MULLINGAR RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

BUILDING A COMMUNITY SINCE 1925.

MULLINGAR RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

BUILDING A COMMUNITY SINCE 1925.

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MULLINGAR END ON A BANG WITH CHAMPIONS SCALP!

March 15, 2018

By Finian Coghlan


MULLINGAR 10

Co. CARLOW 5


The fixture may have started out as the stag party compromise* but will be remembered for much more after Mullingar thwarted a 38-phase onslaught in the dying minutes with debutants, diligence and discipline to claim a very satisfying victory against a side who were 22 points better than them in November.

OK, it was a dead rubber, as Co Carlow were already champions and Mullingar weren’t going up or down, but they came with a full posse intent to see out their season undefeated, against a side shorn of Butler, Brabagant, and Flynn, and with an 18-year-old debutant on the wing – in horizontal rain.

Maybe Mullingar need to play more often in the soup, but the difference in performance between this display and that snot dross in Cill Dara the previous Sunday was like comparing an astronaut with a one-armed coal miner. I may have reported on the premature demise of Jamie Taaffe’s career before, and if this is finally it for the taciturn 33-year-old then so be it, but what a way to tip your hat at it, as he dragged his cohort of twenty-something teammates up to a lovely new level of growl.

Mullingar set this in motion fairly early and let Co Carlow know they would not be handing anything over without the full slap. Into the howling conditions Mullingar set up an early supremacy, and this was rewarded in glorious technicolour in just the 7th minute with the superb Brady snatched a sudden Stockdaler out of the sodden sky and set off throwing shapes and hips. Though one on one with a panicky looking fullback, Brady had the presence to look both ways for the steaming accomplice, before settling on the imperious Maximus to his right for a Boom-Shakalaka opener.

Though showing some fallibility when sacrificing his 100 percent kicking record for the season when narrowly missing his conversion in near 60kph of wind, he immediately saddled back up with the rest of his hombres and rode straight back into Dodge. Geraghty, Liddy and Maxwell now began picking more holes, and Co Carlow looked a little rattled. They did not expect this in the sponge and the squidge. In the 20th minute Maxwell made a huge burst into their 22, and from this beach-head Glennon nearly biffed over in the gloom. No matter. With Rocky orchestrating like Rattle behind, direction was changed in his heartbeat before the Rope spotted a hole out left that only he could’ve threaded himself through. Ten minutes later a 60m run from Liddy saw Gilleran unlucky with the soap bar in the corner in what was just his second start on the big stage, and thus it stayed at the break. Late arrival Flynn now entered to steady the ship, and this influence took just three minutes to percolate. Again Maxwell spun and forced in behind the gain with Midic in hot pursuit. They training ground popped a number of one-twos between them leaving a lot of lads on damp arses, before just over-egging the pudding with the line a-slideable. Debutant Daly then followed in the footsteps of Daz to pick an intercept, but instead of backing himself for the corner, he chose inside for support and was snaffled. Carlow now upped the ante with pride at stake, and in the 56th minute Mullingar needed Taylor Daly tidy up their dangerous kick on with a skilful dive’n’slide to carry over and concede the 5m scrum. In what seemed like the first time in the game, the visitors got the nudge and drove over for 10-5.

Mullingar had one more meaningful go in the 20th minute before Carlow whistled in the artillery and brought the long, drawn blitzkrieg at the worst end of a game. Flaked, filthy and fluich-ed salach, somehow Mullingar married discipline and aggression again and again and again as Carlow threw all available kitchen sinks in the hunt for the winner. Inches were won in Flanders-like attrition, left and right, but still Mullingar did not show a weakness. Then, late in the 39th minute, with the phase count approaching that number, something went wrong for Carlow on the far side, and the ball squirted from beneath their ruck into nearby touch, prompting the ref call a halt on proceedings and allow Mullingar the most satisfying of scalps.

CLICK HERE FOR FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

Forthcoming senior Fixtures

After a four week wait the Heifers will take on a very hot Suttonians side in the first round of the Paul Flood Cup on the carpet on Sunday, March 25.


Team: 1. Johnny Moran, 2. Darren ‘Daz’ Brady, 3. Ben Glennon, 4. Daryl Quinn , 5. Jamie Taaffe, 6. Alex ‘Rope’ Moran,  7. Darach Geraghty, 8. Darragh Clogher, 9. Sean Rock, 10. Paul Maxwell, 11. Taylor Daly, 12. Alex Midic, 13. Danny Gilleran, 14. Ross Tormey, 15. Donal Liddy. Subs used:  Stewie Flynn, Paul Byrne, Andrew King, Martin Egan.

Scorers:

Tries:  Maxwell, A. Moran.

Try scorers (14.3.18): Eoghan Moore, Nikki Feery , Donal Liddy (8) Paul Maxwell (5)  Ruth Daniels, Daryl Quinn (4), Ellen Taite, Paddy Daly, Alan Brabazon (3) Darren Brady, Muireann Scally, Dara Gorman, Katie Layde,  Niamh Kennedy, Darragh Lambe, Ben Glennon (2), Darach Geraghty, Cillian ‘Fish’ Daly, Danny Purcell , Darren Loughrey, Alan Donoghoe, Colin Fallon, Robbie Cooney, Ross Tormey, Joe Moran, Sarah ‘Smurf’ Murphy, Aislinn Layde, Sean Rock, Alex Moran.

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