Munster Junior Cup Round 3, O’Dowd Park, Tralee, Sunday,
31st January 2010
Tralee 15 Clonmel 20 By Alec Kadou
Oftentimes teams learn more in defeat than in victory, and so it should
prove for Tralee following their early exit
from this year’s Munster Junior Cup at O’Dowd Park on Sunday last. Garrett
Walsh, with his enforced, season-ending thumb injury, was sorely missed in both
defence, attack and especially with the dead ball. This, coupled with Tralee giving the visitors an early, near insurmountable
lead, proved to be a very sobering afternoon for the home side.
Clonmel were out of the blocks early and took the lead with a penalty
from the left wing after just a minute. Following sustained Tralee pressure over the next phases, Joe Costello missed left with a penalty after 8
minutes. However Clonmel dominated all the exchanges in the following ten
minutes, scoring 2 converted tries in quick succession, to lead by seventeen
points to nil after barely twenty minutes on the clock. In front of their large
and now very subdued home crowd, Tralee finally shook off their stupor and took the game to their visitors. Chris
Dermody, now on kicking duties, landed three points with a penalty to settle Tralee nerves. However, a further kickable penalty was
missed wide right soon minutes afterwards. To their credit, Tralee ran everything at Clonmel and following an excellent interchange in the backs
between Joe Costello, Andrew Brace and Nessan Crean, the pack powered over in
the right corner with John Gilmartin claiming the try, five minutes before
halftime. By this stage Clonmel were committing numerous offences at the rucks
and around the fringes and though penalised repeatedly by the referee, were
extremely fortunate not to see one of their number sent to the sin bin.
Into the 2nd half, Clonmel extended their lead to twelve
points with a further penalty from an acute angle. Tralee fought back and with the home pack totally dominant in the tight, began to
exert control. A deserved try by Bryan O’Sullivan off a lineout fetch by
Gilmartin, was well converted by Dermody who reduced the deficit to five
points, 20-15, with twenty five minutes remaining.
Tralee introduced a double
substitution to the pack which revitalised the home side who laid siege on the
visitor’s line foe several minutes without success. A dubious penalty to
Clonmel on the line following a home scrum, relieved the pressure on the
visitors, and with it one felt Tralee’s chance
to rescue the match. Clonmel remained in Tralee’s
half for the bulk of the remaining minutes except for a late breakout by Brace,
following a tapped penalty. Tralee’s Captain
Dermot on his return, was excellent at fullback, ably assisted by Nessan Crean
in centre, while John Gilmartin and the entire front row (and substitutes) were
the pick of the pack. One silver lining on an otherwise gloomy day for Tralee
was the loss of near rivals and 3rd placed Cashel, who surprisingly
lost their game in hand away to lowly Crosshaven, whom Tralee entertain in a
vital league game this coming Sunday at O’Dowd Park.
Team: Dermot O’Sullivan, Joe
Costello, Nessan Crean, Nicky Benner, Matt O’Mahony, Chris Dermody, Andrew
Brace, Brendan Culloty, Tim Lane, Daniel Giles, Christian McCarthy, John
Gilmartin, Alan O’Sullivan, Tommy Culloty, Bryan O’Sullivan.
Subs used: Philip Turner,
James O’Brien, Dan O’Connor
