"Inishowen enter xmas break after tight physical match"

Malone 20 - Inishowen 17
December 12th 2009

First in the league played third on Saturday as Inishowen made the trip to Gibson Park in Belfast to play league leaders Malone who remain unbeaten at the summit of the junior league table. Having previously been beaten at home by Malone earlier in the year Inishowen braced themselves for a tight physical match with the large experienced Malone team who boast ex Ulster players and a Heineken cup medal winner among their starting fifteen.

From the kickoff Inishowen soon realised the task that lay before them with the home side completely dominating the game in the first twenty minutes scoring three tries in the process, through the large pack who bullied and dominated the Inishowen eight as if it were men against boys.

With the score 17-0 to the home side after the early stages, the Inishowen fifteen realised that they would have to up their game or else it would be a long afternoon against a Malone team growing in confidence.

Malone have handed out several hidings to other teams in the league who have folded after such a hectic start, however the Inishowen team refused to lay down and began throw the ball around in the backs which paid off on their first counter attack as they ran the ball back following a misguided kick from the Malone no 10, fullback Oliver McConologue gathered in his own 22 before passing the ball across the back line through several pairs of hands before wing Paul Cassidy touched down to the joy of the visiting side.

Malone clearly took notice of the finishing of the Inishowen backs and realised that they weren’t as invincible as they had believed. Out half Finn McCormick converted three penalties before the half finished including one from a deliberate knock on from a Malone winger which should have at least resulted in a yellow card after a blatant foul when it appeared that the Inishowen backs were in for another score after more great hands by the backs.

At the start of the second half, it was clear that the experienced Malone pack were beginning to tire and they kept the ball close in the pack which slowed the game. In a very physical second half in which a player from each team was sent off and two players sin binned scoring chances were kept to a minimum, in a much more even affair scores were limited to a penalty to each team with Malone just edging out the visitors at the final whistle, Malone 20 Inishowen 17. The Inishowen front eight had a tremendous second half, despite giving away a huge height and weight advantage; they were excellent in the scrum and were strong in the line out. The Inishowen side will see the game as an opportunity lost but they can be proud of the fact that against very strong opponents, they produced a fine team performance to almost pull of a great comeback

The Inishowen players can now look forward to a well earned rest as the season breaks for the Christmas.