Clontarf 43 – UCD 19
So, there’s a score line that tells a story!
If you believe that, you’d be way off the mark. It is fair to admit that Clontarf will always pound the opposition for 3/4’s of the match, in the knowledge that when bodies and spirit start to creak, they can lay on heavy for the final quarter and build a score.
The problem with Saturday, on the carpet, was that the home team played like a blinded cyclops for the first half and for much of the second. I think swinging and missing is the baseball description. A frustrating lack of control at key moments inevitably allowed UCD to take advantage and stay in the game. Case in point, at 14 6 to Tarf after 20 minutes Tarf attacked hard down the left hand side and earned a penalty kick which was reversed, by the referee. UCD promptly went to the Tarf line and scored to make the score 14 13. To add insult, they popped over a penalty for a 14 16 lead.
This was a big swing and UCD were worth it, if just for the fact that they were the more accurate side. One positive, if you want it, was that in the penalties we were conceding, none were for a high tackle, that being the referee’s focus in our game last week.
So,14 16 at Half Time and game on!
Well…… maybe not. Minutes into the second half, Tarf hit the bully button and UCD crumpled for a penalty try. Almost immediately the banger brothers were back and Dylan Donnellan was sucked over in the vacuum created by a storming pack. More power saw Dec Adamson in, after Con Kelly was forced to reach for a gather and his momentum smashed a double tackle from UCD, as he careered like a runaway bullock into the UCD 22, where Josh Murphy looked good for the score, but recycled it for success from Deccie at the next phase. Aitzol added another, on the right, after a flowing move from the backs.
So it finished 43 19, having been a lot hairier, at times, than the scoreline would suggest.
Congratulations to the Management team who have steadily built the squad after last year’s retirements and emigrations. It was great to see Ben Griffin back and thumbs up also to the younger crew with Jim Peters, Jack Murphy and Richie Whelan making really strong AIL debuts and Alex Usanov looking every inch a top 4 player with his second half interventions. All these young guys bringing down the average age for Matty!
