Match Result
- Result: Galwegians Firsts 20 - Wanderers 21
- Venue: Merrion Road on Sat Oct 19th 2024
- Competition: AIL Division 2B
Match Report
It is becoming a familiar but unhappy script for Galwegians who suffered yet more last minute agony as they saw victory snatched from their grasp, when a last gasp penalty sealed victory for table-toppers Wanderers in a pulsating contest at Merrion Road on Saturday.
The home side came into this game as hot favourites on the back of three emphatic bonus point wins, and they must have fancied their chances against the winless Blues. In the opening quarter, the game seems to be going to form as the Chaps raced into a 12-0 lead. Wegians’ cause was not helped when they lost the services of Jack Quinn, who was himself a late call-up after an injury to Gonzalo Alvarez. The promising young lock had to be withdrawn with less than a quarter of an hour gone and was replaced by Dylan Keane.
The hosts rammed home their advantage after an opening try from veteran centre Mick McGrath who finished near the posts after the heavy spadework was done by his forwards, and which was converted by James Moriarty. This was soon followed by a second try when the Wegians defence was caught napping by a breakaway from the base of a ruck deep in opposition territory. Although full-back Ryan Roche intercepted the chasing kick, he was forced to concede a 5m scrum. Wanderers full-back Jamie Murphy profited by dotting down near the left corner for an unconverted try, leaving Wanderers 12-0 to the good.
It looked like it could be a long afternoon for the visitors, however this youthful Wegians team has resilience in spades, and they responded very well and worked their way into the game. Having set up camp in the opposition 22, they were rewarded with their opening try on the half-hour mark. Although he was held up over the line moments earlier from a lineout maul, lock Rob Holian was on hand to take a pop pass from scrum-half Andrew Sherlock and charge over under the posts for his second AIL try of the season. Stevie Mannion, who was playing at out-half for the first time in the AIL in sky blue, added the conversion and it was game on. However a mounting penalty count against Wegians was conceding the advantage to their hosts, and before the break Moriarty added a penalty to stretch his side’s advantage to 15-7 at half-time.
Wegians had the advantage of the wind in the second half, and they struck an immediate blow within two minutes of the restart. Following a penalty kick into opposition territory, a patient attack saw the ball work its way out to the right, where centre Finn Tracey found substitute winger Shane Mallon lurking. The Leitrim man had plenty work to do but he brilliantly evaded the attentions of three defenders to ground the ball in the corner. Mannion underlined his impeccable form from the kicking tee by plonking a touchline conversion straight between the sticks to reduce the margin to a solitary point.
The hosts knew they were now in a proper game, and just before the hour mark they took the lead for the first time. it was that man Mannion again who launched a monster penalty from inside his own half hear the touchline again, which sailed over the crossbar to make it 15-17.
This set up a tense final quarter. Wanderers had to dig deep and they were let back into the game as the penalty count was now racking up against the Blues. Moriarty missed a very kickable penalty, but he found his range when given another opportunity to restore his side’s one-point lead with just five minutes remaining.
However the late drama was only beginning, as a penalty for the Blues gave Mannion another opportunity to have a go at the posts. Although fully 15 metres inside his own half, he launched an absolute torpedo which sailed between the posts with metres to spare to regain a one-score lead heading into the last minute. It was a kick worthy of winning any game, only for agony to revisit the Blues one more time. In the last passage of play, the Blues were penalised for a high tackle. Moriarty made no mistake with literally the last kick of the game to seal a dramatic win and maintain his side’s unbeaten run.
And so incredibly, Wegians have played four, lost four and although sitting bottom of the table, they have the fifth best points differential at -5. They will be desperately hoping to open their winning account when they travel to Belfast to take on Malone this Saturday and hopefully start to climb the table.