It is hard not to have a deal of sympathy for the Clontarf squad after this effort on a windy Friday night in Castle Avenue. In contrast to the recent fixture in Templeville Road Clontarf pretty much got the tactics correct with some judicious use of the high ball which had Marys scrambling on numerous occasions.
Unfortunately Clontarf were unable to maintain accuracy and control when required and turned over an awful lot of ball in a first half which they dominated in terms of possession. In the end the key score came from a mistake at a Clontarf scrum in the Marys half which saw the ball kicked into the Marys pack resulting in a breakout, pressure in the Tarf 22, and a try to Rob Sweeney. In tight games control of possession is crucial and up against a lighter but technically proficient St Mary’s fifteen mistakes were punished with loss of ground and worse.
Credit to the home side for sticking to the task and eventually taking it right to the finish where, for about the fifth time this season, the game came down to the last kick.
Credit also to Mary’s for making their defence pay, particularly in the first 10 minutes, when they repelled three successive Clontarf mauls from their line.
We now have a two week break and then will welcome Shannon to Castle Avenue.