Men’s Firsts 52 – Skerries 14

Galwegians picked up where they left off with another emphatic performance in the Energia All-Ireland League Division 2B, recording a convincing 52–14 victory over Skerries on Saturday on the 3G surface at Holmpatrick.

The sides last met in December when the Blues ran out 61–0 winners, and while Skerries were determined to avoid a repeat, it was Wegians who made the perfect start. The Blues opened the scoring in the fourth minute with their first meaningful attack. A powerful line break from lock Dave Walsh split the defence, and centre Stevie Mannion showed great strength to shrug off several tacklers and ground the ball near the right-hand corner. Out-half Conor O’Shaughnessy added an excellent conversion for a 7–0 lead.

Skerries responded well and grew into the game, putting pressure on the Wegians defence. A mounting penalty count saw Bobby Power yellow-carded after fifteen minutes, and the hosts took advantage of their numerical superiority. Sustained pressure close to the line was eventually rewarded when centre Kevin McGrath crossed in the right corner, with Ronan Mulcahy converting to level the scores.

That parity was short-lived. Although Skerries secured the restart, loose ball at the breakdown was seized upon by the ever-alert Dave Walsh, who hacked ahead and won the race to ground the ball just inside the dead-ball line for an opportunistic try. O’Shaughnessy converted once more to restore the Blues’ advantage.

Wegians then showed their attacking quality with a superb third try midway through the half. A sweeping move from left to right, initiated by winger Oisín McKey against his former club, involved the entire three-quarter line, with captain Dylan Keane also featuring prominently. Right-winger Darragh Kennedy provided the final inside pass for Mannion to cross for his second try of the afternoon, which was again converted.

The Blues dominated the remainder of the half and, for the second successive game, secured the all-important bonus point before the interval. From a well-executed lineout maul, captain Keane finished clinically near the left corner to give Wegians a commanding 26–7 lead at half-time.

Skerries started the second half with renewed intent and enjoyed early territory and possession, but they were met by a resolute Blues defence that refused to yield. A turnover deep inside their own half led to a 70 metre gain which visibly deflated the home side after all their toil, and the game was effectively put beyond doubt in the 56th minute. Substitute Paul Sharkey delivered a clever cross-field kick to find Mannion on the left wing, and while he was halted just short of the line, outside centre Cian Brady was on hand to take the scoring pass. O’Shaughnessy converted once again.

Skerries did manage to register a second try soon after, capitalising on a yellow card shown to Mannion for a high tackle. From close range, prop Trevor Scuffil forced his way over, with Mulcahy adding the conversion. However, the Blues once again responded immediately in ruthless fashion. Brady intercepted a pass inside his own 22 and sprinted clear to score under the posts, completing an excellent individual performance.

The final quarter was dominated by Wegians’ pack, who applied relentless pressure at scrum time, earning a succession of penalties. Two further tries followed from lineout mauls. Debutant forward Rory Gavin, younger brother of Hugh, marked his first AIL appearance with a well-taken score, claiming the throw-in before dotting down himself. The final act of the game saw Dave Walsh become the third Galwegian to score a brace on the day with his side’s eighth try of the afternoon in the left corner.

The emphatic 52–14 victory further underlined the Blues’ impressive form and keeps Wegians firmly on course in their push for automatic promotion to Division 2A.