Women 31 – St Marys 5

Galwegians notched up their first home win of the season, and third from five overall, with a confident display over mid-table rivals St. Mary’s College. A raft of injuries forced Galwegians to field a somewhat makeshift 15 which included lock Emer O’Dowd who emerged from retirement. However, the Galway girls impressed for the majority of the game, claiming a bonus point for their efforts.

The first of Galwegians five tries came early when Carol Staunton broke through the defence following some fine handling by half-backs Sorcha Ní Chadhain and captain Claire Raftery. Centre Lisa McDonagh added to the tally soon after with a 40 metre break to touch down under the posts.

McDonagh’s fine form may have brought her further scores. However, a shoulder injury put paid to that midway through the first half ensuring that Wegians have yet another injured player to contend with.

Wegians entered the break having furthered their lead with another Staunton try close to have time.

Early skirmishes in the second half resulted in a further two tries for the home side; Staunton and prop Beth Mallard crossing the white wash to ensure the bonus point. While Galwegians’ attacking prowess was evident, their defensive strengths were also on show.

While 1 to 15 ensured few yards were easily conceded, flankers Kate O’Flynn and Mar Sheridan were outstanding and complemented the efforts of Mallard, her front row compatriot Ruth O’Reilly, and fullback Niamh Ní Droma who also stood out.

St. Mary’s may have been without the talismanic Paula Fitzpatrick but offered plenty across the park to disrupt Galwegians’ display, particularly in the last quarter of the game. It was during that period that St. Mary’s standout, number 8 Niamh Fitzgerald, was rewarded for her menacing runs with a well take try, exploiting an overlap presented within Galwegians’ 22.

Thereafter, Galwegians’ reacquainted themselves with their defensive know-how and maintained a 26 point advantage for the duration of the game, overtaking St. Mary’s College to obtain a fourth-place berth in the league table.