Match report by Ian Harrington  

With their recent win over Tralee in Barraduff, Killarney U14s were very mindful that nothing short of their best performance once again would suffice if they were to be afforded another victory against the same opposition – this time on their away leg of the tie in the West Munster League.

However, even with some outstanding rugby, Killarney could not match the control of Tralee last Saturday. It was Killarney who scored first with a try from their centre Pierce Slattery which was converted by Finn Kennelly. Tralee’s No 8 and Fly Half then turned on the power leaving Killarney under no illusions as to the task at hand. Regardless of some staunch tackling from Stephen Walsh, Cathan Harrington, and Darragh McCormack, every time Tralee got into the Killarney 22 their sheer momentum proved unstoppable.

The windy conditions favoured Tralee in this half and Killarney’s less than perfect passing play was exploited by the Tralee scrum, giving them the necessary ground to attack using their fast players. Tralee racked up 3 unanswered tries before the half time whistle leaving Killarney with a real hill to climb in the second half.

Killarney could have dropped their heads at what now appeared to be a fait accompli but what followed was a pulsating half of wonderful rugby between two worthy front-runners. Killarney - having recognised their first half mistakes - commenced the second half with a renewed vigour reminiscent of their home game. After many phases where Killarney’s rucking (powered by Chris Doody, captain Alex O’Leary, Scott Carlton and Ben Gaughran) proved pivotal, Josh Coffey got  over for the first try of the half. Tralee, however, were not finished and their No 8 - following a long Tralee kick - powered over the line to make Killarney’s task even more challenging. With an impressive Killarney tackle count aided by Gearóid Sugrue, Daire O’Brien, Stephen Dalton, and Vincent Wagenaar, Tralee were prevented from running away with the match.

Killarney’s scrumhalf Darragh Stack was most impressive and with fast ball, he allowed the momentum for another Killarney try by winger Shane O’Sullivan. With all to play for, Killarney brought on a number of subs including Tomás Swords, Jed Dando, and Fionn O’Reilly and another try resulted with Pierce Slattery scoring under the posts. Mindful of the clock, Finn Kennelly slotted over the conversion quickly but time was not going to afford Killarney a last play to catch Tralee.

The final score justly reflected the efforts of both teams and Tralee gave Killarney the appropriate respect for a team that never gave up throughout the match. Full credit to Tralee who learned from their experience in Barraduff and who were gracious hosts both on and off the pitch in their post-match hospitality. 

Final Score: Tralee 30 - Killarney 22