Clontarf withstand late Terenure fightback to win AIL title
Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A Final, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 1/5/2022. Clontarf vs Terenure College .The Clontarf team celebrates after winning. ©INPHO/Ben Brady
The Soroka brothers and their family ties to Ukraine were foremost in the minds of Clontarf players after their Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A title win over Terenure College.
Prop Ivan Soroka returned to the pitch to steady a 'Tarf scrum that was under immense pressure from first-time finalists Terenure, while younger brother Alex - Leinster's player-of-the-match against the Stormers - followed the action live from South Africa.
Both played a number of games across 'Tarf's superb 20-match league campaign that had just one defeat and culminated in yesterday's hard-fought 29-23 final victory at the Aviva Stadium.
Cormac Daly, the Energia player-of-the-match, said he wanted the performance to give 'some hope' to the Sorokas who were born to Ukrainian parents. The family have raised over €50,000 in an online appeal for a children's hospital in Kyiv.
Speaking about the ongoing war's impact on Ivan and Alex, 'Tarf captain Matt D'Arcy said: "The guys were in tears in the dressing room after certain matches. We just rallied around them, it's something that really hit home with the squad.
"They're a great family in Clontarf, there's many other great families there. Obviously a tough year for them, but this will hopefully make it a small bit easier."
The centre, who was following in the footsteps of Clontarf's 2014 and 2016 AIL-winning captain Ben Reilly, added: "It was an unbelievable atmosphere, unbelievable support. It just means so much. So much has gone into this for two years now.
"Unbelievable backroom staff, we used close to 50 players this year. It's just an unbelievable achievement for everyone and I'm just so proud of everyone in the club."
Tries either side of half-time from front rowers Ben Griffin and Dylan Donnellan were vital for Andy Wood's 'Tarf side, who finished the season with 15 straight wins.
21-year-old tighthead Griffin piled in over the top of Jordan Coghlan to score under the posts just before half-time.
Young out-half Conor Kelly contributed 19 points, missing just one kick as the Portlaoise native impressed with the boot. His conversion of hooker Donnellan's 19th try of the campaign gave Clontarf a 13-point lead early in the second half.
First-time finalists Terenure tore back downfield for Alan Bennie to cross on the hour mark, but they failed to convert scrum pressure into a winning score and 'Tarf prevailed thanks to some gritty late defence.
'Nure briefly led by seven points in the first half, Peter Sylvester grabbing the opening try by shrugging off a Donnellan tackle. Their 13-point winger Caolan Dooley kicked sweetly from the tee.
However, the powerful Clontarf pack came alive during those Championship minutes, seizing a 22-16 interval lead before maul maestro Donnellan beat a familiar path to the try-line.
"It came down to a couple of key moments. We pushed ahead early, but as we knew Terenure would come back. It came down to that one really important scrum under our posts when we managed to relieve pressure," admitted 'Tarf head coach Wood.
"Just glad it was a really good contest and glad we came out on top of it. Credit to Terenure, credit to all the supporters who came out for both teams. It was a fantastic occasion."
The eagerly-awaited Dublin derby drew an attendance of 5,788, a record crowd for an All-Ireland League final at the Lansdowne Road venue since its redevelopment. The previous best for the recent league deciders was 2,100.
Tries: Ben Griffin, Dylan Donnellan; Cons: Conor Kelly 2; Pens: Conor Kelly 5
Tries: Peter Sylvester, Alan Bennie; Cons: Caolan Dooley 2; Pens: Caolan Dooley 3
Tadhg Bird; Michael Brown, Michael Courtney, Matt D’Arcy (capt), Cian O’Donoghue; Conor Kelly, Angus Lloyd; Ivan Soroka, Dylan Donnellan, Ben Griffin, Fionn Gilbert, Mick Kearney, Cormac Daly, Adrian D'Arcy, Tony Ryan.
Cathal O'Flynn, JP Phelan, Darragh Bolger, Andrew Feeney, Andrew Smith, Max Kearney, Ed Kelly, Conor Kearns.
Adam La Grue; Caolan Dooley, Colm de Buitléar, Peter Sylvester, Craig Adams; Cathal Marsh, Alan Bennie; Dewald Barnard, Levi Vaughan, Andy Keating, Matthew Caffrey, Mick Melia, Harrison Brewer (capt), Luke Clohessy, Jordan Coghlan.
Conor McEvoy, Adam Tuite, Conor McCormack, Mike Murphy, Conall Boomer, James Thornton, Sam Coghlan Murray, Adam Melia.
Eoghan Cross (IRFU).
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