Second loss on the trot for Greystones
Second defeat in Div. 2A
GREYSTONES RFC 23 GALWAY CORINTHIANS 28
GREYSTONES are finding the adjustment to life in Division 2A of the Ulsterbank League tougher than they may have anticipated following two defeats in the opening two matches of the season.
Galway Corinthians were the visitors to Dr Hickey Park on Saturday afternoon and came away with a four try bonus point victory leaving the home side with the scant consolation of a losing bonus point on a 23–28 scoreline.
Playing into a strong wind Greystones were the better side in the first half dominating possession and much of the territory. Andrew Kealy deputising as captain for the injured Dan Mannion saw an early attempt at a penalty conversion drift wide but learned from that and used the wind to guide his second kick through the posts to give Greystones a three-point lead after 20 minutes.
Prior to that, hooker Ben Tou was sin binned for a deliberate knock on and Corinthians made the home side pay when they found a gap in the defensive line to run in their first try on 25 minutes.
Greystones responded just two minutes later when Killian Marmion played a neat grubber kick through and gathered his own ball to cross for a try.
The wind once again got the better of the conversion attempt to leave the scores at 8–7 approaching half time.
If the score had remained at that up to the break the course of the game may have been different but an uncharacteristic error by outhalf Marmion allowed Corinthians turn over a loose ball and once again find a gap in the home defence to run in under the posts for a try just before half time.
The pain of that soft concession was still being felt when Corinthians struck a further blow a minute later finding it too easy to exploit gaps in the home defence to run in another soft try leaving the scoreboard 21–8 in favour of the visitors half time.
With the gale force wind now in their backs for the second half Greystones had the advantage of possession and territory but it took until nearly the hour mark for Jack Keating to finally break through to score in the corner, expertly converted by Kealy from the touchline who followed with a penalty soon after to bring Greystones within three points with 10 minutes to play.
Greystones kept the pressure on and looked like the side who would get the next score but it was Corinthians who grabbed it with just a couple of minutes left on the clock.
Applying pressure to the Greystones line they sucked in practically the whole of the Greystones defence in to the contact area leaving the Corinthians back line completely unopposed to coast in for the bonus point try.
With the clock showing eighty minutes Greystones were left to play for a losing bonus point and secured it with a second Keating try taken from close in with the conversion narrowly missed to leave the final score 23–28.
Coach Kevin Lewis won’t accept any excuses for his side’s lapses and will be demanding a greatly improved performance when they visit a Nenagh side that narrowly missed out on promotion to 1B last season.
Despite that Greystones have to be missing some key players currently unavailable due to injury, including Captain Dan Mannion, prolific wing Padraig Geoghegan and centres Con Callan and Craig Hazelton.
The league campaign enters into a short break in two weeks after the trip to Nenagh and hosting Cork side Highfield a week later and Lewis will be hopeful some if not all of his missing players will be available to return to strengthen his squad after the break.
Greystones: Bobby Clancy, Ben Tou, Conor Pearse, Oisin Lennon, John Campbell, Cormac O’Donoghue, Eoin Marmion, Robin O’Sullivan, Andrew Roberts, Killian Marmion, Ferdia Kenny, Michael Kirk, Barry Lynn, Jack Keating, Andrew Kealy (Captain)
Replacements: Michael Douglas, Cian Maguire, Michael Doyle, Jason Curran, Matt O’Brien
Scorers: Keating (2 tries) Marmion (Try) Kealy ( 2 penalties and one conversion)