McGrath helps Dolphins to victory

Buccaneers 12 Dolphin 27, Dubarry Park

Dolphin captain Rory McGrath helped his side end a two-match losing streak as he scored in their 27-12 win over Buccaneers.

Second row McGrath, who also plays Gaelic football for Mid Kerry, notched a 62nd-minute try to crown the Leesiders' first ever victory over Buccs.

At Dubarry Park, two tries inside the first 12 minutes from centres Eric Moloney and Peter Owens handed Dolphin a 17-6 buffer at half-time.

Full-back Tom Cregan booted four penalties for Buccs but man of the match Barry Keeshan, the Dolphin number 10, matched him with three conversions, a penalty and a drop goal.

Dolphins' backs lorded it at the start as their ability to move the ball at pace and maintain an excellent control of possession saw them get in for their two early tries.

Moloney and Owens, the former Australian Sevens player, both got over for their third tries of the campaign and with Munster's Tomas O'Leary and James Coughlan both included in their starting line-up, a Dolphin rout looked on the cards.

But Buccs were not going to lie down and some good foraging from their forwards set up two penalty chances for Cregan who struck them cleanly through the posts. In between, a smart delivery from O'Leary set Keeshan up for a smartly taken drop goal.

Dolphin lost their openside flanker George Finn to a yellow card, early in the second half, but Buccs could only trade penalties - with Cregan taking his season's tally to 98 points.

The visitors' try-scoring chances were severely limited and Dolphin struck the crucial blow on the hour mark when, despite losing their own lineout throw, the ball squirted back out on the Dolphin side and McGrath was alert enough to work a quick drive which saw him pile over.

HT: Buccaneers 6 Dolphin 17

Scorers: Buccaneers: Pens: Tom Cregan 4

Dolphin: Tries: Eric Moloney, Peter Owens, Rory McGrath; Cons: Barry Keeshan 3; Pen: Keeshan; Drop: Keeshan