Tullamore fall at the final hurdle to Bruff
Tullamore gave an excellent account of themselves at the weekend to top 4 side Bruff, but will feel aggrieved having not claimed all 4 points.
All-Ireland Rugby League Division 2C
Bruff 14 Tullamore 10
The home side started the stronger, and seemed to build nicely into the game. Cathal Behan, Alan Douglas and Shane Minnock all looked keen for work in the opening stages, and set Tullamore up well in the opening exchanges.
The first half was a tough and attritional one, with both sides testing and probing to try and find space. Tullamore had the best chance of the half, which fell in the last 5 minutes. Some slick handling from Steven Joyce and Craig Cantwell released Sean McCabe into space. Sean weaved inside his opposite man only to be caught just short of the line. The defender that caught Sean held onto the ball on the ground and received a yellow card for his exploits.
The second half was somewhat similar to the first, the game ebbed and flowed until Bruff won a penalty on the Tullamore 22 metre line. The Bruff pack are a massive unit, and play a 10 man brand of rugby. They mauled close to the line and eventually quick tapped for the first score of the game.
Conor Dunne replied with a penalty of his own to close the gap to 4 points. Tullamore found their groove and really worked Bruff's resolve. They were eventually awarded through an opportunistic score from Conor Dunne once more. Tullamore won a penalty 10 yards out from the 22 metre line. Conor quick tapped and showed great footwork to worm his way over to regain the lead for the home side.
Unfortunately Bruff had the last laugh. With two minutes remaining on the clock, Tullamore conceded a penalty on the half way line. The visitors kicked into the corner and mauled. Tullamore soon infringed and received a yellow card for a high tackle. Bruff opted for a scrum, and eventually found their over the line using the extra man to their advantage.
Tullamore will be disappointed with this result, and had done enough to close the game as a contest. They did however earn a bonus point for their efforts, which could prove crucial leading into the tail end of the season. The final game of the calendar year for Tullamore will be this weekend away to Bangor in Belfast.
TULLAMORE: 1. Cathal Behan, 2. Shane Minnock, 3. Matthew Murphy, 4. Ciaran Crowley, 5. Alan Douglas, 6. Scott Milne 7. Kon Fennelly, 8. Colm Heffernan, 9. Conor Dunne, 10. Craig Strong, 11. Sean McCabe, 12. Craig Cantwell, 13. Eoin Farrell, 14. Steven Joyce, 15. Karl Dunne (C)