AIL Division 1A Round 1

(H-T Nenagh Ormond 6 Old Belvedere 3)

New Ormond Park

Referee Padraic Reidy

Report by Mike McMahon

A disappointing start to life in division 1A for Nenagh Ormond as they came up second best to a steely Old Belvedere side who made the most of their limited opportunities and showed huge resilience in defence.

The Dubliners were the only side to beat Nenagh both home and away last season on their way to the division 1B title but both games were highly competitive and if anything, the home side were slight favourites to get their season off to a winning start.

Playing against the prevailing breeze in the opening half, Nenagh started brightly and were camped in opposition territory for long periods, coming close on numerous occasions but unable to break down a well organised and physical Belvedere defence.

The first such period of home pressure finally yielded a score through a Conor McMahon penalty on 9 minutes but it took another 25 minutes before Nenagh managed to add to their tally through another McMahon penalty in what was becoming a real arm wrestle of a contest. Belvedere out half David Wilkinson knocked over a straightforward 3 pointer just before the break to leave the half-time score at 6-3 to the home side.

With the elements now favouring Nenagh, most money would have been on them to take control but instead it was the visitors who put together an impressive 3rd quarter in which they dominated possession and scored 2 tries through Will McDonald and Luke McLaughlin to take a commanding 17-6 lead.  A further penalty by David Wilkinson stretched that lead to 14 points.

Now under serious pressure, the home side responded well and set up a couple of very promising attacking mauls close to the line only to be denied again by excellent Belvedere defence. Nenagh finally broke through with 5 minutes remaining when substitute Derek Corcoran ran a sublime attacking line to scythe through the defensive cover and touch down under the posts. Conor McMahon added the extras.

With the gap now only 7, hopes were high for a trademark Nenagh Ormond late comeback but these were dashed shortly after when Wilkinson nailed a difficult penalty into the breeze to take his side 10 points clear and not only seal the game but also deny the home side a losing bonus point.

Ormond will need to pick themselves up quickly before they make their first of six trips to the capital next week, where they will face UCD in round two.

 Scorers: Nenagh Ormond: Tries: Derek Corcoran; Con: Conor McMahon; Pen: Conor McMahon x 2
Old Belvedere: Tries: Will McDonald, Luke McLaughlin; Cons: David Wilkinson x 2; Pens: David Wilkinson x 3

NENAGH ORMOND: 15. Aaron Kelly, 14. Matt Brice, 13 Conor McMahon, 12. Angus Blackmore, 11. Conor O’Shaughnessy, 10. Oscar Davey, 9. Luke Kerr, 1. Mikey Doran, 2. Dylan Murphy, 3. Darragh McSweeney, 4. Jake O’Kelly, 5. Kevin O’Flaherty (c), 6. Rob Buckley, 7. John Healy, 8. John O’Flaherty.

Replacements: 16. Robbie Tynan, 17. Niall O’Gorman, 18. Kevin Seymour, 19. Joe Coffey, 20. Nicky Irwin, 21. Derek Corcoran.

Old Belvedere: 15. Morgan Meredith, 14. Jack Keating, 13. Jayden Beckett, 12. Justin Leonard, 11. Andre Ryan, 10. David Wilkinson, 9. Christopher O’Connor, 1. Hugh Flood, 2. Calum Dowling, 3. Ryan McMahon, 4. Fionn McWey, 5. Eddie Rees, 6. Patrick Dowling, 7. Ronan O’Sullivan, 8. Will McDonald.

Replacements: 16. Luke McLaughlin, 17. Hugo O’Malley, 18. Thomas Connolly, 19. George Methven, 20. Saul Fitzpatrick, 21. Joseph White.