Monaghan 2nds 3 Ballymena 5ths 32
Monaghan 2nds headed to Eaton Park in Ballymena for the 2nd round of the Forster cup but found their hosts far too expierenced and wily for them. Ballymena 5ths is made up primarily of players who have retired from playing senior rugby for the club and now choose to play socially for the 5ths. While their fitness may not be what it once was they were, they can still play very good rugby. Togging out on this accasion were 11 players with 10 or more years senior rugby expierence and 6 whom played on their AIL Div 1 winning side of 10 years ago. Monaghan could not expect to match such expierence. But they were spirited in their efforts even if ultimately they returned home unrewarded. CLICK HERE for the Davy McGregor SHOTTSS
From the kick off Monaghan tried to dictate the pace and went on the offensive for the opening 5 minutes but were unable to break down the resolute home defence. Ballymena slowly seized the inititive and after 10 minutes opened the scoring with a well organised driving maul from a lineout inside the visitors 22. The conversion was missed and Monaghan set about reducing the arrears. On 15 minutes they got their fist real chance to do so but Aaron Dolan was narrowly wide with a penalty kick from a tight angle on the right side of the field. The expierence of Ballymena was now coming to the fore and having worked out a very effective defensive system of the Monaghan throw in at lineout time began to put the Farney men under more and more pressure by depriving Monaghan of primary possession from this set piece. This told with two scores in quick sucession early in the second quarter, first an unconverted try and then a penalty kick leaving them 13 – 0 to the good. A couple of possitional switches and a shortening of their lineout to 5 men gave Monaghan a platform to get back into the game but they were unable to fashion a score. Ballymena scored again with a breakaway try 5 minutes before the interval and the conversion left them 20 points to the good. Monaghan did get on the scoreboard with a penalty kick from Aaron Dolan just before the break to leave the halftime score 20 – 3.
Monaghan knew they had to improve for the second half and they did just that. Ballymena were met with very strong tackling and much more aggressive ball carrying from Monaghan early in the second half and this led to the first chance to score falling to Dolan after 4 minutes. Unfortunately for Monaghan he was narrowly wide with a penalty kick. Monaghan now began to play with much more adventure and began to run the ball at every opportunity in an attempt to run the legs off their older opponents. But the wily old men of Ballymena had seen it all before and soaked up the Monaghan pressure before hitting Monaghan on the counter attack just beyond the hour mark and score a converted try to extend their lead to 27 – 3. Although now realising that the game was beyond them, Monaghan didn’t give up but did unfortunately cough up the last score of the game when Aaron Dolan and Darren Bery attempted an audacious counter attack from their own 5 meter line. But having made it to halfway possession was lost and Ballymena stole in in the corner. Monaghans miserable day then got worse with James Hurson picking up a bad ankle ligament injury in the last play of the game which will mean that he will now miss the remainder of the league campaign.
Monaghan 2nds I Wheatley, C McGonigle, J Hurson, R McKenna, C McKenna, W Patton (c), J Ruttledge, P Kelly, F Hanna, A Dolan, D McCrossan, S Clerkin, D Berry, S Niblock, L Savage.
2nds playing away to Portadown this Saturday the 9th and Civil Service the following week.
1st XV away next two weeks, this Saturday the 9th to Strabane and following Saturday Donegal
