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Last week saw a number of epic sporting contests that were of such quality, passion and atmosphere that the whole world stood up and took notice. Real Madrid v Barcelona, Liverpool v Manchester United, Manchester City v Liverpool, however it was events at John J McDowell Memorial Park that overshadowed all of these occasions. There was a Metropolitan Area Junior 3 Section A relegation battle about to take place.
The press had run riot during the week trying to gain access to the Greystones training camp and decipher the mystical “Billy Ball” Greystones kept calling in the lineout during their previous matches. Rumours had spread thick and fast across the papers of Greystones reportedly planning on making changes in the backline, one reporter claiming:
“I couldn’t see very well given the distance they were from our press box but I’m almost certain they were running a prop at fullback”
All questions were finally answered when head coach Brian McFadden, who was uncharacteristically straight faced, named the squad at the team’s hotel.
15 Sean Carlos. 14 Johnny Bell. 13 Ben Finnegan. 12 Brian O Sullivan. 11. Bernard Lee. 10 Brendan Boyle. 9. Jeremy Roberts. 1 Mervin Maguire. 2 Charlie Cannon. 3. Tom Cruise. 4 Billy Norman. 5 Rory Breslin. 6 Declan Snow. 7 Ger Demspey. 8 Trevor Martin
And so the world was ready to see the battle between the unstoppable force and the immovable object. Greystones v Sutton. A tidy crowd of 6 had gathered to watch the spectacle and they were not disappointed as the game took off at a frenetic pace. Ger Dempsey set the tone of the game by putting the Sutton 8 on his ass while Merv tried to trump that, putting in some huge tackles of his own. Sutton missed an early penalty opportunity under the posts which was followed by some fantastic running rugby from Greystones. Sully and Beebs combined well in attack and were able to move the ball wide quickly out to Sean and Bernard on the wings. With Billy and Bresso combining well in the pack we were able to work our way up the pitch very well and before long we found ourselves on the score sheet after some hard work by the pack saw Declan Snow touch down for his second try of the season. 0-5
Right from kick off we were back on the trail for tries. Billy caught the restart and in a tribute to his Fijian ancestors carried the ball in one hand while swatting away hapless defenders with the other. With Sutton on the back foot we were able to play our best rugby of the season. A stolen lineout saw us move the ball quickly to Bernard where he combined brilliantly with Ben and Bresso to almost score what would have been the try of the season, had the final pass gone to hand.
Camped in the Sutton 22 we made good use of the ball and swung it out wide right with Billy (all 6ft 2 of him) generously offloading to Johnny Bell to score the 5,000th try of his Greystones career. Carlos converted. 0-12
We spent the next 10 minutes on our own line defending the Sutton onslaught, Trev skilfully holding up 3 tries in a row coupled with an immense effort from our pack saw our opponents come away no points.
With half time approaching we managed to surge forward once more and when a poor Sutton clearance kick found its way to Carlos’ awaiting bread (and ham and cheese and mayo) basket he used his secret pace to beat his opposite man and touch down for the try. 0-17
Half time caused some confusion. Having been in the lead at the break for the first time this season we were unsure what to say to one another. Words of encouragement from Trev kept us on our toes and ensured we did not become complacent.
With Savo showing up at half time straight from a “KMPG: How to Rule the World in 10 Simple Steps” convention in Cavan we had the option of taking Merv off. However he was determined to stay on the pitch, despite playing his first game at prop in sixteen years!
Things that happened last time Merv played prop
- Michelle Smith wins three gold medals for swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
- Braveheart wins an Academy Award for Best Film
- Germany defeats Czech Republic 2-1 in extra time of the European Championships.
- Father Ted series two begins on Channel 4.
- Gangster rapper Tupac Shakur is shot to death in Las Vegas
And so the second half began with a little less sizzle than the first half began, however we remained in control of the game. Sutton released their bangers onto the pitch, one of whom greeted Trev with a vicious hit, driving the wind out of the former Newpark starlet.
Two penalties converted from Carlos under our posts saw the score rise to 0-23 however to Sutton’s credit; they managed to get themselves back in the game by touching down a try after a brief period of pressure on our own line. 5-23
Greystones replied in superb fashion after a neat pass from Trev off the back of an attacking scrum saw Jeremy touch down to get only our second try bonus point of the season. 5-28
Some sloppy defence allowed the Sutton out half to stroll over the line to finish the game 12-28 but it did not take the gloss off what was a brilliant performance from the J3s and a well-deserved win after coming so close in the two previous matches.
Honourable Mentions:
Billy Norman
Having vocally criticised previous J3 match reports one would think that he could be the victim of a bad write up, however at 6ft 1inches tall, few would want to upset Sonny Bill. He dominated in the lineout, winning a huge amount of ball. His carries were immense and gave us a great platform to work off so our backs could work their magic and even spoke in a polite manner to the referee! Laughs were had when he was found flagging down traffic at a Clontarf Road service station at 10pm in the hopes of finding someone who could help him pop his bonnet to replenish his windscreen fluid.
Bresso
Gets around the pitch freakishly well for a big man and linked up well with the backs in attack, almost capping off a wonder try had the ball gone to hand. Is getting better with each game that goes by and has been a big difference in our turnaround in performances this season.
Declan Snow
A real team player. Hits all his rucks, makes all his tackles and rarely puts a foot wrong. Bagged himself a try to round out another great performance.
Beebs
Flawless game. A complete class act wherever he plays on the pitch. Played fantastically well, particularly in the first half. Probably the best all round player in the team. Keep up the good work Beebs!
Sully
First full game all season. Some great passing in the first half coupled with a level of communication in the backline that we miss badly when he doesn’t play. Tackling was good too but will need to be on top form defensively against Mary’s this week.
Bernard Lee
Made a number of breaks up his wing and proved that he is very hard to tackle once he gets moving. His last match will be next week against Mary’s. Let’s hope we can send him to Australia with something to smile about.
Man of the Match
Beebs pushed this one down to the wire but ultimately it was a clear decision to award the coveted ESB Metro J3 Section A Man of the Match award to Merv Maguire. He dominated in the scrums and despite his lengthy absence at the position managed to beat his opposite man at every opportunity. Some fine tackles and a fearless commitment to rucks and mauls really stood out. He has really added a toughness to our team this season and he will be sorely missed against Mary’s.
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