Men’s Firsts 24 – Malone 26

The last minute agony saga continued for Galwegians as incredibly for the fourth time in five games, they had victory snatched from their grasp when a last-second kick cruelly denied them their first win of the AIL Energia 2B campaign away to Malone at Gibson Park on Saturday.

Wegians started the brighter and took an early lead with a 7th minute penalty from Stevie Mannion after the hosts strayed offside in front of their posts. Malone soon settled into the game when they scored off their first venture into opposition territory. A penalty on halfway saw them kick for touch into the Wegians 22, and some patient build-up play saw the ball fed wide where full-back Jacob Lennox came into the line at pace to scythe through the cover defence and score midway between the posts and corner. Out-half Matty Smyth converted to put the Cregagh Red Sox 7-3 up.

Five minutes later it got better for the Ulstermen as they scored a second try. Indiscipline cost Wegians again when pinged near halfway at the breakdown. A well-placed kick to the corner set up an attacking 5 metre lineout, and hooker Dan Kerr finished off a perfectly executed maul to score an unconverted try and nudge them 12-3 ahead.

Wegians were struggling to make inroads with some execution letting them down. However they managed to gain some meaningful territory and opened their try account on the half-hour. When a 5m lineout was illegally thwarted by the Malone defence, a penalty near the posts 5m out saw them tap and go, and prop Kobi Joyce dived low through a pharynx of bodies to emerge with the ball over the try-line. Mannion converted and it was game back on.

The final 10 minutes of the half would prove key, with both sides looking to probe openings with possession and territory evenly contested in the middle of the pitch. However it was the hosts who profited with the penalty count going in their favour. Wegians’ promising young flanker Bobby Power was sin-binned just before the break, and Malone seize their opportunity. They piled on the pressure with the extra man, and eventually it told when another 5m line-out resulted in no. 8 Michael Crothers coming up with the ball this time for another unconverted try, giving the Northerners a 17-10 half-time lead.

This put a pep in their step, and when play resumed and with the extra man, the hosts went on the attack and two penalties from Smyth soon stretched their advantage to 23-10. It looked an uphill battle from here for the Blues. They were given a let-off when Smyth missed a very kickable penalty soon after which would have made it a three-score game. Just when the hosts thought they had done enough to see the game out, eventually the Blues found a breakthrough when Mannion showed strength, speed and determination to cut through a gap out of nowhere on the opposition 10m line and power home to score to the left of the sticks. He made no mistake with the conversion and suddenly the game was back in the melting pot at 23-17.

This set up a dramatic finale and true to form, Wegians found a way to take a late lead. They plugged away, including one sensational 50-22 from Ryan Roche kicked from inside his own 22. Then following a turnover on the Malone 22 and subsequent penalty to the corner, on 78 minutes a blindside move found substitute winger Jack Beatty wide on the right, who dotted down in the corner for his side’s third try. This gave Mannion the opportunity to put his side back in front, and he nailed a magnificent touchline effort which arrowed between the posts to put Wegians a solitary point ahead.

Unfortunately for the Blues, they were unable to close it out in stoppage time. Although Malone full-back Michael Lawton missed a penalty attempt from the 10m line, Wegians were again undone at the breakdown moments later as they were pinged on halfway. This set up one last 5m attacking lineout, and the hosts cleverly worked their way infield and forced another offside penalty in front of the posts. This time out-half Smyth made no mistake to seal victory and once again see Galwegians hearts shattered at the death.

And so incredibly, Wegians have now played five, lost five and yet they have the sixth best points differential at -7. Their consolation losing bonus point does however see them move off the bottom of the table. They will be desperately hoping to open their winning account when they welcome another of last year’s relegated sides, UL Bohemians to Crowley Park on Saturday week (Nov. 9th) and hopefully start to climb the table.