Club Profile: Shannon

…The Shannon team huddle…

SHANNON

Founded: 1884 (Senior Status Achieved In 1953)
Club President: Gerry Ryan
Club Chairman: Pat O’Connor
Main Sponsor: O2 Mobile Communications
Club Captain: Colm McMahon
Head Coach: Mick Galwey
Assistant Coach: Ian Sherwin
First Team Manager: Niall Cowhey
Players Used in 2005/06 League: 34
Full Ireland Players In Squad: 7
Representative Players in 2005/06: 12 (All Munster)
Sets Of Brothers In Squad: The Tuohys (Brian and Mark)
Nominated Foreign Player: None

Final Position In League Series: Fourth
Successive Wins: 7
Defeats In League: 2 – v Garryowen (home), Clontarf (away)
Sunday Games Played: None
Total: Points For: 408; Points Against: 223
Points Differential: +185
Total: Tries For: 46; Tries Against: 24
Tries Differential: +22
Most Points In A Match: 42 (away v St. Mary’s College)
Least Points In A Match: 8 (away v Garryowen)

League Campaign Highs/Lows:

– Winning the play-off final for the third consecutive season, and their eighth League title in all
– Beating Cork Constitution 16-11 in January to record 18 wins on the trot – a new AIB League record
– Finished as the only club to win all their home games (6) in Division One
– Beat all three Ulster clubs and the two Connacht clubs in the 2005/06 season
– Also won the Munster Senior Cup, beating Dolphin 20-16, earlier this season. It was their seventh consecutive Munster Senior Cup crown
– Two Shannon players – David Delaney and Donnacha Ryan – were selected for the Ireland v Scotland AIB Club International last March. Delaney came off the bench to kick a late conversion, but Ryan was forced to pull out beforehand with an injury
– Their Division One final defeat of Clontarf was their 199th All-Ireland League match since October 6, 1990
– Losing at Castle Avenue for the first time in Division One
– Conceding four tries (a bonus point) to Garryowen for the first time in Division One

Individual Feats:

– Centre/winger Andrew Thompson picking up a record eighth AIB League winners’ medal
– Out-half David Delaney kicking more than 100 AIB League points
– Winger Brian Tuohy scoring seven tries for the second season running

Number Of Different Players To Have Scored Tries: 18
Top Points Scorer: David Delaney 118 (2 tries, 18 conversions, 24 penalties)
Top Try Scorer(s): Brian Tuohy 7, David O’Donovan 6

…Shannon captain Colm McMahon gets covered in champagne as he holds the Division One trophy aloft at Lansdowne Road…

All-Time All-Ireland League Record:

Seasons Competing: 16 (All In Division One)
Title Wins: 8 (1994/95, 95/96, 96/97, 97/98, 01/02, 03/04, 04/05, 05/06)
Winning Captains: Pat Murray (2), Conor McDermott, Tom Hayes (2), Anthony Foley, David Quinlan, Colm McMahon
Runners-Up/Beaten Finalists: Once (1991/92)
Semi-Finals Contested: 5 (1997/98, 2001/02, 03/04, 04/05, 05/06)

Total League Matches Played: 199
League Record: Won: 139; Drew: 5; Lost: 55
Total Points Scored: 4308
Points Differential: +1552
Total Tries Scored: 466
Tries Differential: +204
Most Points Scored In A League Match: 70 (away v Old Belvedere 1997/98)
Most Points Conceded In A League Match: 44 (away v Ballymena 2000/01)
Most Tries Scored In A League Match: 10 (away v Old Belvedere 1997/98)
Most Tries Conceded In A League Match: 5 (v Clontarf (twice), v Ballymena, v Lansdowne)
Bonus Points Won: 40 (26 Try BP, 14 Losing BP)
Individual Top Points Scorer: Andrew Thompson 999
Individual Top Try Scorer: John Lacey 45 (including 10 for Sundays Well)
Most Individual Points In A League Match: Andrew Thompson 25 (v UCD 2002/03)
Most Individual Tries In A League Match: Mick Galwey 3 (v Old Crescent 1997/98, David Quinlan 3 (v Lansdowne 2001/02), John Lacey 3 (v Dolphin 2003/04)
100 League Appearances Club: Mick Galwey, Andrew Thompson, John Lacey, Eddie Halvey
Club Ranking In All-Time League: First

2005/06 Performance:

Played: 17; Won: 15; Drew: 0; Lost: 2
Points For: 408 (46 tries, 32 conversions, 35 penalties, 3 drop goals)
Points Against: 223 (24 tries, 11 conversions, 24 penalties, 3 drop goals)
Bonus Points Won: 4 (all Try BP)
Top Points Scorer(s): David Delaney 118 (2 tries, 18 conversions, 24 penalties), Andrew Thompson 77 (3 tries, 13 conversions, 11 penalties, 1 drop goal)
Total Tries Scored: 46 (32 by backs, 14 by forwards)
Tries Converted: Shannon – 32 conversions out of 46; Opponents – 11 conversions out of 24

Try Scorers:
7 – Brian Tuohy
6 – David O’Donovan
4 – Eoin Cahill, Sean Cronin, Mossie Lawlor
3 – Donnacha Ryan, Andrew Thompson
2 – Ian Dowling, David Keane, Frankie McNamara, David Delaney
1 – Colm McMahon, Johnny O’Connor, Frankie Roche, Les Hogan, Fionn McLoughlin, Pat O’Connor, Tony Buckley

Penalty Goals Kicked By Shannon: 35; Penalty Goals Conceded: 24

For an in-depth look at the Shannon Team click here.