Gorey RFC Ladies win the Paul Cusack Cup
26/04/2015
Gorey travelled to Greystones RFC on Saturday the 25th of April last, to play Balbriggan in the Paul Cusack Cup Final. Conditions weren't favourable, with rain and blustery winds defining what was to come during the match. Gorey came into the Final on a high after beating local rivals Arklow in a thrilling semi final. Gorey had never played against Balbriggan before, so had high hopes for an entertaining and physical match. Spectators came in their dozens, despite the weather in Greystones, to see the Gorey girls including some high profile international players and coaches. Gorey started out the game very strong and within the first minutes winger Denise Deering had a try under the posts, following an excellent back set move. It was unconverted. However, Balbriggan came back hard. They used their optional forward pod off their number 10 regularly bruising the Gorey defence. The Balbriggan out half shone on the pitch, displaying some fantastic kicking and ball carrying skills. Balbriggan barged their way down the field, leaving Gorey surprised and frustrated & they were soon awarded a penalty, and kicked it to make it 5-3, with fifteen minutes left of the first half. Balbriggan came more in to it and Gorey were soon on the back foot once again. They were soon awarded a second penalty but narrowly missed. This was not the kind of rugby Gorey wanted to play & heads started to bow. They weren't quick enough to the breakdown resulting in several penalties for not releasing or rolling away. Scrums however were the defining factor of the game with wet conditions leading to many unforced handling errors for both sides. Gorey's hooker, Tara Jackson, was exceptionally good in the scrums stealing a total of four Balbriggan scrums and not conceding one. Gorey's props Dee Farrell, Sam Wafer and substitute Kathryn Blood were all extremely strong in the scrums and rucks. The score stayed at 5-3 at half time.
The second half saw Gorey come alive with a change of attitude following some words from their coaches Simon Besanson and Brian Allen. They started off strongly, like they did in the first half, & were on the charge quickly and it soon lead to their first try of the second half, scored by 2nd centre Ciara Tomkins, following an excellent set play involving 1st centre Orla Power. Again it was unconverted. Gorey were in attack once again but more handling errors didn't let them get any further. Both teams were warned many times throughout the second half about not rolling away and not releasing & eventually Gorey were reduced to 14 as the referee ran out of patience. Balbriggan used their advantage and came barging up the pitch leaving Gorey scrambling in defence, but they still held on. Balbriggan were awarded another penalty but instead of kicking at posts, after three previous failed attempts, they ran the ball through their out half. This was the closest that they came to the Gorey line but it was quickly turned over and was back in Gorey hands. Out half Ciara Breen kicked down field gaining Gorey some more ground. In the dying minutes of the game, Gorey held a tight defence and, despite Balbriggan's kicking tactics, Gorey's fullback Deirdre Codd and winger Aoife Crowe both excited the crowds with their bursts of speed and high quality attacking skills. In the final play of the game, following a forward's set piece, Denise Deering was in for her 2nd try scoring in the corner which also went unconverted. The final whistle sounded and Gorey emerged victorious with the final score at 15-3. Gorey would like to thank Balbriggan for a fantastic match and being worthy runners up, all their supporters for travelling to Greystones RFC & the hosts for their hospitality. But most importantly they would like to thank their two coaches and their management, for being with them every step of the way. Gorey's season is now over, but they look forward to coming back next year and defending their hard won title.
The second half saw Gorey come alive with a change of attitude following some words from their coaches Simon Besanson and Brian Allen. They started off strongly, like they did in the first half, & were on the charge quickly and it soon lead to their first try of the second half, scored by 2nd centre Ciara Tomkins, following an excellent set play involving 1st centre Orla Power. Again it was unconverted. Gorey were in attack once again but more handling errors didn't let them get any further. Both teams were warned many times throughout the second half about not rolling away and not releasing & eventually Gorey were reduced to 14 as the referee ran out of patience. Balbriggan used their advantage and came barging up the pitch leaving Gorey scrambling in defence, but they still held on. Balbriggan were awarded another penalty but instead of kicking at posts, after three previous failed attempts, they ran the ball through their out half. This was the closest that they came to the Gorey line but it was quickly turned over and was back in Gorey hands. Out half Ciara Breen kicked down field gaining Gorey some more ground. In the dying minutes of the game, Gorey held a tight defence and, despite Balbriggan's kicking tactics, Gorey's fullback Deirdre Codd and winger Aoife Crowe both excited the crowds with their bursts of speed and high quality attacking skills. In the final play of the game, following a forward's set piece, Denise Deering was in for her 2nd try scoring in the corner which also went unconverted. The final whistle sounded and Gorey emerged victorious with the final score at 15-3. Gorey would like to thank Balbriggan for a fantastic match and being worthy runners up, all their supporters for travelling to Greystones RFC & the hosts for their hospitality. But most importantly they would like to thank their two coaches and their management, for being with them every step of the way. Gorey's season is now over, but they look forward to coming back next year and defending their hard won title.
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