Shannon survive test from students

SHANNON coach Mick Galwey had stern words for his troops despite a 14-points AIB All-Ireland Cup victory at the Mardyke on Saturday.

His first division team nearly came a cropper in a pre-Christmas Munster Senior Cup final against Highfield, and again contrived to make life difficult against another lower-ranked side at the weekend

The display from the students was remarkable given that they leaked 20 points in the opening 24 minutes. Shannon, with that type of lead, would normally be assured of victory but were made sweat prompting Galwey to admit: “We’re far from the finished article on the basis of this display.”

“At 20 points up, we appeared to be in total control of the game so it was really disappointing to allow them back into the game.

“We started well, we finished well, but I’m not quite sure what happened in the middle of the game.

“We would have to give credit to UCC because they never gave up, and once they sniffed an opportunity they took it. You can see why they’re doing so well in the second division,” he said.

Galwey added: “We always felt it would be a difficult tie, and we weren’t shocked at a result. But it would have been better had we maintained the control we seemed to have had on the game after that first quarter. Certainly, there’s a fair bit of food for thought.”

While Galwey was clearly worried about the score line scare (up to the 78th minute, the game was in the balance), he is now more concerned about an injury to full back Mossy Lawlor.

“It looks as if it’s a bad enough groin injury and that’s a blow because he was playing so well,” he said.

Lawlor had done much of the damage with two very well taken tries.

Everything appeared to go according to script in that opening quarter, with Andrew Thompson’s impeccable goal kicking helping the visitors into a real position of strength.

The centre kicked two early penalties and then knocked over touchline conversions of Lawlor’s brace of tries.

College hardly got a look in but suddenly clawed their way back with a sensational try from centre Ivan Dinneen. Gavin Dunne converted and then added a penalty before the break to cut the deficit to 10 points.

Scott Deasy kicked a long-range penalty five minutes into the second half and, even if College were playing second fiddle in the territorial stakes, they drew level with a second surprise try from Dinneen, converted by Deasy.

Shannon lifted themselves but it took considerable pressure to yield a try to David Quinlan in the 73rd minute. Thompson added the conversion and then kicked another after Stephen Kelly’s breakaway injury-time try to give the Limerick side an ultimately flattering 34-20 victory.

UCC: S. Deasy, P. Shallow, I. Dinneen, A. Kelleher (captain), C. Crowley, G. Dunne, S. Cronin, R. Wilmott, N. Finneran, R. O’Neill, C. Kenefick, N. Keogh, D. Keogh, S. O’Sullivan, D. Nathan.

Replacements: R. O’Sullivan for Dunne (42), W. Falvey for Finneran (61).

SHANNON: M. Lawlor, A. Finn, A. Thompson, J. Manuel, S. Kelly, J. Moran, D. O’Donovan, K. O’Neill, S. Cronin, K. Griffin, P. O’Brien, P. O’Connor, C. McMahon, D. Quinlan (captain), J. Paringatai.

Replacement: T. Bennett for Lawlor (44, injured).

Referee: D. McDermott (IRFU).