Shannon stand up to the pressure

With 60 seconds to kick-off and their side fighting relegation from the top tier of the Ulster Bank League, there was barely a Shannon fan to be found in the stand at Musgrave Park on Saturday.

That was because they’d gathered in their droves outside the dressing room in the corner of the ground, to roar their troops on from up close as they made their way to the pitch.

The ties clearly bind closely in their corner of Limerick. Even those absent from the sideline during a rotten season for the storied club have come out of the woodwork in recent weeks.

“Jesus, is there anyone left above in Coonagh?” wondered a Dolphin fan out loud. “Nope, we brought ’em all,” was Shannon PRO Andrew McNamara’s knowing response, as the faithful filtered into the stand.

Their boys didn’t let them down on the pitch. Given Dolphin were already safe, Shannon were always going to have greater motivation. Tadhg Bennett’s pair of drop goals and a penalty rewarded their early pressure before David Quinlan crossed for a try on the stroke of half-time.

When Bennett’s conversion from the touchline squeaked over for 16-0, you knew it was going to be Shannon’s day. Barry Keeshan’s penalty put Dolphin back in the mix theoretically, but John Clogan and Alan Bennie crossed in the final 15 minutes to make it safe.

Those with an eye on Twitter already knew Old Belvedere hadn’t done enough across town against Cork Con and that Garryowen had sent Blackrock down, and so Shannon live on in Division 1A.

Number eight Quinlan has played on plenty of AIL-winning Shannon sides, so this was a low-key way for him to bow out of senior rugby after 14 seasons in black and blue, but he was as relieved as anyone.

“We backed ourselves into a corner with our mid-season form, but in the last three or four weeks we’ve pulled it together,” he said.

“A lot of young players came in last year, we lost a couple of others and, looking back, we didn’t replace them or carry a big enough squad. The young fellas got a lot of responsibility they shouldn’t be getting at this age. But they stood up, showed their pride in the jersey and that’s how we stayed up.

“There’ll be a bit of experience sticking around to help them next season, but not me, I’m done.

Scorers for Dolphin: B Keeshan pen.

Scorers for Shannon: D Quinlan, J Clogan, A Bennie try each; T Bennett con, pen, 2 drop goals; M Lawlor con.

DOLPHIN: E Mills; B O’Rahelly, H Fleming, E Moloney (capt), C Nolan; B Keeshan, C Bannon; J Cronin, N Scannell, C Condon; D O’Shea, D O’Mahony; J Kind, J Quill, R Murphy.

Replacements: J Leahy, J Clery, K O’Dwyer, R Allen, E O’Shaughnessy, L Coughlan.

Yellow cards: J Cronin (36), C Condon (58). Red cards: J Cronin (80+2).

SHANNON: R Mullane; C Cunnan, M Lawlor, J Colgan, M Darcy; T Bennett, R Guerin; K O’Neill, D Fitzgerald, K Griffin; D Heffernan, F Walsh; S Keogh, J Murphy, D Quinlan.

Replacements: J Deegan, G McNamara, K Hanley, A Bennie, B Sargent.

Referee: L Colgan (IRFU).