Reigning In The Rain

Junior Match Report - 18/09/2016 @ Mullingar Rugby Club

The reigning IAFA junior champs travelled to a rainy Mullingar this past Sunday where the weather played a huge part in the performance of just about everyone involved.
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The Cowboys lined up against strong opposition in the form of the South Kildare Soldiers and a slow start saw them fall behind quickly. From here on in the young ‘Boys were fighting an uphill battle. Despite a couple of disappointing drives to start the game, the ‘Boys showed signs of title winning form which they were so well known for last year. Rolston and Nulty spurred a drive into opposition territory late in the first half only to be denied a score when a crucial 4th down pass fell short allowing the Soldiers to retain their lead and run down the clock to the half. A much more spirited and determined Cowboy’s team showed up for the second half and although failing to score there were flashes of brilliance across the team. However, this would prove to be of no avail as the Soldiers capped the game off in the second half and walked away with a 22-0 win.
 
Game 2 saw the travelling ‘Boys take on a new challenge in the form of the hosts, the Westmeath Minotaur’s and this time round they were much better. The Cowboys began operating more like a team and were moving the ball much better than they were earlier in the day. Balance between the ground game and passing attack saw the Cowboys very much in this game with Ruben Larmour hauling in a 40 TD pass from QB. Unfortunately though with little over 2 minutes remaining in the game one of the Cowboys key players, James Rolston sustained a neck injury forcing him out of the game and ultimately killing off any momentum the ‘Boys had going for them. Nonetheless, a fighting, passionate and determined Cowboys team played out the final 2 minutes with pride and dignity despite coming out the lesser in this fixture.

An 0-2 start to the season is by far the last thing the ‘boys would’ve wanted from this weekend but with plenty of football still to play there will be plenty of opportunities to pull back that winning form. 

By Michael Lavery