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Midleton 3 – Connemara 9

It seemed like a lot to ask to travel to Munster and take on Midleton at home, a team that played in division two last year and are in 10th place on the league table.
The weather seemed for a while like it might again prevent this game going ahead but people had worked hard and there was a great determination on both sides to get on with the business of playing rugby. As it turned out the frosty roads did not materialise and every one arrived safely to Midleton .
The pitch looked good but on closer inspection was quite wet. To add to this the heavy rain started again a few hours before kick off.
As Connemara came off the training pitch before the match it was hard to make out who was who because of the muck.
The match got under way and despite the atrocious conditions the game was played at a good pace. The handling was good, it looked like we were in for a good tight game.
The home team looked the better team in the opening quarter as they played down hill and with the wind. Gradually Connemara settled down and knew this was an opportunity to pick up some away points.
Middleton were rewarded for their early dominance with a penalty which was converted. At this stage it was vital for Connemara in the conditions not to let Middleton gain momentum. This they did with a lot of hard work and lots of big tackles going in.
Connemara were rewarded for their hard work with the rewarding of a penalty which was converted by Troy Nathan. At half time the score was 3-3 with Connemara now playing the better rugby under the conditions.
The second half was all Connemara but the conditions made it difficult to put scores on the board. Middleton made very few trips to the Connemara half of the field. They resorted to giving away penalties to stop Connemara and  this resulted in two converted penalties for Connemara by Troy Nathan which made it 9-3 and a well deserved victory. The first away win since Sundays Well, twelve months ago to the day, or so I have been told. 
This was a great team effort under the conditions and the focus and concentration of the team was excellent under what were difficult conditions. Troy Nathan again showed his ability to kick under pressure and very difficult under foot conditions.
This was a huge team effort and every one played their part.
Another reason for celebration on the day was the return to the bench of Bennie Bester, returning after a pre-season injury which was thought might keep him out for the season.
Best for Midleton was Jason Holland.

Connemara team – Kevin Ward, Tomás King, Emmet Ferron, Aden Kelly, Kevin Keogh, Martin Coyne, Bernard Keaney, Gerard  Burke(Capt), David Keogh, Troy Nathan,  Peter O Toole, Mark Foyle, Paddy O Toole, Alan Keogh, John O’Brien.
Subs – Darragh Sweeney for Aden Kelly 55min, Kevin Barry, Alan Pryce, Sean Joyce, Bennie Bester.

A special word of praise for the supporters that travelled to this game they were worth 3 points to the team on the day and out numbered the home support.
Next Saturday’s game is a big one against Banbridge, a team in 3rd place on the league table. They beat Instonians on Saturday and Instonians had beaten Midleton 78-3.
A big turn out at the Monastery Field on Saturday will be very important if Connemara is to take any points from Banbridge and continue their way up the table. (P. Walsh)

The team to play away to Midleton on 12th January ’08 is as follows:

15 John O’Brien

14 Alan Keogh

13 Paddy O’Toole

12 Mark Foyle

11 Peter O’Toole

10 Troy Nathan

 9 David Keogh

 1 Kevin Ward

 2 Tomás King

 3 Emmet Ferron

 4 Aden Kelly

 5 Kevin Keogh

 6 Martin Coyne

 7 Bernard Keaney

 8 Gerard Burke (Captain)

Replacements:

16 Kevin Barry

17 Alan Pryce

18 Darragh Sweeney

19 Sean Joyce

20 Bennie Bester

Mini rugby training will recommence on Wednesday January 9th 2008 at 6.30pm sharp. Please arrive in plenty time so that  training can start promptly at 6.30. All mini rugby players must wear a gumshield. NO GUMSHIELD-NO GAME!

Connemara 13
Corinthians 8

Connemara Blacks bring early Christmas gift

Connemara gave their season a crucial boost with a narrow but deserved victory over old Galway rivals Corinthians at the Monastery field on Saturday.
The men in  black are used to rising above adversity and they have had their fair share of it at different stages in recent seasons but this was one of those times where they had to stand up and be counted.
That they did despite the fighting spirit of Corinthians they just couldn’t find the scores they needed to reply. Connemara coach Henry O’Toole was understandably proud of his chargers for upholding the impressive record in AIL rugby against Corinthians at the monastery field.
“One thing that was evident was the passion of the team, and in the closing stages  the crowd were really getting behind the lads when they were on the back foot. That’s a huge lift to any team and it makes the difference”.
On the day Connemara played well against a good Corinthians side that gave it everything making the victory all the sweeter.
While this victory was vital it is just the first step up the ladder from the relegation zone. A more important aspect is the restoring of confidence and winning ways. Now they have a small bit of breathing room and a foundation for progress and go on to the Ards match knowing that if they put it together on the day they are a match for most teams in this division.
The backline fielded on Saturday was close to the  strongest with Alan Keogh  back on the wing, new kiwi addition Troy Nathan and out half and a centre partnership of Paddy O’Toole and David Newman. add to that  John O’Brien at full back and the potential was there. More importantly they backed their reputations up with real substances.
Fly half Paddy O’Toole was outstanding in place of the injured Mark Foyle at first centre and his block down of a Nigel Carolan clearance led after a toe poke and a quick recycle to Nathan to score under the posts.
James Buckley replied before the break for a Corinthians side that seemed somewhat surprised at what was going on .Before this match the City side were battling for a top four place and things were not going according to the script.
In the second half Corinthians were solid throughout in the set pieces and good all round the field. Tadgh Linnane’s try early in the second half put them in a winning position.
 In the recent past it was at this stage of the match when Connemara began to ask questions of themselves but not this time and two long range penalties from Troy Nathan sealed the deal for the home side who had the likes of Kevin Ward, Martin Coyne and Bernard Keaney to thank in the pack for a superb display. This was a great display by the pack against a big Corinthians outfit
Henry O’Toole and his team were pleased with the mental strength shown by their squad on this occasion.
“We have suffered a number of narrow defeats in the past twelve months and they can be hard to take. You have to get used to winning games like this. It’s hard to get those defeats out of your mind when the match is the balance in the closings stages but this was a sign that we are starting to do that.To be honest if we had lost here we would have been second from bottom looking over our shoulder and facing a high pressure game against Ards on January 5th. That’s still as big a game as ever of course but this win gives us confidence and breathing space.”

(P. Walshe)