Final ends in stalemate
Wednesday February 24 2010
THE GOREY Under-19s' Division 1 Leinster final against North Kildare ended all square after both sides spurned chances to put a hand on the trophy after a pulsating match in Tullow on Saturday last.
Even though neither side scored, this match had both sets of supporters on edge throughout as it ebbed and flowed, with both teams dominating through different periods, as Gorey edged the firsthalf and North Kildare were on top in the second-half.
Gorey got off to a good start, but North Kildare had the first shot at the posts which went just wide. After that it was all Gorey for the opening half, with Seán Kinane just failing with a drop goal attempt and two penalties, with one hitting the post. Both defences were excellent with some fine tackling, so try attempts were few and far between.
The second-half saw North Kildare coming more into the game but, as in the first when Gorey struggled to break down their defence, North Kildare too could not find a way through the rearguard.
North Kildare had a number of longrange penalty chances but could not hit the target. With minutes left on the clock, Gorey's Michael Woods created room with a fine turn of pace down through the middle of the pitch. He off-loaded to Killian Breen who managed to make it to the North Kildare '22.
He quickly passed to Jake O'Shea and, with full-back John Condren on his outside, a try looked on, only for the latter to be stopped inches from the line. This proved to be the last play of the game as the referee blew the final whistle after a titanic battle between two evenlymatched teams.
A draw was a fair result as both teams played their hearts out. Gorey had some fine performances, and it would be very hard to select individuals, as from the kick-off it was a complete team effort from one to 22.
The team would like to thank the huge support that came from Gorey, and hope to see an even bigger crowd at the replay, which has not been fixed yet but should take place on the weekend of March 6-7.
