Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B: Round 3 Review

Wanderers continue to lead the way at the top of Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B, following their third straight bonus point win. Skerries are close behind them in second place, having pipped Dungannon to maintain their winning form.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 2B:

Saturday, October 5 –

DUNGANNON 21 SKERRIES 22, Stevenson Park
Scorers: Dungannon: Tries: Ryan Abernethy, James Gamble, Peter Cashel; Cons: Ben McCaughey 3
Skerries: Tries: Taidgh Keane Boylan, David Goodman, Mikey Sherlock; Cons: Ronan Mulcahy 2; Pen: Ronan Mulcahy
HT: Dungannon 7 Skerries 10

Mikey Sherlock’s last gasp try staged a remarkable late comeback for Skerries to edge Dungannon 22-21 in a thrilling clash at Stevenson Park.

Dungannon got off to a flying start with Ryan Abernethy crossing for a try in the 2nd minute, and Ben McCaughey converting to give the home side an early 7-0 lead.

Skerries responded in the 20th minute when Taidgh Keane-Boylan powered over for a try, converted by Ronan Mulcahy, levelling the score at 7-7. Mulcahy added a penalty in the 36th minute to send Skerries into the halftime break with a slender 10-7 advantage.

Dungannon came out strong in the second half, with James Gamble scoring in the 44th minute and McCaughey adding the extras to reclaim the lead at 14-10.

Moments later, Peter Cashel dotted down in the 49th minute, with another McCaughey conversion pushing Dungannon ahead 21-10.

However, Skerries kept themselves in the game and produced a late surge. David Goodman scored in the 77th minute, with Mulcahy converting to cut the deficit to 21-17. Then, in the dying moments, Sherlock crossed the line in the 80th minute, completing a dramatic turnaround.

DUNGANNON: Ben McCaughey; Aaron Nelson, James Girvan, Kyle Gormley, Peter Cashel; Andrew McGregor, Toby Gribben; James Gamble, Ryan Abernenthy, Sean O’Hagan, Callum Johns, Cameron Steenson, Billy Allen, Adam Milligan, James McMahon (capt).

Replacements: Daniel Mikolajczyk, Adam Edgar, David Leyburn, Stephen Todd, Alex Johnston.

SKERRIES: Ronan Mulcahy; Taidgh Keane Boylan, Luke Mitchell, Mikey Sherlock, David Goodman; Paul O’Loghlen, John Healy; Trevor Scuffil, Kieran Leonard (capt), Tomás O’Donovan, Sam Deering, Cian McGuinness, Alex Cleary, Darragh McEneaney, Peter O’Neill.

Replacements: Johnny Sherwin, Ben McKiernan, Patrick Finn, Shane Hannon, Jack Litchfield.

GALWEGIANS 21 CLOGHER VALLEY 22, Crowley Park
Scorers: Galwegians: Tries: Oisin Halpin, Finn Treacy 2; Cons: Stephen Mannion 3
Clogher Valley: Tries: Aaron Dunwoody, Matthew Bothwell, Kyle Cobane; Cons: David Maxwell 2; Pen: David Maxwell
HT: Galwegians 0 Clogher Valley 10

It was late drama in Crowley Park as Clogher Valley snatched a dramatic win over Galwegians courtesy of a last-gasp Kyle Cobane try converted by David Maxwell.

Clogher Valley dominated the first half, with David Maxwell slotting a penalty in the 16th minute to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. Right before the break, Aaron Dunwoody powered over for a try in the 40th minute, and Maxwell added the conversion, extending Clogher Valley’s lead to 10-0 at halftime.

Galwegians came to life in the second half, starting with a burst of scoring in the final quarter. Oisin Halpin crossed the line in the 63rd minute, followed by a conversion from Stephen Mannion to make it 10-7.

Finn Treacy then scored back-to-back tries in the 68th and 71st minutes, both converted by Mannion, turning the game on its head and giving Galwegians a 21-10 lead.

Clogher Valley refused to go quietly, and Matthew Bothwell’s try in the 52nd minute had already kept them in touch.

But it was the late drama in the 80th minute that sealed the win, as Kyle Cobane dived over for a crucial try, bringing Clogher Valley within one point. Maxwell, calm under pressure, slotted the conversion in stoppage to secure the dramatic win.

GALWEGIANS: Darragh Kennedy; Oisin McKey, Cian Brady, Stephen Mannion, Finn Treacy; Ryan Roche, Andrew Sherlock; Jack Winters (capt), Ryan Smith, Kobi Joyce, Rob Holian, Gonzalo Alvarez, Oisin Halpin, Dylan Keane, Éanna McCarthy.

Replacements: Eoin Ferry, Guerschom Mukendi, Bobby Power, Paddy Dolphin, Cameron Carruthers.

CLOGHER VALLEY: Ewan Haire; Karl Bothwell, Paul Armstrong (capt), Luke Russell, Taine Haire; David Maxwell, Matthew Bothwell; Michael Treanor, Aaron Crawford, Neil Henderson, Joel Busby, Matthew Wilson, David Stinson, Callum Smyton, Jamie Allen.

Replacements: Aaron Dunwoody, Kyle Cobane, Eugene McKenna, Richard Primrose, Michael Bothwell.

MALAHIDE 39 SLIGO 35, Estuary Road
Scorers: Malahide: Tries: Sam Lindeman 2, Tom Hogan, Daniel Hayes, Bradley Nealon; Cons: David O’Halloran 4; Pens: David O’Halloran 2
Sligo: Tries: Kuba Wojtkowicz, Darragh Feehily, Will Whelan, 2 Penalty tries; Cons: Euan Brown 3, 2 Pen try cons
HT: Malahide 29 Sligo 14

Bradley Nealon’s stoppage time try secured a dramatic late turnaround win for Malahide as they moved out of the relegation zone following their first win of the season.

Malahide started strongly, with Sam Lindeman scoring two early tries in the 4th and 15th minutes, both converted by David O’Halloran, giving the hosts a 14-0 lead. O’Halloran added a penalty in the 17th minute to extend the lead to 17-0.

Sligo fought back, with Jakub Wojtkowicz scoring a try in the 28th minute, converted by Euan Brown, to bring the score to 17-7. Malahide responded quickly with Tom Hogan’s try in the 30th minute, pushing their advantage to 24-7.

Malahide continued to press, and Daniel Hayes crossed over in the 37th minute, the bonus point secured increasing the margin to 22 points. Sligo received a penalty try in first-half stoppage time, cutting the deficit to 29-14 at the break.

However, Sligo mounted a fierce comeback in the second half. Darragh Feehily’s 64th-minute try, followed by another penalty try in the 69th minute, and a Will Whelan try in the 75th minute, and two conversions by Brown, saw Sligo surge ahead 35-32.

A 57th minute penalty from O’Halloran did extend the hosts lead prior to that comeback.

With time running out, Malahide needed a miracle and they found it in the dying moments. Bradley Nealon scored a try deep in stoppage time, and O’Halloran nailed the crucial conversion to secure a thrilling 39-35 victory for Malahide.

MALAHIDE: Edward Weaver; Daniel Hayes, David O’Halloran, Tom Hogan, Sam Lindeman; Michael Hanley, Conrad Daly; Sam McCoy, Lee Byrne, James Hurley, Simon Burke, James Doyle, Lee O’Grady, Joe Cronin, Marc Kelly (capt).

Replacements: Michael Tyrrell, Daniel Grobler, Richie McHugh, Ross MacGoey, Bradley Nealon.

SLIGO: Euan Brown; Will Whelan, Brendan Cunningham, Daire Byrne, Darragh Feehily; Stewart Cruden, Otenili Tuipulotu; Kuba Wojtkowicz; Matthew Earley (capt), Conán O’Donnell, Eoin Ryan, Archie MacLean, Ambrose Bamber, James O’Hehir, Fintan Crawley.

Replacements: Benjamin Hynes, Tom Gormley, Aidan Healy, Ciaran Cummins, Earl Norris.

MALONE 14 WANDERERS 35, Gibson Park
Scorers: Malone: Tries: Davy McMaster, Michael Melville; Cons: Matty Rae 2
Wanderers: Tries: Caomhán Brennan, Fionn Finlay, JJ McIlwrath, Peter McDermott, Ben Leahy; Cons: Cathal MacGearailt 5
HT: Malone 14 Wanderers 21

Wanderers produced a dominant second-half display to record their third straight maximum win of the new season to sit atop the 2B standings after the opening block of games.

Malone started brightly, with Davy McMaster crossing for a try in the 11th minute, converted by Matty Rea to give the hosts a 7-0 lead. Wanderers responded in the 21st minute when Caomhan Brennan scored their first try, with Cathal MacGearailt adding the conversion to level the game at 7-7.

Wanderers quickly found their rhythm, with Fionn Finlay scoring in the 34th minute, followed by another MacGearailt conversion.

Although Malone struck back through a try from Michael Melville in the 30th minute, converted by Rea to level the score at 14-14, JJ McIlwraith’s try deep into first-half stoppage time and MacGearailt’s reliable boot gave Wanderers a 21-14 lead at halftime.

The second half saw Wanderers take full control. Peter McDermott crossed for the bonus point try in the 48th minute, and MacGearailt once again added the extras, extending their lead to 28-14.

Ben Leahy’s try in the 70th minute, followed by MacGearailt’s fifth successful conversion of the day, sealed the 35-14 victory for Wanderers.

MALONE: Matty Smyth; Michael Melville, Davy McMaster, Jack McMurtry, Harry Hughes; Matty Rae, Max Baines; Ben Halliday, Dan Kerr, Ricky Greenwood, Callum Knox, Adam McNamee, Jacob Edwards, Dave Cave (capt), Ross Todd.

Replacements: Sam Green, Bailey Young, Tiernan Thornton, Dara Gaskin, Michael Lawton.

WANDERERS: Jamie Murphy; Caomhán Brennan, Mick McGrath, James Moriarty, Michael Carroll; Cathal MacGearailt, Peter McDermott; Sean Goodburn, Jamie Kavanagh, Fionn Finlay, Mark O’Reilly, Geoff Mullan (capt), Connor O’Brien, Brian Vaughan, JJ McIlwrath.

Replacements: Billy McVann, Rob Scully, Ben Leahy, Adam McAuliffe, Alex Walsh.

UL BOHEMIAN 17 RAINEY 15, UL 4G pitch
Scorers: UL Bohemian: Tries: Alan Kiely, Kian Regan; Cons: Oisin Fagan 2; Pen: Oisin Fagan
Rainey: Tries: Jody McMurray, Andrew Brown; Con: Scott McLean; Pen: Scott McLean
HT: UL Bohemian 3 Rainey 7

UL Bohemian pulled off a thrilling late comeback to defeat Rainey, Kian Regan’s try converted by Oisin Fagan the major turning point to record a second win of the season for The Red Robins.

The game began cautiously, with UL Bohemian taking an early 3-0 lead through an Oisin Fagan penalty in the 3rd minute. Rainey responded in the 21st minute with a try from Jody McMurray, converted by Scott McLean, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead heading into halftime.

In the second half, Rainey extended their lead to 12-3 with Andrew Brown crossing for a try in the 56th minute. A McLean penalty in the 61st minute further stretched the advantage to 15-3, leaving UL Bohemian with an uphill battle.

However, the hosts mounted a remarkable comeback in the final quarter. Alan Kiely scored a crucial try in the 64th minute, converted by Fagan, to narrow the deficit to 15-10.

Then, in the 77th minute, Kian Regan crashed over for a dramatic try, with Fagan calmly slotting the conversion to put UL Bohemian ahead 17-15.

Rainey pushed hard for a response in the dying moments, but UL Bohemian’s defence held firm to secure a hard-fought victory, sealed by Fagan’s flawless kicking and a determined late surge from the home side.

UL BOHEMIAN: Seamus Lyne; Liam O’Shanahan, Killian Dineen, Paul Clancy, Matt Sheahan; Oisin Fagan, Luca Cleary; Kean Sheehy, Darren Ferrar, Kian Regan, Jack Foley, Padraic Galvin, Lochlann Kelleher, Sean Quirke, Liam Neilan (capt).

Replacements: Matt Henry, Jack Ryan, Michael Dorgan, Alan Kiely, Joe Johnson.

RAINEY: Killene Thornton; Ross McLaughlin, Damien McMurray, Andrew Brown, Scott McLean; Jack Hardy, Ryan Davies; Andrew Nevin, Daniel O’Neill (capt), Aidan McSwiggan, Adam Montgomery, Diarmuid Devlin, Michael McCusker, Mark Lee, Jody McMurray.

Replacements: Deaglan McErlean, Lee Montgomery, Tom Hutchinson, Joel Bell, Jim McCartney.