Skerries 0 Naas 16
UBL Div 2a
Friday 11th September 2015
There will be much better nights at Holmpatrick. For a start there was the weather, which was a filthy as Skerries has had for a many a match night. The rain slanted in and the supporters found shelter where they could.
Added to that was a scoreline that told a tale of the home side’s errors in attack and defence, while Naas looked far more composed with ball in hand and organised in defence. While there was much effort from the home side – and the usual ambition – knock-ons and loose passing at key moments cost them the chance of scores, while some loose tackling, indiscipline and indecision allowed a deserving Naas to take their chances.
It was always going to be a challenge for Skerries to start the season on a high, given how much of the team was different to last season’s. A combination of retirements, injuries and absences meant that the squad had been shaken up substantially, with several newcomers slotting in throughout the starting XV.
Nass, however, weren’t interested in giving Skerries a bedding in period. Having been humiliated on their home ground in this fixture last season, they were keen to make amends. With the gale at their backs in the first half, they set about pinning Skerries back and were on the scoresheet with a penalty after seven minutes.
After showing uncertainty under a high ball, Skerries appeared to have got away with it when Naas knocked on as they sprinted for the line. But the visitors turned over the scrum and grabbed what would be the only try of the game after 10 minutes. The conversion made it 10-0.
Skerries, though, showed spirit as they grew into the game. Despite handling errors, they were holding on to the ball a lot more and making ground in the tough conditions. They gained a certain reward when Naas lost a player to the sin bin after 25 minutes, and there was a sense that if Skerries could get to the break only 10 points down they’d be in a good position for the second half.
It was not to be. Instead, the first half ended with Skerries gifting points to Naas. Two penalties put the visitors 16-0 up, with a Skerries player receiving a yellow card.
The second half, then, required an early score for Skerries to get a foothold in the game, but apart from a missed penalty they struggled to get anything despite pressing. Naas, meanwhile, had regular flashes of decent play, using the wings and gaining significant ground over only a few phases. Skerries ended the game with 14 men and under pressure.
So, there will indeed be better nights at Holmpatrick, but last season began in a similar fashion before Skerries put together a superb run of form. With the squad likely to strengthen in coming weeks, young players to gain further experience and team combinations to settle in, there is still much to look forward to – even if Friday was a night to forget.
- Cormac Marrey
- Chris Tonge
- Neil Foster
- Tome Mulvaney
- Ross Halligan
- Thomas O’Hare
- Kieran Leonard
- Ross McAuley
- Eoghan Dempsey
- Paul O’Loughlin
- Derek Keane
- James Fiava
- Kevin McGrath
- Eddie O’Mahony
- Maurice McAuley
- John Condron
- Conor Ronayne
- Peter O’Neill
- Robbie Jenkinson
- Michael Cauldwell