Gorey RFC V Kilkenny in Leinster League Div 1B The top 2 teams in Division 1B met in Clonattin on Sunday 1/11. This was expected to be a very close encounter & that certainly proved to be the case. A huge home crowd turned out, hoping to see the Gorey lads continue their unbeaten run to the season, with many in support of the visitors too. The weather conditions were good though a strong breeze made kicking difficult for both teams in either half. Gorey played with the wind at their backs in the 1st half. Sustained early pressure on Kilkenny resulted in them being penalised with Shane Luby scoring the first points of the day. However Kilkenny quickly responded within 5 mins with a penalty themselves. About 15 mins in a yellow card was issued to a Kilkenny player & within a few minutes Gorey made use of their numerical advantage with a great try from Nevil Copeland. The conversion attempt was difficult & although a good effort did not succeed. However an incredible penalty kick from Shane Luby, in the 25th min, extended Goreys lead to 11 - 3. Kilkenny then had a period where they put Gorey under a lot of pressure some of which was relieved by a fantastic tackle from Nevil Copeland. However Kilkenny kept coming & in trying to keep them out Gorey were reduced to 14 men with a yellow card. However just before half time another penalty from Gorey brought the score to 14 - 3. This was a really important score given that Gorey were to start the 2nd half not only against the wind but also a man down. Kilkenny made quick use of their advantages by scoring a penalty in the opening minutes of the second half. But Gorey quickly replied with 1 of their own a few minutes later bringing the score to 17 - 6. But Kilkenny began to get themselves back in to the game with Gorey coming under pressure in the scrum & also conceding penalties. Several lineouts near the Gorey line resulted & despite the best efforts of JP Redmond & the lads they could not fully clear their lines. Another blast of the referees whistle resulted in another penalty being conceded plus the added punishment of another yellow card being shown to a Gorey player. This was swiftly followed by a try plus a conversion for Kilkenny &, with the score at 17 - 13, it really was game on. A great kick off & a superb tap down from Adrian Copeland allowed Gorey to spend some time in Kilkennys half. Further pressure followed but Gorey could not break through. Eventually Kilkenny conceded a penalty, which Shane Luby put over, to bring the score to 20 - 13. But back came Kilkenny again. A big drive from a line out was well defended for a 22 drop out. From this Kilkenny had a drop goal attempt that went to the left & wide. The final 10 minutes was a dog fight with really strong Gorey defence repelling continuous Kilkenny attacks. With the game in added time Kilkenny won a penalty which they put in to the corner - nail biting territory for the home fans. From the resulting line out JP Redmond won the ball magnificently to snuff out the attack. Finally the ball was cleared from the Gorey 22 with a lung bursting drive by Gorey Captain, Jordan Ahern, & with the ball put in touch the referee signalled the end of the game. Gorey had some outstanding performances on the day with Geoff Dunne, Jordan Ahern, JP Redmond and Adrian Copeland the pick of a strong pack. Nevil Copeland, Shane Luby, Garret & Matt Bater played well in the backline. The Gorey lads are away to Malahide this Friday night, at 8.30 on 7th Nov, while the next home game is on Sunday November 23rd against Carlow with a 2.30 kick off time. This result sees Gorey at the top of the table on 22 points followed by 3 teams on 17 points - Kilkenny, Tullow & Malahide. Team, R.Deering, B.O Connor, C. Allen, A. Copeland, J.P. Redmond, J. Ahern, B Horan, G Dunne, G. Bater, S. Luby, A Walsh, M. Bater, J. Condren, N. Copeland, B Spears, Subs - F. Bolger, D Dunne, R. Harrington, J Mulligan, P Horan Pictured - Ben Horan on the charge Gorey RFC J2 V Kilkenny The Gorey J2s played Kilkenny this weekend also. This team, coached by Lloyd Furlong and Philip Jones, have a good blend of youth & experience. Gorey were 1st to get on the scoreboard, after 20 mins, when Fergal Bolger put the ball down following a maul from a lineout. Clinton Furney added the conversion to make it 7 - 0. Clinton & his reliable boot were called in to action again, on the half hour mark, when he slotted over a penalty to make it 10 - 0. Gorey then closed off the 1st half with a great try when a super offload from Sean Byrne enabled Gary Rynhart to get over leaving it 15 - 0 at half time. The second half saw Gorey putting in a huge amount of work defending their line as they kept out several Kilkenny attacks. A lengthy break while a Gorey player, Niall Cousins, received treatment for an injury was then followed by another injury setback when Jack Cleary had to be replaced following a huge tackle he put in as Kilkenny came down his wing. However these setbacks didnt affect the Gorey lads as they only conceded a penalty score to the visitors for the remainder of the game leaving the final score 15 - 3. Best for Gorey were Gary Rynhart & Sean Byrne in the centre, Alex Rowley & also Clinton Furney at 10. Team - E.Warren, F.Bolger, T. Tomkins, C. Hennessy, C. French, K. Breen, N. Cousins, G Mullins, E. Walsh, J. Cleary, S. Rafferty, C. Furney, A. Rowley, G Rynhart, S Byrne Subs - N. Rothwell, B. Brooks, A O Brien, J. Freeney, W Kearney
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 20:21:26 +0000
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