Women 7 – Blackrock 15

The Blackrock Women edged their Galway counterparts one point shy of a losing bonus point in Dublin on Sunday, unfortunate given periods of prolonged defensive fortitude and forward cohesion.

Any cohesion between backs and forwards however was not so apparent, no more so than on attack.

The UL Bohs and Highfield defeats (and the St Mary’s win) all threw up sparks of creative genius with ball-in-hand, and Sunday was no different, but they were too few and too far between to affect the result. The Old Belvedere loss in round two remains this season’s lowest ebb and, thanks-be-to-God, a fading memory.

On the plus side of Sunday’s ledger was a forward effort which again controlled possession well in tight exchanges as the clock wound down, and a cover defensive effort ably led by centre-cum-scrumhalf Sorcha Ni Chadhain, lock forward Emer O’Dowd and openside Carol Staunton.

At the other end of the scale was an incessant inability on the forwards’ part to stay out of a functioning backline, and the backs’ inability to retain the ball in tackle situations.

Both collective brain explosions conspired against continuity and prevented Galwegians from stringing together more than a handful of phases against a Blackrock side which would have done well to contain a star-studded Galway complement which thrives in open play.
Since Jesus was playing outhalf for the Nazarenes forwards have been forwards, and backs have been backs. Galwegians’ refusal to observe this most simple of distinctions is very clearly affecting results and, as disturbingly, team morale.

The Galwegians’ women may well have undergone a mini-makeover from its Paul Flood Leinster Cup-winning and AIL Cup semi-final line-up of last season but there remains a 12-strong common thread – as good reason as any to be stringing together multiple phases at will.
With a week off, and a must-win fixture against division one newbies Navan pending, there is ample time to re-establish role parameters and establish a gameplan specific to Galwegian strengths. For there are many, and they deserve showing off.