Match Result
- Result: Galwegians Firsts 48 - Sligo 5
- Venue: Strandhill on Sat Aug 27th 2011
- Competition: Connacht Senior League
Match Report
Galwegians got their 2011-12 competitive season officially underway with a comfortable victory away to a Sligo side, who were making their first appearance in the Connacht Senior League in a number of years.
Wegians fielded a strong looking side, especially in the pack, and they were keen to impress the new coaching duo of Colm Rigney and Gavin Duffy. Hosts Sligo had two early penalty chances which went abegging, and the Blues put themselves 8-0 in front after 15 minutes with an early try by hooker Conor Muldoon, and a penalty by out-half Ross Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy went off injured in the first-half, and before the break the Blues cemented their lead with a try from ace marksman John Cleary, who took over the kicking duties to land the conversion and give his side a 15-0 half-time lead.
The Blues then turned on the style in the second -half and put the hosts to the sword. Although reduced to 14 men with Dave O’hara in the bin, his fellow Portumna native and back-row colleague Ivan Muldoon grabbed two early tries, both of which Cleary converted to put the Blues 29-0 in front and out of sight. Coaches Rigney and Duffy will have been pleased with fact that there was no let-up by the visitors who added a further three tries, courtesy of O’Hara, Gary O’Brien & Cleary who completed a brace of tries and landed five conversions in total to complete a personal 20 point haul.
Hosts Sligo will have learned much from this encounter as they prepare for their season ahead, and their perseverance was rewarded when James Watson scored a consolation try right at the finish to put some points on the board.
Next up for Wegians is a home tie against Connemara Blacks at Crowley Park on Saturday Sept. 3rd (3pm).