Ulster Junior League 4

The Cooke Report

Cooke 3---3 Inishowen
17:11:2007

Inishowen travelled to Shaws Bridge in Belfast to play a Cooke side that were physical, experienced and more than capable of turning over Inishowens apple cart to ruin their undefeated status. Conditions on the day were less than clement with a strong breeze and heavy rain casting a doubt on the open style of play that has served Inishowen well to date.

The first half saw a determined home side probing the Inishowen defence, strong running from the big Cooke centre forcing the peninsula men to defend well, and long intelligent kicks from their backline testing Inishowens full backs, Seamus Hegarty and Oliver McConelogue having to catch and field the slippery ball whilst under pressure.

When Inishowen did take the ball into contact, they were guilty of conceding too many turnover balls, allowing Cooke to get in and spoil their good possession and upsetting their attacking rhythms, indeed, for long periods of the half, Inishowen were forced to defend, defend, defend, such was the ball possession of their hosts. Highlights of the first half from an Inishowen perspective consisted of good individual tackling displays, Brian Keogh, Anthony Cantwell, Phelim Tuckey, Matt McCrossan and Conor Kelly all making their presence felt.

But whilst Cooke had the lion’s share of ball and territory, by half time, they had only managed to claim 3 first half points, a penalty being all that separated them at the whistle.

The second half saw a much more determined Inishowen emerge, using their pack to secure good field positions, they were able to use this base to attack out wide, Shane McDaid and Oliver McConelogue using the width of the pitch to good effect. The Inishowen lineout worked well despite the conditions and provided good possession for the backline. The tables appeared to be turned by this stage, with the visitors in the ascendancy in terms of ball possession and territory, but with only minute remaining they had yet to score any points in answer to Cooke’s first half penalty.

To Inishowens credit, they didn’t loose heart or show signs of panic, but pressured the Cooke line at every opportunity, this level headedness paid dividends when in the dying seconds of the game, they were rewarded with a penalty opportunity of their own after a Cooke infringement, With the pressure truly on and amidst the swirling rain, Finn McCormick showed good presence and a cool head to slot the ball over the posts to claim the draw.

In rugby, a low scoring game is usually an indicator of a tough, well contested encounter and the 3 all score line would be witness to that, Inishowen can take plenty out of this encounter, their attack and defensive systems were well tested and the necessary adjustments were identified and can be improved. Also, after recent big victories, a good old blood and glory encounter such as this can serve as a good benchmark for future reference and bring the Inishowen men back to reality where every encounter cannot be won by cricket scores. Finally, with McCormick’s penalty came the reward of still being unbeaten in the league. Captain Shaun Craig was more than happy with his team’s performance against what was a strong opposition and was delighted that they displayed the commitment, effort and determination that rescued the draw from what could easily have been Inishowens first defeat of the season, well done to all involved.

TEAM;

Brian Harkin
Steven Glackin
Brian Keogh
Conor Kelly
Matt McCrossan
Adrian McLaughlin
Anthony Cantwell
Phelim Tuckey
Mark Glasha
Finn McCormick
Oliver McConelogue
Shaun Craig
Paul McMenamin
Shane McDaid
Seamus Hegarty