watch out Tony "Sure I was only late because Birdie was closed" Gregan the clock is ticking. Back to more pressing matters. I'm finally getting a chance to write this weeks piece because as I speak it is raining cats, dogs and probably several other small animals and training as of now has been cancelled. I suppose this has good and bad points . We have after all been in action now for seven weeks on the bounce and with the injuries stacking up a rest is probably not going to do much harm. On the other hand it does leave the responsibility to keep the fitness up in our own hands which on nights like this with the fire on and matches on the telly is a very dodgy decision indeed. With great foresight and perhaps knowing my penchant for vegging out on the couch and committing fitness suicide with my mothers apple tart on these nights, my girlfriend last week presented me with a new addition to the family! Before you jump to conclusions no I did not surprisingly become a dad but perhaps just as surprisingly I did become the owner of a lovely new Golden Retriever puppy who just so happens to have a massive appetite for running (And for my runners and running gear..thats another matter!) So to all our coaches a reminder that despite the lack of training I'm being kept well fit by the new arrival so please go easy on us when we get back. The past week was a busy one. Although it is early in the season, having already lost once on the road in the AIL, to lose another in this opening sequence of four games would probably have left us with alot of ground to make up on the head of the table. For that reason there was a real edge to training not just in the hopes of getting a result at the weekend but also individually in the hunt for team places as competition is very strong right through the squad. This is never a bad thing and if we can keep up that much with a bit of luck then the results will take care of themselves. Thankfully all the niggles seemed to clear up by Saturday and we set off with a full hand to take on Barnhall. The weather all morning and right up to the halfway mark of the game was superb as was the Barnhall pitch so this made for a far more expansive game than last weeks trench warfare. We went behind early on but gradually began to assert ourselves and after an early David Delaney penalty added a try by Mike Kennedy after a series of close range rumbles by the pack. It seems his annual haircut has yet again come and gone without any major concerns! With four points of a lead and most facets of our game functioning well it looked good. Then luck deserted us. Firstly an admittedly silly penalty conceded by us left our lead now at a shaky single point. Then almost immediately from the restart a break and grubber by the Barnhall fullback which looked like it was covered went horribly wrong when the grubber took a freakish skip off Steven Carey straight back into the fullbacks hands to put him in beside the posts. A ten point swing from nowhere and you got the feeling that this day was really turning against us. As if to add to the black mood in our half time chat the heavens opened and it proceeded to deluge for the remainder of the game. To Barnhalls credit they put us under the cosh plenty in the second half, their outhalf in particular keeping us pinned back on many occasions as well as moving the line when the chances came giving us a few close shaves. The longer this went on the more it looked like we may leave empty handed. At this stage the cavalry was called in. Darren Horan, Ger Harmse, Darren Gallagher, Eoin Gardiner and Colm McMahon all entered the fray and all made big contributions to the late surge which yielded two David Delaney penalties(I'd bet Ronan O Gara would like to try his kicking boots on right now). After the last of those we still had time to play and went in hunt of what would have been a winning score but to be fair to Barnhall they kept us well at bay and tacky as it may sound the draw probably was the fairest result. It leaves us in fifth place at this stage and nicely poised to hopefully push on in the next phase of matches beginning in two weeks at home to Banbridge. That however will be no soft prospect as we have failed to get a result in both of our last two clashes with that opposition. The period between now and Christmas is always vital in this division and the focus and intensity will have to be upped yet again to get through it favourably. The huge and telling impact made by all of the subs last Saturday is a reminder to us all that our place on the team is only ours as long as we keep earning it and keep up the effort, so training will be an interesting place in the next few weeks. 14th November 09 -Nenagh Ormond v Banbridge
We knew from quite a way back that this one would be no walk in the park. It was coming up on three years since we last defeated Banbridge having lost both home and away to them in the previous two seasons, the defeat two years ago in particular being a very comprehensive one. Last year when we built up a head of steam after Christmas to string seven league wins together it was again at Banbridge where we came unstuck. Putting past wrongs to right was certainly the mantra in training leading up to this one. That training was interesting to say the least. With rain of Noah and the Ark proportions falling in almost continuous sheets since our last day out against Barnhall the ground conditions have deteriorated rapidly. At least only one training session fell foul of the conditions the following Tuesday after that game. But as I feared when I last spoke here the payback for our little siesta was rough. That Thursday saw the return to Lisatunny of the one and only Steve “Rambo” Killeen. He may be known to you as the loose head prop on last year’s Second XV who sadly we lost from a playing perspective due to injury. In the real world unfortunately he is an army sergeant with a keen interest in putting his physical training students through hell on earth for as long as is deemed necessary. For this nights training we were his students. What followed could be described in many ways. I think only his own words can sum it up best. The object of the session (I’ll keep it civilised here to quote Steve directly may require a few too many expletives) was to make us either crap ourselves, vomit or pass out or in extreme cases possibly all three. With most individuals at least one of those targets was met I won’t give details or name names I’m not that crude!! Anyway in the muck and rain, despite possibly wishing every bit of bad fortune imaginable on Steve as we went through his orders, we dug deep, gritted the teeth and pulled ourselves through it. Its sessions like these that at some point you can look back on and say it was worth it for the end result. The win last Saturday certainly helped prove that point. After recovering the full use of our legs several days later we faced into preparations for Banbridge. With any niggles from Barnhall righting themselves in the interval between the games we went into last Saturday with a full hand to pick from. The rain also decided to hold off, for a few hours at least, on Saturday and considering the time of year and recent weather it must be said the pitch was in great nick, well done to all involved there. The dry ball finally gave our backs a chance to shine (Yes I am capable of praising them too) and we found our try scoring rhythm pretty quickly. Mike Fogarty made what he himself would certainly call a scintillating break (opinions vary!!), then fed Keith Quigley who touched down to get us up and running. Watch out Tomas O Leary!! Keith was joined on the score sheet by Davy Corcoran and later Trevor Connolly but pride of place in the try scoring stakes must go to “The Coff” aka John Coffey (Not the fella from “Green Mile” but similar in stature nonetheless). While deputising at prop during the sin binning of our model disciplinarian and captain Mike Kennedy, John found himself ball in hand 5 metres from the Banbridge line. Being a prop of such size he obviously fancied his chances of breaking through, that he managed to do it in reverse i.e. Butt first, was in a nutshell bizarre. As he said himself in explanation later it was after all probably best to hit them with the biggest part of his body!! Being well endowed in that area myself, maybe I need to adapt my approach to ball carrying, its results are now proven. If I’m slagging John for his alternative try scoring efforts I can’t leave out the most notable try scoring failures. Are you listening David Delaney? After making a Mike Fogarty- esque break of his own Dave found himself in a foot rush to the line from in or around the halfway line. Encountering that dreaded patch of quicksand at the town end of the field, which by the way has only been encountered by David himself (Sure it can’t have been a lack of pace!!), he began looking around desperately for the support runners who were too busy pointing and laughing at his stumpy legs failing rapidly from back at the halfway line. Eventually hacked down about five metres out the move was finished several phases later and thankfully Dave was resuscitated in time to kick the conversion. Despite our own efforts however Banbridge were well able to put together a few of their own. Their sizeable pack in particular were very dangerous at close range and at no stage where we able to put daylight between us on the scoreboard. They are certainly a team who will cause headaches for much opposition as the season progresses. For now we are up to third in the table but with a very tough trip to league leaders Midleton next on the agenda, it’s all systems go as this will certainly be one of the hardest games we will face all year. Time to keep the head down and the efforts high. 27th November 09 -Munster A v Bristol Rugby in New Ormond Park, Nenagh
Tonight sees the first ever home game for the Munster A side in the new British and Irish Cup competition. Bristol provide the opposition and given that in very recent times they were part of the Guinness Premiership and are on current form on course to make a swift return to that level, this makes for a very challenging fixture for the Munster side. As all followers of the mighty Munster will be well aware however the players selected on tonight’s A side are no shrinking violets themselves. The likes of James Coughlan and Billy Holland featured very prominently in last years historic clash with the All Blacks in Thomond Park and will certainly hold no fear of any opposition. From the powerful Kiwi Nick Williams there will be real thrust off the back of the scrum combined with his trademark shuddering hits in defence. Then on top of this there are the likes of Denis Hurley and Julien Brugnaut who bring their international experience to the fold. More than anything else however what this competition will be and should be about is blooding the next generation of players, readying them for life in the high octane professional world of Magners League and Heineken Cup rugby. As a participant in the AIB League the Nenagh club provides a fitting venue for this game because this competition will also be very much about bridging the gap for players between club rugby and the professional ranks and providing the young and ambitious with a pathway to the top of the game. One has to look no further than our own Donnacha Ryan, now a valued member of both the Munster and Ireland senior squads, for evidence of club developed players being up to the demands of professional rugby. Any competition, like this one, which will provide more opportunities for young players, plying their trade week in week out in the club scene, to follow a similar path into the professional game can only be good for teams like Munster and for rugby as a whole.Look out for the likes of Declan Cusack from Thomond RFC (Div. 2 AIL) who lines out at fly half for Munster tonight, a perfect example of a player who otherwise may not get meaningful games at this level to showcase his considerable talents. Let’s hope that he and others grasp this opportunity and become part of the next generation of Munster heroes. There is much to look forward to as this combination of youth and experience on the Munster side take on the stern opposition provided by the men of Bristol. Hopefully this will be the first of many memorable games in this competition and also a sign of things to come with the Munster outfit reaching out to the game at the grassroots level by bringing these games to the clubs. Enjoy the night and more importantly “Come on Munster”!
5th December 09 - Midleton v Nenagh Ormond
As most of you will know, Saturday morning started brightly weather wise and as we departed from Nenagh to head for Cork we would have been hopeful of taking advantage of the conditions and playing some open rugby but the closer we got to Cork the more monsoon like the conditions became and it was time to chuck away the running boots and put on the snorkel and flippers once more for another round of aqua rugby, something we’ve become accustomed to of late. Much and all as I’m sure both teams would have preferred a dry day, with the incessantly wet weather of late and the fact that we are now well accustomed to training in it, neither of us were too concerned about getting down and dirty. What followed was eighty minutes of what can only be described as a war of attrition. It was us who had the benefit of the breeze in the first half and it was this aspect of the conditions which was to have the most telling impact on proceedings. Despite the bus trip and the weather we certainly hit the ground running and for the first ten minutes in particular spent a lot of time in the Midleton twenty two. After several minutes and a few close range penalties we breached the cover and got over the Midleton try line but unfortunately we just couldn’t ground the ball. Who’d have thought that was the closest either team would come to scoring a try?! Sensing the opportunity of a try we kicked two further penalties to the corner hunting for the all important five pointer but this time the black and red wall held firm and eventually David Delaney took the opportunity to get points on the board when another kickable penalty came our way. From then on the opportunities became fewer as Midleton showed a lot of discipline and a well organised defence in the face of our constant pressure in their half. John Lillis had one long range shot at goal close to half time but unfortunately once again the conditions played their part as a slip in the act of kicking sent the ball off target. As we huddled together at the half time whistle the heavens opened and if anything the already strong breeze seemed to strengthen. After dominating the first half and having missed a few opportunities three points really looked like a shaky margin facing into the gale.
In spite of this we went about our task manfully. At times we retained the ball superbly carrying strongly into the teeth of the wind with both backs and forwards throwing in their lot but on each occasion when play eventually broke down we would find ourselves being kicked back into our twenty two by the Midleton half backs. For this reason Midleton enjoyed the lion’s share of the territory in the second half. Mistakes would be costly and our first major one duly materialised. The Midleton maul built up a head of steam from a lineout in our twenty two and when it was hauled down awkwardly their out half had no hesitation in taking the three points to tie the game. With 20 odd minutes to play and conditions deteriorating into a mud bath it was almost a liability to have possession such was the difficulty of handling the rain soaked ball. Time and again Midleton battered our defence but at all stages the line held firm with some excellent tackles put in and many turnovers won. More and more this game looked like it might be destined to end in stalemate. Then with roughly five minutes left to play from lineout possession midway between our own twenty two and halfway line our own maul kicked into gear. After rumbling up to the halfway line, backs and forwards combined to carry the move on deep into the Midleton half. If ever there was an opportunity to nick a winning score this was it. Unfortunately after umpteen phases and the admirable determination of the Midleton defence not to cough up any more ground or a penalty opportunity the ball spilled loose. Just as the Midleton out half prepared to launch the ball and ourselves all the way back to where we started from he was hit by a marginally late tackle. At least the Midleton crowd made enough noise to make sure it would be called late!! The out half did his best Cristiano Ronaldo impression and hit the deck like a snipers victim, the penalty was awarded and the touch judge finished the job by being just a tad generous in indicating the place where the ball landed (right in kickable range)! After a speedy recovery the out half dusted himself off to slot the ball right between the posts and with two minutes to play, down to fourteen men our goose was pretty much cooked. We battled to the final whistle but with their tails up after the winning score our efforts came to nothing. From being in the lead to looking like earning a deserved draw the consolation of a losing bonus was of little comfort but that view may change as the year progresses. Don’t get me wrong if we found ourselves in Midleton’s shoes and indeed if our supporters thought there was a sniff of a game clinching penalty we too would have made the most of it. There are few teams who will get much change out of this Midleton side particularly taking them on in their own backyard. Ultimately maybe it was their bit of extra experience that got them through. It would be silly of me to begrudge them their win but you can’t help the feeling that we could have taken so much more than one point from this game. Alas it is of little use lamenting it now as we return home to take on Navan this week end, a team doing quite well since their promotion from Junior ranks and undoubtedly no easy prospect. A win here will keep us at the business end of the table going into the crucial post Christmas matches and that will be the sole objective in the week ahead. Let’s see you all out there to get behind us on Saturday this will certainly be an important one.
16th January 2010 - Nenagh Ormond v Naas Well its safe to say alot has gone on since I was last speaking here. Subsequently to my previous report we wrapped up our 2009 campaign with a hard fought victory over a very tough Navan side and after that the weather essentially took over all our lives. The following weekend we were due to take on Thomond in a friendly fixture but that was abandoned at the last minute due to a frozen pitch and little did any of us know that it would be mid January before we'd take to a pitch again due to the "Big Freeze". While the pitches of the country may have been out of bounds and training or playing outdoors was a complete non runner the excellent facilities of Nenagh Olympic A.C became our new home for the festive period, a home we would all come to love to hate!! Our first indoor session on the track was on the Tuesday night before Christmas and to say we worked up a sweat would be an understatement. After what seemed like an infinite number of 150 m sprints those of us in the shall we say "heavier set" areas of the team were left praying for a return to the muck and rain that would go at least some way towards slowing down the fast guys and sparing our blushes as they happily galloped past us dragging our sizeable backsides around the track. Then just as our legs were finally reduced to jelly and with our heads in a spin from the repeated circuits of the complex our beloved coach James Kingston decided a set of core exercises was the best way to wind up the session and coincidentally to make grown men cry. While I whinge and moan about our woes at that training though, I must admit that clearly there was an end result worth hanging in for... the club Christmas party which was to begin just an hour later. Now there are many golden rules in life but moreover than any of those top of the list should surely be to avoid at all costs ever allowing a rugby team access to a clubhouse bar immediately after a hard fitness session, on an empty stomach and in a giddy mood after going on Christmas holidays. If that wasnt bad enough it was also a fancy dress party so seeing your clubmates dressed as everything from Ali G to Ali Baba, Superman to the Stig and the Holy father to the Godfather made for a scene of utterly hilarious drunken chaos. What followed was surely one of the most enjoyable nights any of us have ever experienced in the clubhouse and whatever pains we had suffered in the preceding hours at training were long forgotten by the time it all wound up in the wee hours. It also did no harm whatsoever in strengthening the unity in the squad which was to prove very important in maintaining the effort in training over the Christmas. If we thought the training that first night at the track was bad what followed there over the holidays was beyond all our worst nightmares. The arch nemesis of all of us who enjoy a little too much turkey and enjoy washing it down even more, Paul Nevin, took the reins for the next couple of days and if grown men cried previously now they wept inconsolably!! From wrestling on gym mats and grappling with tackle bags to vomiting in buckets (Couldnt leave you out Gooby) we surely managed to purge every last ounce of Christmas fun from our system and when we were finished that James would call another round of core stretches just to ensure our will to live was firmly destroyed. Ok Ok so as a prop I cant help cribbing about being dragged through fitness work but in truth while many teams were surely struggling to keep their training efforts up during the cold snap we were able to plough on with this work indoors and I've no doubt that it will pay off as the season progresses. Unfortunately despite being itching for a game to reap the benefits of our efforts that said cold snap ensured the scheduled game against Carlow fell by the wayside and all efforts were then focussed on the next fixture against Naas scheduled for last Saturday. Thankfully the ground thawed just in time to allow us to train outdoors last Thursday for the first time since Christmas and indeed to allow the game on Saturday to go ahead. While Naas were well below us on the table the experience of losing to them last year steeled us against any complacency and indeed as it transpired despite what the scoreline of 32-13 may suggest they were far from a pushover. Certainly up front we were struggling at times to make inroads but as the game progressed this situation gradually improved as we readjusted to the demands of contact which we were starved of while the pitches were frozen. Only a Mike Fogarty try, which Mike himself would say was one of the all time best and many others would say was lucky, stood between the sides at the break but as the second half got under way we started to express ourselves a little more and with a cleaner supply of ball our backs did the needful, adding three further tries, two from Dave Delaney and another from James Kingston (Must be all that core work paying off) to seal the win and bonus point. Also good for all concerned to see that David has successfully negotiated a route around the quicksand that has hampered his try scoring attempts at home in the past and maybe he could even show it to me sometime as I could swear I hit a patch of it earlier in the game when Trevor Connolly actually passed me a ball in space (I know I didn’t expect it either) and I was hacked down in the 22 just as I started to think about my celebration. Oh well maybe some day!! Anyway with another win in the bag its now another massive game next week as we face a tough trip to the team just above us in the league, Queens University. This hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for us in recent times and it will need to be one hell of a performance to pull this one off but this is exactly where every team wants to be going towards the business end of the season so its all shoulders to the wheel for another week on the training field lets hope it pays off.
As I'm sure I mentioned last week, getting a win in this week’s clash against a Queens University side with just one defeat all year was a massive ask but all the same we were by no means daunted by the task when we set off Friday evening for the trip up north. Steeled by a run of recent victories there really is a desire in this side to kick on and the prospect of breaking into the top two of the division with a victory at Dub Lane provided just the opportunity we were looking for. Unfortunately as I'm sure most of you are now aware we fell just agonisingly short of meeting our targets when ending on the wrong side of an 18-13 scoreline after going in at halftime 10- 0 up. Before I get to the match it'd be unfair not to mention the effort everyone put in during the week. This game had cup final written all over it in that it was a straight shootout for second place and with it pole position in the promotion race behind unbeaten league leaders Midleton. The effort in training was just what one would expect in the run up to a game of such magnitude. Both the turnout and commitment were noticeably increased and if things were not to work out come Saturday it was certainly not for want of effort on anyone’s part. The team remained the same as that which had overcome Naas a week previously but that did not mean that those of us who were selected were not pushed all the way by the lads in reserve to hold on to our shirts. (We would be hard pressed to hold onto our shirts again come Saturday night but that’s a different story altogether. Ye know what I'm talkin about lads!!!) Its always tough on some guys when the team is announced on a Thursday night particularly in a week like this but one couldn’t fault the way that all those guys bought into the training effort as has been the case all year. You'll always be edgy in the days before a big game but the wait for this one, for me at least, just seemed to be endless. As I work these days in Roscrea I decided that it would be easier for me to meet the team bus over there on Friday after work so this in turn meant getting the gear bag ready Thursday night after training. So here I was all set to go a full two days before kick-off and to say it couldn’t come quick enough would be the underestimate of the century. Nonetheless despite the fact that any of us would have much rathered just get out on the pitch and get the game going we had a healthy distraction to the anxiety in the shape of Munster's crucial Heineken Cup pool match vs Northampton which we sat down to watch together in the hotel after dinner. As will always be the case put thirty odd guys sitting in a room together watching a match and its not long before the laughing, messing and banter begins. All pre match nerves were quickly forgotten for the night and without doubt the way in which the Munster boys gritted their teeth and ground out a victory against quality opposition served as a reminder of how the job can get done despite the fact that it may appear to be a tall order. Think holding out a 5 metre scrum when down to seven men, with your captain in the bin and with your scrum in reverse all night up to this point and you get the picture. So anyway on to Saturday and obviously it was game faces on from the word go that morning. We checked out of the hotel early that morning to head to Belfast in good time and ensure the build up to the game was as smooth as possible. Indeed it was and come kick off we weren’t long showing it as we immediately hit the ground running and had a converted try on the board inside the first ten minutes. A Dave Delaney penalty was added shortly afterwards to push the gap to ten points and then Queens came to life and showed just what a quality side they were battering our line relentlessly up to half time. The resistance we showed in defence was possibly the strongest it ever has been all season however and the score remained unchanged as the final whistle blew. As it turned out and as we said afterwards it was probably a game for us where we simply didn’t want half time to happen. With the opposition on the run and playing our best rugby of the year we would happily have played out the 80 mins without a break. If only!! Credit to Queens they were revitalised after the break and came at us in waves. Time and again however we held them out with a series of last ditch tackles but also some seriously good, organised defence. The turning point no doubt was when after a series of attacks the Queens attack was held up over the line but in the process Keith Quigley suffered a nasty arm injury that ended his game and David Delaney suffered a knock that hindered his efforts in a game that had been probably his best of the year up to this point. In the ensuing 5 metre scrum Queens were put under pressure but their backrow tidied the situation up to manufacture a score to get them off the mark. It was pretty much all Queens from here on in as we struggled to get a meaningful number of phases together. In particular their scrumhalf Ian Porter was impressive pinning us back in our half time and again with some superb box kicking. Two further Queens tries followed with David adding a penalty for us in reply. We did have one last ditch chance for at the very least a draw with a close range lineout but unfortunately after being efficient in this set-piece all game it let us down here and the chance was lost. In truth it would have been a lucky comeback but then again it was probably our best performance of the year in many facets of play and the losing bonus was scant consolation in the immediate aftermath. While heads are down we can take heart in the quality if rugby we served up here and also from the fact that just as we did with Midleton we pushed this team all the way which few teams have managed and very few more probably will. Then again we are not pushing ourselves so hard all year in training to be satisfied with narrow defeats to leading sides. The desire of this team is to push on to better things and for now next Saturday is the next part of that quest!
What I find most amusing since I’ve started doing this article is the way in which my team mates insist on slagging the living daylights out of me over what I say about them in it but also over the simple fact that I do it. Usually it’s along predictable lines “Did you do your homework yet teacher”? And many other incredibly “original” offerings. However in the last two weeks when I’ve failed to do it, mainly due to the fact that I’d some time off work and it being spring time my father insisted I get out on the farm and do some “real” work I’ve had the last laugh on my colleagues who’s only concern was why I hadn’t yet written the front view and more importantly when I was going to get around to doing it again. So in case you hadn’t already noticed, yes it is true some of our team are incredibly vain and despite all their slagging I know that1) They read this every week and 2) Their little hearts sink a little bit more every time they’re not mentioned. So don’t worry Della I’ll try mention you as much as possible this time, I know you’ve missed me!! So like I mentioned I haven’t kept up to date with my homework lately and when I last spoke to you we’d just suffered the crushing disappointment of a defeat to Queens University in a pivotal promotion head to head. Thankfully since then its been good news on the results front as we’ve consolidated our top four placing with three subsequent wins against Instonians, Co. Carlow and last Saturday against Suttonians. It’s been a particularly satisfying run of results for a number of reasons mainly due to the fact that all three of these are teams which we have lost to in our most recent clashes with them in the past. Such results build the confidence that things are going in the right direction. On the other hand it is important to be realistic and note that in the Carlow game in particular and to a lesser extent against Suttonians last Saturday we created enough try scoring opportunities to have harvested vital try scoring bonus points but on both occasions lacked the killer instinct to drive home those opportunities. Don’t get me wrong we’re delighted to have taken wins against both these teams, particularly having struggled against them in the past, but if we’re to be contending for promotion in times to come these are the small margins we must tighten up. Just as we need to maybe tighten up on our defence and the concession of some soft scores which can have a detrimental effect on our scoring difference, something which could yet be very important in determining final league placings in a few weeks time. Maybe I’m just nit picking but in fairness all year we haven’t shied away from setting our standards highly and with the benefit of hindsight some of these things can really get to you. One only needs to look to Queens and how their bonus point haul has all but nullified the effect of their loss to Midleton earlier in the year to see the value in accumulating as many bonuses as possible. Anyway as the old adage goes all we can do is keep winning and whatever else happens we’ll just hope it works out favourably. Talk of bonus points is pretty futile when you think that what we may have considered a banker for one last week against bottom placed Carlow turned out to be a massive struggle while on the other hand we picked one up against high flying Banbridge earlier in the year when just getting four points was an achievement in itself. Lets be honest looking at our run in and difficult trips to Wanderers and Ards yet to come we’d be getting ahead of ourselves by even entertaining any thoughts of victory let alone picking up bonuses. Staying with more recent events and after making hard work of getting past Carlow last week we were looking forward to returning home and putting a more cohesive performance together on Saturday against Suttonians. After a poor performance by ourselves and a memorable one by the referee (lets not go there) against this team last year we really didn’t lack motivation for this one. Unfortunately due to knocks, work commitments and other issues training in the lead up to it was probably not all that it should have been and this certainly showed in the early stages. While we were first off the mark with a penalty from the aforementioned Della we failed to get any meaningful foothold in Suttonians territory and our sluggishness was soon punished by the Suttonian’s winger, who on receiving the ball thirty metres out, beat Dave Corcoran’s attempted tag… Ahem I mean tackle!! And raced under the posts for the try which was also converted. This did seem to wake us from our sleep, although in a tackle shortly afterwards Dave “Gooby” Walsh was put into an even deeper one by a Suttonians player… Nothing malicious admittedly but enough to finish his game and give him a serious headache so Chi Chi Slattery entered the fray in his place and went on to contribute well as we upped the ante considerably up to half time, threatening their line incessantly and also forcing numerous 5 metre penalties in the scrum which for some unknown reason never resulted in a deserved penalty try. In fact it was only another Delaney penalty kick which we had to show for our efforts at the turnaround. Playing with the strengthening breeze in the second half we enjoyed all the territorial advantage. Strong carrying in the forwards allied to some incisive back play created many opportunities. Unfortunately on more than a few occasions harsh calls for crooked lineout throws and even harsher ones for crooked scrum put –ins led to turnovers at crucial moments. Eventually the pressure did pay off however when repeated drives in the clubhouse corner created a massive overlap which David Delaney, doing his best playground bully impression, decided to totally ignore and stepped inside the cover himself to finish. Rumour has it that he couldn’t let anyone else in on the scoring act just in case he’d be denied Guardian Player of the Week two weeks in a row. We all anxiously await its publication on Wednesday in the hope that it goes to some under fourteen hurler instead… Now that would be some laugh!! We continued to press in the opposition 22 right to the final whistle but alas no further tries came. All the same a 19- 7 win was something we’d gladly have settled for at the outset. Its another two week break now for the Six Nations then a tricky trip up north to face Ards. Our fate is very much in our own hands but we certainly cant afford any slip-ups at this stage so no doubt there’ll be plenty thrown at us in our upcoming training sessions to keep us on our toes. A gentle reminder too to all supporters that our Race night is on this Friday night, all details available on the homepage. We’ve appreciated all the support we’ve got at our games all year but obviously any support for our fundraising is equally important, so do make an effort to come along. David Delaney will be available on the night to sign copies of the Guardian assuming all works out in his favour!
6th March 10 - Ards v Nenagh Ormons Round and round and round we go where we will stop nobody knows!!! This was certainly the theme of the week just gone as we found ourselves on an unwanted tour of lesser spotted Ulster last Saturday morning that quickly turned what had started as a beautiful sunny day into a living nightmare. One of the biggest challenges for southern based clubs playing Division 3 rugby is the relatively high number of Ulster based clubs in the division and the inevitable frequent long haul bus trips that this results in. While these always make for the best nights out après match due to the tendency to “shorten” the journey home with a few pit stops it also presents the biggest challenges in terms of grinding out results as the teams in that part of the world are a) Very strong at home and b) Usually very big and strong physically, a potent mix when facing a smaller team badly drained after a long journey or even worse suffering from a chronic lack of sleep if you were unlucky enough to be rooming with either of our world champion snorers Conor Brislane or Eoin Gardiner the previous night. The key to getting a positive result in these fixtures is getting the preparation spot on. This means mimicking the conditions of home games as much as possible. Getting a good night’s sleep the night before, travelling to the venue early, eating the pre match meal at the right time and so on and so forth. Alter any one of these variables and the result will probably go badly against you. We’ve been lucky that over the course of the years we’ve spent in this division we’ve become familiar with the ins and outs of what’s required to get results. But, as our 4th place position suggests, we are far from the finished article and last Saturday served us a timely reminder of the road we have yet to travel. Getting back to my opening statement however, last Saturday we travelled a lot more roads than we had ever planned to and of all the variables mentioned that one must control going into a game simply went out the window. Of all the clubs we visit in Ulster, Ards have proved a particular bogey team for us. We have never won at their Newtownards home and have only a draw to our credit when facing them at home as well as a bad loss this time last year. Even more curiously, on top of that they have proven to be a particularly difficult club to locate for our bus drivers. On one previous occasion after failing repeatedly to track down the field one driver resorted to hiring a taxi to lead him to the pitch. This time we were all a little edgy when not alone did our driver express his confidence at getting us there on time but he also uttered the dreaded words “I think I know a shortcut” as we pulled out of our overnight stop in Dundalk. What followed was nothing short of a disaster. After leaving at 10.30 from the hotel we took a full three and a half hours to finally locate the pitch, a journey which allegedly should take an hour to ninety minutes to complete. Apart from having to abandon our planned pre match meal, lineout practice and our arrival at the venue much later than we would like, we were all far from mentally tuned in to the game given the fact that our minds were all too focussed on the difficult decision over whether to kill the bus driver, burn his sat- nav or do both simultaneously!! As said results here hinge on small things and having your complete preparation chewed up and spat out by a meandering tour through the highways, by ways and mountain ways of County Down certainly gets you off on the wrong foot. Despite all this we got the game off to a dream start with an early converted try but however much the fact that we led this game at various stages may suggest we were unlucky the opposite is true. Fair enough a dodgy build up and even dodgier referee (Sorry can’t help myself) didn’t help. But this was a simple case of us being far from mentally tuned in and turning in a dud performance up against a simple but very focussed and tough performance that did the job for the home side. Personally, my own performance was, in my eyes at least, shocking. Scrums went wrong, rucks were missed and I think in truth we were all feeling similarly let down when we looked at our individual contributions. They were fighting their way out of relegation woes and full value for their win making us look far from playoff contenders. If that’s what we aspire to then this is simply not good enough. A notable comment was made by one of our members in the aftermath that you learn much more from a defeat than victory. Hopefully this will prove true. We were handed a massive let off when almost all the top half of the league barring Queens also lost on Saturday leaving us still in fourth place and our destiny in our own hands. At least something went right for us on the day. If we learn those hard lessons we can still meet our main targets for the year. At least the fact that our league placing didn’t suffer cheered us up somewhat on the way home. Add to this the latest hilarious visit to the courtroom of Mike “Judge Judy” Kennedy later in the night to punish the crimes of those breaking our increasingly dubious code of conduct (This included the bus driver being fined for getting lost) and the spirits were already recovering by the time we reached home (Without any shortcuts)! The one ever present this year has been the closeness and spirit within the squad and while we have that we can always be confident of turning the bad days like these around. We are back at home to face Rainey in the next game in a few weeks. Recent results suggest they will be a very tricky prospect but we will do everything to be ready and avoid any more experiences akin to last Saturday’s disaster. At least we all know where to find Lisatunny; a good start will be half the battle!!
Way back in the summer (If you could call it that!!) of last year we gathered as a squad and management to plot our objectives for the forthcoming season. Aside from league placing, the number of wins and all the other obvious things that one could discuss, experience in this league had taught us one thing above all else; you cant afford to be too aspirational with your wishes in this division because it is far too competitive. With that in mind we put a little more thought into the goal setting exercise this year. It can be very easy to say “Okay, our goal is promotion”, or “Our goal is to win X number of games”. Trust me we’d done this before and lo and behold by Christmas time each year most if not all of these wishes had been well wiped out. So we brought it back to basics. Having finished either in fifth or sixth in all four of our previous Division 3 campaigns we knew we weren’t far away from what it took to make the leap to the promotion spots. We were also keenly aware that due to poor early season form and more to the point some poor results at home we never really threatened to better our final standing on any of those occasions. Perennial mid- table mediocrity! This year had to be different and so it proved to be. Sorting out our home record was first on the agenda. The key to going anywhere in this league is to first make your home turf impenetrable and we had never maintained an unbeaten home record for any significant length of time since turning senior and that hurt. It hurt us as players, it hurt our supporters who had grown accustomed to the certainty of home results during our latter years in junior rugby and obviously it seriously hurt our chances of ever progressing up the ranks. Key objective for this year therefore “Remain unbeaten at home.” After last Saturday its mission accomplished on that note. Our other main goal was to improve our final league standing on what we had previously achieved. Currently lying in third place and guaranteed to finish no lower than fourth its job done on that count also. So regardless of what happens from here on in we have made significant progress this year and have set ourselves a good base to push on from next year. Obviously we would like to finish out the year on a high though in the upcoming playoffs but that’s a bridge we can cross later. Back to the present and after the Ards travel debacle and the subsequent loss we were obviously in bad need of a win to steady the ship, maintain our playoff push and obviously complete our home record for the year on a high note. Training in the last few weeks has been difficult to say the least. Bodies are tired and some wounded coming to the end of the year. Also the second XV are finished their fixtures and therefore the numbers in attendance are smaller. For my part I’d a knee ligament strain from the Ards match to contend with so it was a course of rebuilding balance exercises in the gym (Difficult!! Heaven knows I’m no Ballerina) rather than work on the pitch for me and the solitary nature of this work just doesn’t get the motivation going in anything like the same way as full on training. Resting a dodgy knee also does very little for your match fitness, even more so when you’re a front rower and haven’t the highest levels of it at the best of times. So while the knee gradually came right in time for Saturday’s game at home to Rainey Old Boys I like many others carrying knocks came into the match probably slightly undercooked. Despite having relatively little to play for Rainey certainly weren’t undercooked and while the game that ensued may not have been so easy on the spectator’s eye it certainly didn’t lack any intensity, physicality of indeed effort from either side. While the dry day made for a pretty frantic pace the sticky ground made for increasingly heavy, tired legs as the game progressed. This led to numerous mistakes probably a few more of them from us than them unfortunately. Numerous times we seemed to have picked the lock of the northerners defence only for poor errors or decision making to cost us. It made it 3-0 in their favour at halftime but we did have a stiff wind to play with in the second half. The turning point came when some very good running from Steve Harvey midway through the half got him through the cover and his pace got him to the line first. It was always looking like the type of game in which a team scoring a try would probably go on and win and we did. David Delaney’s penalty shortly after put sufficient daylight between the teams for some measure of comfort. The Rainey boys kept coming right to the end however and can probably feel slightly aggrieved that a penalty kick at the death that would have been worth a losing bonus to them was not awarded by the touch judges. Final score 11- 3. On the other hand we can take lots of positives. The main one being the way our defensive line remained intact under immense pressure at the death. For the first time our home record is unblemished for the year and finally we can look forward to partaking in the AIL Playoffs for our first time ever. While there were mistakes made we did create plenty of chances and with a renewed hunger for training coming up to the playoffs these things should hopefully iron themselves out. Overall not a bad weeks work at all I reckon and a few extra weeks of the season to look forward to for the first time in a while. Nothing to complain about for once, definitely a change for me!!!
10 April 2010 - Wanderers v Nenagh Ormond So here we are after what seemed like no time at all. The regulation phase of the All Ireland league is over and for the first time since our promotion to senior rugby we now have something extra to look forward to in the shape of the end of season playoffs and with it the chance to garner some silverware for the first time in quite a while. Like I said the season seems to have flown by. I guess it’s hardly surprising, given the relatively successful season we have had, that this has been the case; everything is so much easier when you’re winning. We have all gone through enough losing streaks in previous years, particularly the first half of last season to understand that. But on the other hand such has been the strength and character of the team this year that you cant help but look back on some key games; the away game in Midleton, the infamous Ards experience, the early trip to Portadown, even the victory in Carlow that came without a bonus point; and you get the feeling that despite all we’ve achieved it could’ve been so much more. Even so given that we have never finished higher than fifth in this league previously our third place finish is not to be sniffed at and hopefully the frustrations of those missed opportunities during the year can be channelled into putting up a decent performance in the playoffs, as well as pushing for higher honours next season. For now though we’ll stay with more recent events. As said, the regulation phase of the league is completed and last Saturday saw us play our final match against Wanderers at their Merrion Rd. base. Conditions could not have been any better and with the home side anxious to end their season on a high and ourselves playing to preserve our third place position you got the feeling that this would be a good one. Anyone who was there to see it agreed that this was indeed the case. Many rated it as our best performance all year. In terms of pace, given the dry ground and weather conditions, it was no doubt the quickest game we played all year and frankly the details I can provide are sketchy. I spent most of the game desperately trying to keep up to all the genuinely fit players on both our own team and the opposition gasping for air as I went. Perhaps that will do as an explanation for my outrageously idiotic decision to plant myself on the wing directly before half time deep inside the Wanderers twenty two. Even more outrageously when I found myself in possession moments later I had the temerity to attempt a kick and chase versus at least three much niftier looking Wanderers backs. The result you can imagine was pretty predictable. The ball went dead, allegedly landing somewhere between Portlaoise and Mountrath after flying a long way past its intended target of the Wanderers try line and the half time whistle blew with an extremely red faced prop busily apologising to some indignant team mates. Oh yes by the way we were also five points down at this stage only adding to their ire. The home side were very impressive in possession, not afraid to move the ball from any area of the field and in the early stages they had us very much on the back foot. This play rewarded them with two well taken tries in the first half. However when we did eventually gain possession from some good lineout ball we made some headway of our own, initially through a maul and then through some very direct running, particularly from our back three of Carey, Hermse and Harvey. After suffering hypothermia through lack of possession on numerous wet days throughout the year these boys took to the dry sod with a vengeance and in no time at all we were rediscovering our own attacking mojo. It was end to end stuff as both teams went at it hell for leather and the crowd were loving it. Us heavier boys were cursing it. There were big performances right through the team but special mention has to go to Bryan Williams who reminded everyone of that classic Chumbawumba song when he took off on a run, got knocked down but then got up again, then got knocked down but he got up again (You see where this is going) and made it all the way to the 5 metre line before finally falling over with about five despairing Wanderers players clinging to his heels. After some close in surges by the pack the ball was spun to the opposite wing and big Ger got over for a great score. Our next score came from Trevor Connolly who himself was having one of his best attacking games of the year after some super build up play from Steve Harvey. A 100% kicking return from Dave Delaney ensured we were now in the lead. Not to be outdone the home side pushed hard for a winning score in the last few minutes with some stout defending by ourselves thankfully keeping them at bay. Once again our subs were crucial showing the value of having a good squad not just a starting fifteen. My brother Conor ( Jeez I feel like Paul Wallace analysing David on Sky) was dragged away kicking and screaming from Subway for the afternoon and came on to do a number on the Wanderers scrum which had put us under pressure once or twice. Chi Chi pulled off a crucial turnover when we were under the cosh in the last few minutes and Colm Mc Mahon provided the leadership which all us hot headed youngsters need to close out games. The final big play came from Darren Gallagher who made a superb steal at the final lineout to provide Dave Delaney with the honour of thumping the ball into touch thus ending the game. This was a sweet one as we have let ourselves down a few times too many on the road this year and with all prospective playoff games away from home winning away is something we really have to learn to do. We can now look forward to those playoffs with confidence but as Midleton’s record of only one loss shows they will be hot favourites next Saturday. Nonetheless we will give it everything and hopefully a big travelling support will be there to shout us on. Commiserations to our ladies team who I had the pleasure of assisting this year. They are a super bunch of girls but unfortunately they fell at the final hurdle against Tralee in the All Ireland Bowl final last Saturday. No doubt they’ll be back to finish the job next year. Commiserations also to Johnny Moylan. As he appeared to take all the credit when the girls won the semi last week he can now take the credit for their loss this time around!!! Lets hope he has better luck next weekend given that he’s our coach too. That’s all from me for now I’m off to tend to a severe wooden spoon injury (Damn you Mike Kennedy!!) I can assure you I’ll never kick a ball again.
AIL Div 3 League Semi-final v Midleton - 17 April 2010 Well what a week it’s been; so good in fact that it probably explains that it’s now Wednesday and I’m only getting around to doing this now. Unless you have been living under a rock I’m sure you’re probably well aware by now that last Saturday we qualified for our first final since our promotion to senior rugby and boy was it some day. It seemed there was a Nenagh invasion of Towns Park in Midleton for the day on Saturday and given the sweltering heat that we enjoyed on the day and the undoubted thirst it created, our supporters ensured they were well hydrated, perhaps just not with liquids that the Pioneers would recommend. This made for one hell of an atmosphere which the positive outcome of the game only enhanced and for that I can assure you that we as players are truly grateful. It made for an even more memorable day than the result alone would give us anyway. Roll on the final and more of the same that’s all I can say. Anyway back to the rugby and as expected the ante was upped considerably in training with the prospect of a second bout with Midleton, who had edged us out narrowly earlier in the season to put a major dent in our own promotion aspirations. The commitment of all concerned was top class and without doubt when it came to team selection on Thursday there were some majorly upset guys. Its one thing to miss out on the first XV for any ordinary game but in a door die semi- final it cuts to the bone. Credit to all who had to occupy the dreaded bench positions however as they never dropped the heads and some of the same guys made crucial contributions in Saturday’s game. The build up Saturday morning was nice and relaxed as you would like it to be and thankfully there were no bus mishaps on this occasion as we were reunited with our regular driver Ollie aka Speed limit, what speed limit? This ensured arrival in record time, one feels he could have his own book of records to rival the Guinness version. I would like to mention however that our punctuality was once again hindered by Johnny “I was held up milking” Moylan and his sidekick El Presidenté Gregan. Now they say leadership should come from the top down so it’s just as well we’ve a good captain to make up for them, or more accurately to punish them!!! Each of their late arrivals this year has cost them in the Kangaroo court of the aforementioned captain Mike Kennedy and at this stage we can probably start thinking about a foreign trip with the scale of the fines those two have handed over. Next they’ll be blaming the volcano! By the time kick off came around the heat was incredible for the time of year and in the early stages Midleton certainly seemed to adapt better. They spun the ball from side to side testing our stamina after the journey and eventually the pressure told when their winger touched down in the corner. There was no panic however just a timely realisation that we needed to take the finger out. Very much like last week when we did finally get a hold of the ball all changed rapidly. Some direct running from Trevor Connolly had Midleton backs falling like flies and a solid lineout gave us all the supply of ball he and the other backs needed to make inroads. We were now setting the pace and Midleton seemed to be at odds with it. Regular “injuries” started to arrive to try and stem it but the referee was thankfully having none of it which was fine by us. We pressed and pressed but unfortunately we had only a penalty to show for it. The half time whistle just seemed to come too soon. The game was equally tight in the second half but gradually we started to turn the screw a penalty and drop goal from David Delaney could have been the start of us opening up were it not for our generosity in handing every restart right back to Midleton. In fairness when given the possession they used it well and each time cancelled out our scores. It truly was tit for tat at this point. In the last ten mins Midleton laid siege to our line and forced a number of five metre scrums but despite coming desperately close failed to score. With some dogged defending the ball was turned over and an excellent break from one of those unlucky enough not to start, Mike Fogarty, lifted the pressure and in turn set up what turned out to be the match winning penalty. This time another super sub Mike Slattery calmed all the nerves by excellently claiming the restart and David Delaney put Midleton right back in their own twenty two. It looked like game over, maybe that was our problem because these Midleton boys certainly had other ideas. After working the ball the length of the field it was only another big moment from Mike Fogarty, a last ditch tap tackle,that saved our bacon. This was followed by some more frantic goal line defence. Then; just to test what weak hearts were left ticking, the agonising wait as one last drop goal attempt from ex Munster and current Midleton player Jason Holland floated dangerously for what seemed like an eternity before dropping inches wide. The last few minutes really were that frantic. As the final whistle blew the near exhaustion of the defensive effort in those dying minutes instantly turned to elation and we thoroughly enjoyed the moment with our equally thrilled supporters. In truth they were probably just thrilled their blood pressure didn’t kill them in the closing stages but also given the bad days some of them have seen in Midleton over the years this was a sweet one. Credit to Midleton too, a very solid team who’ve had a great season, earning the big prize of promotion. This one could have gone either way but luckily it was to be our day and with a little luck when the final against Queens comes around in a little over two weeks we can repeat this level of performance and give it a right good lash. A right good lash was something we certainly gave it on the journey home. However for some who upset our esteemed leader Mr. Kennedy it was a more painful lash. As the laws of the Kangaroo court become increasingly far reaching uncooperative singers and serial knockers- on were now added to the charge sheet and given the punishments doled out there are a few certainties to be drawn. Steven Harvey will most likely never drop a ball again, Ger Harmse will sing when asked, John Flynn will learn more than one verse of Old McDonald and most importantly Mike Kennedy should never be allowed teach again!! That’s for another day but for now its time to get back training, let the war wounds heal (Or in some cases the wooden spoon wounds), the hangovers subside and build up for what will be one of the clubs biggest days out yet.
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