Dundalk girls summon up strong finish

CILL DARA DUNDALK 14 29

SEVENTEEN unanswered points in the second half helped Dundalk U-16 girls overcome hosts Cill Dara in their Leinster Division 1 League clash - their first game of 2018.

Conditions in Kildare were blustery and bitterly cold, but the sun was shining and the pitch was in good condition and in front of their own supporters Cill Dara started the game with confidence.

With the wind behind them they kicked for territory, forcing Dundalk to play and defend in their own 22. Dundalk found it difficult to get into their stride, making numerous ball handling errors, and they were penalised for a number of high tackles.

The home side’s first try of the game, which was converted, came in the 16th minute, but from the restart Dundalk put together a couple of good phases be- fore Caoimhe O’Callaghan found space to get over the line.

Amy Turley’s conversion levelled the scores, but not for long as Cill Dara responded with another converted try.

The five minutes leading up to half-time became a battle between the forwards and Dundalk started to fight back at the breakdown, turning over Cill Dara ball. From there, Dundalk fly half Amy Turley sprinted away, with a Cill Dara defender on her heels, and managed to ground the ball at the corner post - Cill Dara 14 Dundalk 12 at the break.

In the second half forwards Miriam O’Callaghan, Guoda Usaite, Erin Casey and Amy McGeough put in a brilliant effort, securing the ball in the ruck and allowing Dundalk retain possession.

Their next try was made by number eight Amy McGeough who, after some great combined forward play, smashed her way forward through the Cill Dara defence to ground the ball on the try-line, putting Dundalk 17-14 ahead. line but

The frustration of the home side was beginning to take its toll, and with the penalty count racking up Dundalk took advantage to run the ball forward effectively, finding the opposition’s weaknesses and breaking the defensive line.

The away side played some great rugby, with their support play and defensive tackling superb and their fourth try was scored by Caoimhe O’Callaghan who side-stepped her way clear and grounded the ball on the line with three defenders on her heels.

Coaches Suzanne Flynn and Linda Valentine enthused about their team’s great teamwork as the ball was spread wide and a number of clean breaks were made.

The icing on the cake was Dundalk’s final score, a first-ever try for their speedy winger - and newest recruit - Nina Hjalmers. DUNDALK: Aoife Bermingham, Amy Turley, Caoimhe Conroy, Holly McEntaggart, Caoimhe O’Callaghan, Nina Hjalmers, Aoife Purcell, Bronagh Hughes; Guoda Usaite, Miriam Finnegan, Grace Cranny, Erin Casey, Sinead Fee, Amy McGeough. DUNDALK/ARDEE Under-18s came out on the wrong side of the result in their Metro League clash away to Clontarf but still produced a terrific display.

The combined side travelled down the M1 hoping to capitalise on their win the previous week and in the early stages they were the dominant force, with centre David Murdock giving them an early lead with a try as a sea of red and blue chased him all the way to the corner.

The score was expertly converted by Gavin Farrell from a difficult angle and despite being up against a very strong Clontarf side and having lost some key players to injury during the week, Dundalk/ Ardee continued to impress in the first half, leading for much of it.

However, the defence were tested at every oppor- tunity in the second half as Clontarf came at them in a fast-paced and physical encounter.

The visitors did score a second try when Cathal Purcell made a blistering run into Clontarf territory and gave a superbly executed pass to hooker Zak Coan who crossed the line.

Murdock then followed through on a kick and with his pacy movement beat his opposition to ground the ball for another touchdown.

Ultimately it was an in vain as Clontarf emerged victorious, but it was still a terrific display of rugby by Dundalk, with some outstanding performances from both the forwards and backs.

The character which these players showed in the face of adversity is testament to their strength of character and the hard work from the start of the season which has been done by their coaching team Conor and Kieran.