PURE HEARTBREAK
Late drop goal denies brave Arklow league success
ATHY RFC ARKLOW RFC 26 25
UTTER heartbreak was the ultimate result from the Leinster League Division 2B finale in Athy on Sunday afternoon for the gallant men of Arklow who suffered a 26-25 defeat at the hands of the home team who managed a late drop at goal to secure the league title.
Some Arklow players could do nothing but slump to the ground in despair and exhaustion after they had battled a solid and resourceful Athy side for 80 minutes, 25 of which with only 14 men after they collected three yellow cards over the course of the game.
Brutal hits, strong line breaks, swift and searching passing and stoic defending were the name of the game from this Arklow side who brought a very healthy and vocal support with them to the Co. Kildare venue and it was they who were the loudest for some 76 minutes before that late drop kick served to knock the stuffing out of the visitors and force them to go hunting for a late score to save the day.
Alas, despite making a huge foray into Athy territory the ball was spilled and the final whistle sounded to end Arklow dreams of a league crown after what has been a hugely positive season for the club’s flagship men’s team under head coach Marc Rangitawa.
The men from the Oval will look at some major calls during the game by the match official and none more so than his missing of a blatant knock-on by Athy as they trundled towards the Arklow line not long before they crossed for their third try of the day.
Team manager Eddie Tobin said the defeat was ‘heartbreaking stuff’ and that he was ‘gutted’ for the
The Arklow players in a huddle after their one-point defeat to Athy in the Leinster League Division 2B final game in Athy on Sunday afternoon.
Arklow players.
‘Heartbreaking stuff, I’m just gutted for the lads, gutted because they put their heart and soul into this season and we honestly came here with the intention to take this cup back to Arklow,’ he said.
‘We’ve been driving on the club now for the last couple of years and it’s getting there. We had massive Arklow support, I’d say we had as much as Athy. The club is turning.
‘It was a ding-dong battle, back and forth. When they missed that conversion, for me time was up. The ref said there was six minutes left, and it took a big set of balls in fairness by their outhalf to slot a drop goal, he was about 30 yards out but probably folklore in Athy will say that he was on his own half-way line in times to come. It
tumbled over the bar like a brick but it was enough to win it. I suppose the lads couldn’t have put in any more effort.
‘Disappointed with that (three yellow cards), and we turned over a ball with about five to go on our own line to stop them getting and try and then we gave it back to them again and they scored a try.
‘It’s just heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking. I felt we were the better team, I felt we played the better rugby, just key moments in the game where it turned, you know, knock-ons and the like,’ said Eddie.
But there is hope. The club is going from strength to strength at every level and there still exists a strong chance that Arklow will gain promotion to Division 2A.
‘Very happy (with how things are going). We had the intention of getting promoted this year, of winning the league. It’s still very much there. We’ve Newbridge in a play-off, I think it will be at a neutral venue. But we have to see, if Ashbourne go up senior, there mightn’t be a need for (the play-off) but it might be played anyway, so we could still find ourselves up in 2A at the end of it, which is what the lads deserve. And Towns Cup next week, ironically against Ashbourne. And that will be a good day for the club again, you get to set your stall out against the best in Leinster (junior).
An early Athy penalty from the boot of Cathal Fennessy did little to dampen the enthusiasm of both the Arklow players and the large crowd of supporters. Joni Butterworth and Richard Murphy would give them plenty to cheer about over the course of the 80 minutes as would the man-crunching Anto O’Donnell, the feisty Joe Bulmer and the snipy Shane McAllister.
The sides were leval after 18
when Shane Nalty drifted over a penalty for offside and on 29, moments after touching the ball down only for the referee to deem his actions to be a double movement, the towering Richard Murphy careered across the Athy line to touch down a beauty of a try. Nalty nailed the conversion for a 10-3 lead and exactly what the visitors deserved.
But Athy were very dangerous at times and when the impressive David O’Toole kicked behind the Arklow line and ran directly into Ben Kavanagh the referee awarded a penalty try to the home side and dispatched Kavanagh to the bin, 10-10.
Another offside infringement allowed Shane Nalty the chance to add three points and he took it with aplomb and 13-10 it would stay at the break in favour of the visitors.
Richard Murphy gave Arklow the dream start to the second half with a surging gallop over the Athy line for a try and Nalty added the extras to leave the visitors looking very healthy with a 20-10 lead.
Not releasing earned Athy a penalty and throwing the ball away gained them an extra 10 and the kick was good, 20-13. Arklow also lost Tom Scarff to a yellow around this time.
Athy were growing more and more into this second half and were hampering Arklow from playing the rugby they were so very capable of and they crossed again to leave just two between the sides with the conversion missed with 22 on the second-half clock.
Arklow drove relentlessly at the Athy line. Richard Murphy, Joe Bulmer, Patrick Phelan, Anto O’Donnell all thumping the Athy line with merciless brutality. Eventually, off the back of an Arklow scrum, the ball was worked to lively substitute Tommy New who crossed over to the delight of the travelling support. A tricky conversion was missed but Arklow led by 25 to 18.
And now things started to go awry. The warrior Joni Butterworth was replaced but Joe Bulmer picked up a yellow card and that blatant knock-on was not spotted by the referee and with 39 on the clock Athy crossed to make it 25-23 in favour of Arklow with the coversion screwed wide.
Back came Athy who sensed blood. They worked the ball into a decent position and the drop at goal was good.
Despairingly, Arklow attacked with everything they had. They went through a number of phases but as they neared the Athy line the ball was spilled and the game was over.
Heartbreak, absolute heartbreak!
ARKLOW:
Shane Nalty, Matt Dempsey. Patrick Phelan, Joni Butterworth, Shane McAllister, Paddy Ryan, James Lambert; Anto O’Donnell, Eoin O Scannail, Ben Byrne Diaper (capt), Joe Bulmer, Richard Murphy, John Furlong, Tom Scarff, Ben Kavanagh. Subs: Aidan Louth, John Louth, Luke Bulmer, Dean McCormack, Tommy New.
ATHY:
Cathal Fennessy, Sean Corrigan, Ciarán Fennessy, Billy Doyle, Mark Braithwaite, David O’Toole, Alex Crossley; Gavin Doyle (capt), Eoghan Farrell, Graham Shaughnessy, William Hendy, Aaron Doyle, Ross Hendy, Jason O’Toole, Donal Spain.