GOREY J1s CONTINUE UNBEATEN RUN
Gorey RFC V Kilkenny in Leinster League Div 1B
The top 2 teams in Division 1B met in Clonattin on Sunday 2/11. This
was expected to be a very close encounter & that certainly proved to
be the case. A huge home crowd turned out, hoping to see
the Gorey lads continue their unbeaten run to the season, with many in
support of the visitors too. The weather conditions were good though a
strong breeze made kicking difficult for both teams in either half.
Gorey played with the wind at their backs in the 1st half. Sustained
early pressure on Kilkenny resulted in them being penalised with Shane
Luby scoring the first points of the day. However Kilkenny quickly
responded within 5 mins with a penalty themselves. About 15 mins in a
yellow card was issued to a Kilkenny player & within a few minutes
Gorey made use of their numerical advantage with a great try from Nevil
Copeland. The conversion attempt was difficult & although a good
effort did not succeed. However an incredible penalty kick from Shane
Luby, in the 25th min, extended Gorey's lead to 11 - 3. Kilkenny then
had a period where they put Gorey under a lot of pressure some of which
was relieved by a fantastic tackle from Nevil Copeland. However Kilkenny
kept coming & in trying to keep them out Gorey were reduced to 14
men with a yellow card. However just before half time another penalty
from Gorey brought the score to 14 - 3. This was a really important
score given that Gorey were to start the 2nd half not only against the
wind but also a man down.
Kilkenny made quick use of their
advantages by scoring a penalty in the opening minutes of the second
half. But Gorey quickly replied with 1 of their own a few minutes later
bringing the score to 17 - 6. But Kilkenny began to get themselves back
in to the game with Gorey coming under pressure in the scrum & also
conceding penalties. Several lineouts near the Gorey line resulted &
despite the best efforts of JP Redmond & the lads they could not
fully clear their lines. Another blast of the referee's whistle resulted
in another penalty being conceded plus the added punishment of another
yellow card being shown to a Gorey player. This was swiftly followed by a
try plus a conversion for Kilkenny &, with the score at 17 - 13, it
really was game on. A great kick off & a superb tap down from
Adrian Copeland allowed Gorey to spend some time in Kilkenny's half.
Further pressure followed but Gorey could not break through. Eventually
Kilkenny conceded a penalty, which Shane Luby put over, to bring the
score to 20 - 13. But back came Kilkenny again. A big drive from a line
out was well defended for a 22 drop out. From this Kilkenny had a drop
goal attempt that went to the left & wide. The final 10 minutes was a
dog fight with really strong Gorey defence repelling continuous
Kilkenny attacks. With the game in added time Kilkenny won a penalty
which they put in to the corner - nail biting territory for the home
fans. From the resulting line out JP Redmond won the ball magnificently
to snuff out the attack. Finally the ball was cleared from the Gorey 22
with a long bursting drive by Gorey Captain, Jordan Ahern, & with
the ball put in touch the referee signalled the end of the game.
Gorey had some outstanding performances on the day with Geoff Dunne,
Jordan Ahern, JP Redmond and Adrian Copeland the pick of a strong pack.
Nevil Copeland, Shane Luby, Garret & Matt Bater played well in the
backline. The Gorey lads are away to Malahide this Friday night, at 8.30
on 7th Nov, while the next home game is on Sunday November 23rd against
Carlow with a 2.30 kick off time. This result sees Gorey at the top of
the table on 22 points followed by 3 teams on 17 points - Kilkenny,
Tullow & Malahide.
Team, R.Deering, B.O Connor, C. Allen,
A. Copeland, J.P. Redmond, J. Ahern, B Horan, G Dunne, G. Bater, S.
Luby, A Walsh, M. Bater, J. Condren, N. Copeland, B Spears, Subs - F.
Bolger, D Dunne, R. Harrington, J Mulligan, P Horan
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