Club Profile: Clonakilty

IrishRugby.ie profiles the AIB League Division Three play-off champions Clonakilty.

…The Clonakilty squad celebrate with the Division Three trophy after their 19-12 final win over Suttonians at Lansdowne Road last weekend…

CLONAKILTY

Founded: 1972 (Won the 2000/01 All-Ireland League Round Robin Series To Make The Senior Grade)
Club President: Kevin Dillon
Club Chairman: Vacant
Main Sponsor: Clonakilty Black Pudding
Club Captain: Derek Dillon
Head Coach: Declan Coppinger (Player-Coach)
Assistant Coach: Derek Dillon
First Team Manager: Barry McAdam
Players Used in 2005/06 League: 25
Full Ireland Players In Squad: None
Representative Players in 2005/06: None
Sets Of Brothers In Squad: Six (The Coppingers (from Skibbereen), the Knowles, the Dillons (sons of the President Kevin), the Kirbys, the Murphys, the Hartes)
Nominated Foreign Player: Gary Cribb (New Zealand)

Final Position In League Series: First (Promoted)
Successive Wins: 6 (twice)
Defeats In League: 2 – v Suttonians (away), v Bruff (home)
Sunday Games Played: None
Total: Points For: 418; Points Against: 182
Points Differential: +236
Total: Tries For: 62; Tries Against: 16
Tries Differential: +46
Most Points In A Match: 49 (home v Portadown)
Least Points In A Match: 10 (home v Skerries)

League Campaign Highs/Lows:

– Won first ever Division Three title, earning promotion to Division Two after five seasons in the third tier
– Winning six games on the trot on two occasions during the campaign
– Produced the biggest tries differential (+43) across all three divisions at the end of the regulation League phase
– Collected the most bonus points (9) in Division Three; scored the most points (375) and tries (57) and conceded the least points (167) and tries (14) in Division Three
– Include in their panel five players who have previously represented Ireland at Youths level
– Always bring rings of black pudding to the clubs they visit in the AIB League
– Suffered an 11-point defeat away to Suttonians, their opponents in the final, during the League campaign

Individual Feats:

– Winger Noel O’Sullivan scored the most tries (17) in Division Three and also got a hat trick against Portadown
– New Zealand-born out-half Gary Cribb scored points in all bar one game
– Winger John O’Donnell scored a hat trick of tries against Ards

Number Of Different Players To Have Scored Tries: 16
Top Points Scorer: Gary Cribb 120 (3 tries, 30 conversions, 14 penalties, 1 drop goal)
Top Try Scorer(s): Noel O’Sullivan 17, Derek Dillon 9

…Clon team mates Gary Cribb and David Lombard celebrate at headquarters…

All-Time All-Ireland League Record:

Seasons Competing: 5 (All In Division Three)
Title Wins: 1 (2005/06)
Winning Captain: Derek Dillon
Semi-Finals Contested: 2 (2004/05, 05/06)

Total League Matches Played: 81
League Record: Won: 48; Drew: 8; Lost: 25
Total Points Scored: 1550
Points Differential: +370
Total Tries Scored: 186
Tries Differential: +62
Most Points Scored In A League Match: 49 (home v Portadown 2005/06)
Most Points Conceded In A League Match: 43 (away v Greystones 2004/05)
Most Tries Scored In A League Match: 9 (away v Portadown 2005/06)
Most Tries Conceded In A League Match: 5 (on three occasions)
Bonus Points Won: 28 (18 Try BP, 10 Losing BP)
Individual Top Points Scorer: Gary Cribb 340
Individual Top Try Scorer: Noel O’Sullivan 37
Most Individual Points In A League Match: Gary Cribb 18 (v Skerries 2003/04)
Most Individual Tries In A League Match: Noel O’Sullivan 3 (v Queen’s University 2002/03), Noel O’Sullivan 3 (v Portadown 2005/06), John O’Driscoll 3 (v Ards 2005/06)
100 League Appearances Club: None
Club Ranking In All-Time League: 41st

2005/06 Performance:

Played: 17; Won: 15; Drew: 0; Lost: 2
Points For: 418 (62 tries, 29 conversions, 15 penalties, 1 drop goal)
Points Against: 182 (16 tries, 9 conversions, 27 penalties, 1 drop goal)
Bonus Points Won: 9 (8 Try BP, 1 Losing BP)
Top Points Scorer: Gary Cribb 120 (3 tries, 30 conversions, 14 penalties, 1 drop goal)
Total Tries Scored: 62 (45 by backs, 17 by forwards)
Tries Converted: Clonakilty – 29 conversions out of 62; Opponents – 9 conversions out of 16

Try Scorers:
17 – Noel O’Sullivan
9 – Derek Dillon
7 – Declan Coppinger
6 – John O’Donnell
3 – Gary Cribb, Darragh Lynch, Lenny Harte, Paul Dillon
2 – Alfie Harte, Colin Murphy, Eoin Scannell
1 – David Lombard, Dan Whelton, David Cookson, Ray Coppinger, Eddie Knowles

Penalty Goals Kicked By Clonakilty: 15; Penalty Goals Conceded: 27