Mannion’s charges aim to put title disappointment behind them as they prepare for Rainey play- off

WINNING the league may very well have been the target for Ross Mannion and his Sligo RFC players, but there’s no time to sit around licking wounds.

Having finished second in the league following the defeat to Navan, Sligo will now enter a play- off game against Rainey for promotion.

The winners of that game will go on to play the winners of Tullamore versus Bective Rangers in the promotion/ relegation play- off final.

With just a few days to prepare for the game, Mannion is hopeful that his players can put their disappointment and hurt behind them.

“We’re obviously disappointed but we have to re- group now we have a big game against Rainey this weekend and there’s no time to wallow. We have to target promotion. Winning the league was obviously our ultimate goal but we have to go and forget about that game.

“We have a couple of injury worries but it’s to get the lads over it all mentally that’s the big thing. Rainey knew for a while that they would be in the play- offs so they have been able to prepare for that, they’ll be at full strength. We have home advantage. The lads are young so I’m sure they will be able to bounce back, they have a really good attitude like that,” he told The Sligo Champion.

Beating the league leaders, and the now champions, Navan was never going to be easy. In order to actually win the league, Sligo needed to beat them by at least eight points.

“We knew the game against Navan was going to be tough, I do think we could have won but we needed to win by eight and that might have been a push,” said Mannion.

“There were opportunities we should have taken and there were three or four times when wingers could have gone on the attack but instead came back in to the middle to support and there’s nothing wrong with that either.

“It’s the small decisions that can ultimately cost you in the end.”

He has believed in his players all along and that doesn’t stop ahead of their meeting with Rainey.

“The game this weekend is about winning and not about how many points you win by or bonus points or that. The lads will be up for it and I fully believe we can win.”

An injury to Shane O’Hehir on Saturday was big blow, and Man- nion does have a couple of injury worries ahead of Saturday’s game.

“Shane O’Hehir was injured in the first two minutes, he went over on his ankle but nothing is broken so we’re just waiting to see with the physio if it’s ligaments or anything like that.

“Shane’s the key cog in the wheel when it comes to set pieces, scrummage, line- outs and that.

“But his brother James came on, and he’s just back from a bad injury himself. He’s been playing with the development squad for a while now.”

There has been huge support for Sligo RFC this year during their Divison 2C campaign, and Mannion is hopeful that it will continue this Saturday at Hamilton Park.

“The support we had in Navan was huge. There was two or three underage teams who travelled, and their families and all came along. There was two coaches of supporters then, that was brilliant. I think it was evenly balanced in terms of the support. That was fantastic for us.

“This weekend we’re at home and we’re hoping for a huge crowd to get behind the lads. If we win that then we have to wait and see who we would get in the final then.”

The game begins at 2.30pm.