No stopping ARGO!
Sweetman on fire as combined team see off Kilkenny
ARGO KILKENNY 34 5
THERE were scenes of joy at Ashtown Lane last Saturday afternoon when the final whistle sounded to herald the ARGO (Arklow and Gorey combined) under-14 girls as Leinster Development League champions for 2019 after a stunning victory over a gallant Kilkenny outfit.
A huge performance from all of the ARGO side with Emer Sweetman in particular showing her class as she broke through on numerous occasions to rip the Kilkenny defence asunder.
Sweetman’s dominance was made possible by the hard work of her pack and her fellow backs as they toiled hard to keep a strong and physically powerful Kilkenny side under wraps, especially in the first half.
The likes of Erin Doyle, Maya Coyne, ruby Grouse and Gina Sawyer all had excellent games.
This was a massive achievement for the girls as at the start of the season Gorey and Arklow only had four under 14 girls each.
After a slight delay due to an injured ref the game kicked off. Kilkenny started strong with some big carries from their pack but it was the ARGO girls who defended tirelessly and counter attacked and went over three times before half-time to lead 15-0 at the break.
After the break the nerves steadied and the ARGO girls started to play and show their skills with some great attacking play racking up two more tries before Kilkenny got over for a try.
But the ARGO girls were not finished and in the last two minutes they scored again with one of the best passages of play they have played all season.
When the final whistle went there were tears of joy for all the hard work they had put in over the long hard season.
To make things even more memorable, the Ireland’s women’s rugby player and a hero to the girls, Sene Naoupu, presented the medals and cup to them
ARGO: Erin Doyle, Katie Hanley, Paige Howlett, Maya Coyne, Lockie O’Reilly, Heather Falconer, Mary Canavan (capt), Doireann Killoran (capt), Gina Sawyer, Emer Sweetnam, Ruby Grouse, Caoimhe Kelly-Nolan, Sarah O’Brien, Jemma Earle, Mairead Crehan, Sarah Fiztpatrick, Hannah Reynolds.