CIARA YOU LEGEND!
Patrick secures late victory for Wicklow over Gorey
WICKLOW RFC GOREY RFC 15 12
THE long-awaited Wicklow v Gorey match finally took place on Sunday last.
Wicklow kicked off into the wind and were quick to launch their first attack.
Gorey defended well and counter-attacked strongly. Amy O’Neill made a break but Wicklow were penalised.
The first 20 minutes of the game were spent in Gorey’s half, however, Wicklow failed to capitalise, losing possession on several occasions.
The pack was immense, especially in the scrum, winning against the head.
Although the pack were winning the hard yards, the backline was misfiring. Any ground Wicklow made, such as that from an intercepted pass, was soon won back by Gorey.
Gorey were awarded a string of penalties and worked their way up the pitch, eventually making it across the line for a converted try. Wicklow fought back to no avail. Suddenly Gorey had scored again, leaving them 12 points up at the end of the half.
Wicklow were under fierce pressure and spent the first five minutes of the second half on the backfoot. The backline was switched up as an attempt to give them a fresh boost. The flow of the game changed, passes were sticking, and ground was being made.
Alana Sheridan and Vicky Rice produced some impressive tackles. The kick and chase by the Sullivans put Gorey under pressure. The forwards were gaining ground in the loose and finally Wicklow’s reward came when Niamh O’Leary dotted down for a hard-fought try. Ciara Patrick converted to bring the score to 7-12.
Gorey worked to their strengths once more to win crucial yards. They were given a penalty, that was also brought forward a further 10 meters, to give them a shot in front of the posts. They were un- able to make it a two-score game however, the kick falling short and bouncing over the dead ball line.
Wicklow were putting in some good kicks to apply the pressure although Gorey handled the lineouts well.
Once again, Wicklow had to work their way out of the half. The clock was now their enemy. Inside Wicklow’s half Ciara Patrick saw the gap open in front of her and ran. Gorey players collided with each other attempting to make the tackles, but Ciara made her way towards the 22 before being caught.
In the tackle she got the ball away to Leanne Sullivan who had run the support line. Leanne scored as close to the post as she could get, but unluckily, the conversion pushed wide, leaving it a tied game.
Repeatedly Wicklow attacked; the Griffeys, Meagan Parkinson, Kayleigh Sullivan all made valiant efforts to reach the line, surely a try would come. However, Gorey defended like demons. They won a penalty and cleared their lines. A draw looked certain.
The set-piece would be the last play of the game, but from that Wicklow were awarded a penalty. Ciara Patrick ran into the swarm of players, got the ball, and pointed to the posts. Both sets of supporters fell silent as the kick was lined up. No pressure!
She kicked and ran towards her players on the side line as the ball scraped between the uprights. An amazing end to a tense game.
Full credit to both sides for giving their all. Wicklow will have learned some valuable lessons from this match. The club would like to offer a big thank you to all that came up to support the ladies.
Wicklow tries: Niamh O’Leary, Leanne Sullivan
Wicklow conversion: Ciara Patrick
Wicklow penalty: Ciara Patrick Wicklow team: L. Fisher, N. O’Leary, M-C. Kallas, C. Griffey, A. O’Neill, R. Devlin, J. Schmidt, R. Griffey, M. Parkinson, HR. Buckley, L. Sullivan, C. Patrick, A. Sheridan, V. Rice, S. Gleeson, C. Reilly, A. Barry, M. Dover Evans, K. Sullivan, K. Byrne, K. Power