Munster J3 - Killarney RFC 29 Ennis RFC 9
A good crowd gathered at Aghadoe on Sunday 21st October to see we could follow up on our away win at Dunmanway. It was a sunny, dry afternoon with a strong breeze blowing toward the scoreboard end of the ground. Ennis had the advantage of that breeze in the first half and opened strongly. A series of good kicks kept Killarney penned in, and Ennis earned a series of penalties that saw them gradually acquire a 9-0 lead.
Gradually, Killarney began to get into the game and scored the first try - Paudie Sheahan touching down in the corner after a period of pressure in the Ennis 22. The difficult angle meant that the try was not converted and we got to half time behind by 9 points to 5.
In the second half, Killarney had the advantage of the breeze and gradually turned the screw. Ger Moynihan put Killarney ahead when he bounded over from close range to score under the posts after a sustained Killarney attack had stretched the Ennis defence to its break point. Oisín O'Shea's conversion extended the lead to 3. Killarney 12 Ennis 9.
A further penalty by Oisín O'Shea pushed us 6 points ahead. The next score came after a rapid break out from Killarney from which we appeared sure to score in the corner. Ennis then appeared to have successfully turned the ball over - but a stray clearance kick led to a mix up in the goal area behind the posts and Connie O'Leary pounced on the loose ball to score. Oisín O'Shea's conversion was good and now Killarney were out to a 22-9 lead.
Ennis had a period of pressure at this point but excellent defensive work kept them out. The final score came after a couple of resets on a close range scrum. It looked like Aaron Jones had scored as he guided the ball over the goal line as the Killarney eight pushed Ennis backwards but the referee awarded a penalty try. Full time quickly followed.
Final Score:
Killarney RFC 29 (Tries: Paudie Sheahan, Ger Moynihan, Connie O'Leary, Penalty try; Conversions: Oisín O'Shea (2); Penalty: Oisín O'Shea (1));
Ennis RFC 9 (3 pens)
