Monaghan faced the toughest opposition they have encountered all season on Saturday in Rafeenan. Strabane travelled to Monaghan on a league campaign that they doubled as a recon match for the Quarter Final of the Gordon West Cup in March. Strabane are unbeaten in the league this year and came second behind Letterkenny in the Cup group stage to earn an away q-final against Monaghan in the new year. Strabane were formidable opposition in the Cup Final last year but Monaghan edged them then with more comfort though than this match.
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Monaghan got off to a flyer with two cracking trys in the first 15 minutes. The first came from Evan Rutledge, playing at second centre Evan, just back from the GAA season, ghosted past 4 would be defenders to score a fine individual try to the right of the posts. Shortly after Monaghan through more fine play from the backs put Karl O’Connell up the right wing for a try in the corner. Strabane were slow to start but Monaghan new they were no dosers after their previous weeks result which saw them come back from a 15-0 deficit at halftime to claim the scalp of Donegal Town 28-20 and knock them out of the cup. They came back hard at the end of the first half and scored and well worked pack try under the posts and convert. Monaghan however added a penalty to their tally just before the break to give them a 13-7 lead at the break.
Strabane were growing into this match and their scrum was immense and getting better. Monaghan were really put to the gun in the second and had to defend with everything they had.
They could not keep them out though, another fine pack try off their scrum saw the northerners go ahead for the first time in the match.13-14 to Strabane and game on.
Monaghan gained some valuable field position and control in Strabanes half for a period but lost the ball inside Strabane’s 22 half way through the second period but Strabane’s outhalf panicked and sliced the clearance kick and it fell to Francis Caulfield who moved the ball out to the right quickly for Karl O’Connell to get in for his second.conversion miss and Monaghan were back ahead.18-14. This was short lived as Monaghan made some very costly errors inside their own 22 which gave Strabane a series of scrums which they used to deadly effect. Monaghan infringing at the scrum on several occasions, saw the referee award Strabane a penalty try which the kicked.
Now the pressure was on 18-19 down and less than five minutes to go Monaghan kicked the restart which was perfectly weighted for Monaghan,s pack to pile the pressure onto Strabane. Strabane cleared their line but the kick didn’t go out. Karl O’Connell, again in the mix, moved it inside to Dean McDermott who, coming at pace from fullback, took it into contact. Strabane’s defensive line was not set to the right of the ruck and David Berry ,Monaghan’s scrumhalf, needed no invitation to snipe through the gap, he was hauled down just outside Strabane’s 22 and the pack were with him in force. The forwards picked round the sides and made some valuable ground. The pack was making yards now, working in pods and putting Strabane on the back foot they were working their way infield inside Strabane’s 22. Stephen Niblock took a wide angle just in front of the posts took the tackle and the ruck was set, options on both sides Monaghan were about to play when Strabane’s 7 came in from the side and booted the ball out illegally, result, penalty in front of the posts five meters out. David Berry slotted it home for a 21-19 win.
This was a cracking win for Monaghan which highlighted a few key areas where improvement needs to be made. Monaghan face Letterkenny next weekend at home also in a match that promises to be of the same caliber as this one. Get out and support the lads if your about.
Team: 1 Bernard O’Reilly, 2 Stephen Graham, 3 Richard Carleton, 4 Francis Caulfield, 5 Ross McEnerney, 6 Paul Kelly, 7 Graham Carleton, 8 Stephen Niblock, 9 David Berry ©, 10 David Savage, 11 Karl O’Connell, 12 Dylan Carleton, 13 Evan Rutledge, 14 James Allister, 15 Dean McDermott.
