Tullamore close out Skerries to make it six wins in AIL

Tullamore can be very pleased with their win at home to Skerries on Saturday. The win puts them 5 points clear of Skerries who rest in third place. Instonians won again with a bonus point, which means that they have 35 points out of a possible 35.

All-Ireland Rugby League Division 2C

Tullamore 18

Skerries 16

Tullamore opted to play against the wind in the first half. The breeze was very string and blew straight down the field. From the kick off, Tullamore made failed to deal with looping ball and gave away a penalty. Moments later they found themselves under the posts due to the visitors crashing over the whitewash from the resulting lineout. They conceded again soon after when the home side were adjudged to collapse a scrum.

Tullamore were forced to carry the ball from deep on account of the wind, and expended a massive amount of energy trying to build from deep. The pack worked tirelessly and Tullamore rotated early through Barry Bracken, Steven Joyce and Cathal Feighery. Skerries pinned Tullamore with every opportunity, and eventually won another penalty at the breakdown. The penalty was again converted which brought the score to 13-0 after 30 minutes.

Tullamore began to show conviction and took a hold of the game. Conor Dunne slotted a penalty with minutes remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 10 points.

It was very much a game of two halves, and Tullamore almost immediately pounced after the break. Barry Bracken and Brian Geraghty linked very well from a clearance kick to build close to the 22 metre line. The ball found its way to Conor Dunne. Dunne popped the ball to Eoin Farrell who steamed into contact, he found a soft shoulder and popped the ball to Brian Geraghty. Brian then cooly drew the last defender to send Conor Dunne over the line. Dunne converted the score to 13-10.

Tullamore began to knock the ball long and put Skerries under massive pressure. Tullamore carried around the corner and worked their way to the 10 metre line. Karl Dunne spotted space out wide and whipped the ball to Liam Farrell. Liam then linked with Brian Geraghty who in turn put Sean McCabe into space. McCabe made it to the try line but was held up short. Christopher Whittle made a great run to support Sean. When Sean was tackled, Whittle picked the ball and jumped over the line to give Tullamore the lead. Skerries and Tullamore traded penalties after this period and the score remained the same for the remainder of the game.

Skerries made life very hard for Tullamore in the remaining minutes of the game, and nearly won the tie with 2 late penalty efforts. The wind was very strong however and both strikes were way off the mark. Gavan Kelly, Matt Murphy, Alan Douglas and Liam Farrell all had fine games for Tullamore. Cathal Feighery won the man of the match award for his excellent defensive display and his precision throws in the line out.

Tullamore will now travel to Bangor this weekend for a 2.30pm kick off. Bangor rest in 4th place and are in a strong position on the table. 

1. Matt Murphy, 2. Mark Kennedy, 3 Cathal Behan, 4. Alan Douglas, 5. Gavan Kelly, 6. Jack Delahunt, 7. Scott Milne, 8. Chris Whittle, 9. Sam Burns, 10. Karl Dunne, 11. Sean McCabe, 12. Conor Dunne, 13. Eoin Farrell, 14. Liam Farrell, 15. Brian Geraghty. Substitutions: Cathal Feighery for Behan – 20mins, Barry Bracken for Delahunt – 20mins, Steven Joyce for McCabe – 20mins, Craig Strong for Burns - 60mins