Portarlington 26-12 Clane: Disappointing defeat in final league game
Clane ended their Division 3 campaign in disappointing fashion with a defeat to Portarlington last Sunday 8th March. After a convincing attacking display the previous week, hopes were high that the side could turn Portarlington over. The home side had already secured 2nd position and a playoff, so were looking to carry some momentum into that all-important clash. Clane were marooned in 5th position regardless of the result, but wanted to end their league campaign on a high as they look towards the cup.
It was a familiar tale for the away side as they fell behind early. Portarlington used their scrum as a platform to make a break down the blind-side. Cover didn’t arrive in time, allowing the first try to be scored by Anavil Kilorey minutes into the game, with Rory Bracken adding the extras. Brian Corbett didn’t take that lying down however. Ill discipline from the hosts allowed their opponents to make their way into Portarlington territory, where Corbett found space in the wide channels. He just about managed to skip clear of the tacklers and narrow the lead to 2 points.
Portarlington wasted no time in responding however, and pressure at scrum time forced a knock on. They duly capitalised, and exploited a hole in the defence to run in their second try without much opposition via Bracken, giving them a 7 point lead after a breathless opening 10 minutes. The pace of the game eased slightly after this, with the visitors having the slight edge due to a chronic lack of discipline from their hosts. They couldn’t quite capitalise on this though, despite some great kicking from Robbie Hyland. In contrast, Portarlington were ruthless when given their first chance of this period. Some good clear out work from their pack gave them time to execute a clever pick-and-pop dummy that allowed Kieran Hyland to steal in for his side’s third try. Bracken duly converted, leaving Clane with some work to do.
They set about doing that work quickly. They had good territory thanks to Portarlington’s 11th penalty of the half. A good pass from Joel Dyer released Corbett again, who managed to shrug off two tacklers and sprint clear. Dyer nailed the conversion, leading to a great spell of Clane pressure for the rest of the half. The hosts managed to rack up 15 penalties in the first half, and their guests worked to make them count. Time was against them however, and Portarlington managed to hold off the relentless Clane attack for long enough to force a mistake. The gap was down to 7 at half time, with either side feeling capable of ending their season with a victory.
Unfortunately for Clane, the second half didn’t contain as much attacking verve as the first. Forced substitutions for Glenn Predy and Shane Redmond robbed them of some momentum, while Portarlington were free to shuffle the pack whenever they needed to. It suited the hosts for the game to be bogged down and remain within the 10 metre lines, and they managed to control the game and do just that. Their penalty count also fell dramatically after Paul Mannion saw yellow for them. The home side eventually managed to secure a bonus point and put themselves out of reach. Clane had defended valiantly for much of the second half, but the pressure finally told. Sean Mooney positioned himself wide, and couldn’t be stopped from 8 metres out. Bracken converted, and time was running out for Clane.
The opposition 22 remained elusive for the visiting side, who couldn’t find the space they often did in the first half. A long game and season seemed to tell in the end, with some uncharacteristic mistakes creeping in. Clane couldn’t find a route to the try line, and were left frustrated after a promising first half.
Both sides knew where they would finish the season, but didn’t allow that to prevent a competitive and feisty game. This was an excellent test for both sides as they aim to prolong their seasons. Portarlington face Kilkenny in 2 weeks’ time, and also have their promotion playoff to look forward to against Garda. Clane are in cup action next week against North Meath, a side who will be replacing Roscrea in Division 3 next season. An improved league finish for the Kildare men this year, one that they will certainly be hoping to build on in 2020/2021.