Guinness Rugby Football Club

By Conor Scanlon (Team Captain)

It’s been an interesting season so far for the under 17s, they have had the highs, lows, good days and bad days. Although the majority of the results haven’t gone their way, that doesn’t reflect some of the teams performances. Performances which would eventually leave the team in a position of winning the league.

It was a different looking team from last year’s under 16 squad as many of the players moved up to under 19s leaving only a few of last years players and many new faces to the Guinness set up. The under 17 season kicked off with a friendly away to Barnhall RFC in late august. The result was disappointing but it was a solid performance from the Guinness players. Perhaps it was low fitness levels and lack of game time that proved the decisive factor in the end. But that couldn’t take anything away from players who had gelled together as a unit in such a short space of time. Regardless of the result, the team showed a lot of promise and game time was all they needed to show their potential.

The league campaign was set to begin in early October, and being drawn against the likes of Naas, Clondalkin and Portarlington it was not going to be an easy task. The first league fixture was a home game against Portlaoise RFC. Guinness ran out eventual winners by two points. The boot of full-back James Fields snatched the winning points. The league points went to Portlaoise on a technicality but the win was a boost for the team morale. The following game against Naas RFC was cancelled as they were unable to field a team so Guinness took the points. The next three games were to prove a turning point in the season, back to back defeats at the hands of Rathdrum and Wexford really dented the team’s confidence and left the lads to pick up the pieces and get the campaign back on track. At this stage of the season it was make or break, Guinness had to start getting the results if they’re hopes of winning the league were to come true. Next up it was Enniscorthy at home, a game that the players were very excited about, but it turned out to be the most memorable game of the season so far. There was no question about the passion that both teams were playing with and Enniscorthy took an early lead but Guinness characteristically fought back. Early in the second half issues in the scrum resulted in tempers rising and it was only a matter of time before something was going to kick off, and it eventually did. After further problems in the scrum a fight broke out between the two front rows and both teams became involved. Warnings from the referee couldn’t calm things down and more fights broke out, this lead to two Enniscorthy players and one Guinness player being sent off for the remainder of the game. Guinness did well to keep their discipline for the rest of the game. The match winning try was within grasp for Guinness but the clinical finish was lacking and the game ended 17-12 to Enniscorthy, which meant Guinness only earned a losing bonus point. The Enniscorthy match was a huge step up from the two previous performances but consistency was still a work in progress. The next game was at home against the old rival, Clondalkin RFC. The first derby game of the season and one which the players were very excited about. Clondalkin drew first blood after a lapse in communication between out-half Conor Scanlon and inside centre Darryl Keogh. The game opened open up after that and chances were being made by both teams. A Dominant display by the Guinness pack lead by second row Michael Kelly put Guinness on the front foot and after Clondalkin prop and captain left the field with an injury, Guinness displayed their dominance and perseverance and the try came from on form prop Conor Bowden. Discipline proved key aswell and full back James Fields continued an impressive season of goal kicking and kept the score board ticking over. Darryl Keogh and Conor Scanlon made a mends for giving away the first try and both scored a try each. Consistency started to show and the game ended 38-10 to Guinness. A well deserved victory. The team morale was high after the Clondalkin victory but there were two more games to play. Unfortunately the game against Clane did not go ahead and Guinness received the points. This left one more game to be played to determine whether or not Guinness would make the play offs. When the team arrived in the grounds of Arklow RFC the weather had already taken its toll on the pitch and rendered it unplayable. The match was to be replayed in the Iveagh grounds the following week. The week of preparation came and went and the mood around the team was calm and relaxed going into the crucial game, the home fixture suited Guinness as the home record was good so far. The game started slow but as it progressed, it opened up and the ball was being moved around by the two teams. The Arklow pack brought a huge amount of physicality to the game but Michael Kelly’s Guinness pack stood strong and didn’t give them an inch. The lead changed hands on numerous occasions but two second half tries from prop Conor Bowden sealed the victory for Guinness. A hard fought win in the end which could have possibly earned Guinness a place in the league play offs.

The last league hurdle came the following week in an away game to Portarlington. The winner would secure the final league playoff place. It was a tense week but nerves didn’t seem to get the better of the players. The morning of the game was cold and dull and the team assembled in the Iveagh grounds in good spirits. John, Sarge and Ultan were all unable to attend the game so the services of the stand-in coaching team of Benny McMahon and Ger Creighton were called upon, which was greatly appreciated (thanks Benny and Ger!). Eventually the team arrived in the grounds of Portarlington RFC. The game soon kicked off and Portarlington drew first blood within the first ten minutes and this made the task of winning even harder for Guinness. But Guinness valiantly fought back and the game was too close to call at half time, it was anyone’s game at this stage. The game opened up in the second half and the ball was moving up and down the field constantly. Portarlington continued scoring tries through their number 8 but hard worked tries from pack leader Michael Kelly, prop Conor Bowden and full back Shane Murtagh kept Guinness in touch. Possession of the ball changed frequently but impressive work in the front row from hooker Karl Stafford winning every ball in the scrum against the head gave Guinness the edge. Unfortunately the pressure wasn’t turned to points and Portarlington ran out winners by seven points. The League dream was over…

The team didn’t dwell on the defeat and the lads stayed positive, kept up the hard training and set their sights on the cup. The team had a month to prepare for the first cup game which would be at home against Terrenure. A lot happened within that month, the high flying under 19s won the league with an impressive win over Seapoint and the 17s played two friendly games. The first was against railway union away which was a disappointing result which highlighted the weaknesses in the team’s game and was one of the lowest points in the season. Now that the lads knew what to work on it was back to the training pitch for a serious week’s training and the following friendly against the old rival Clondalkin was a huge step up in performance. The pack was back playing at their best and a standout performance from open-side Diarmuid Lyons epitomized the aggression and brute force the pack possessed, and the back line defence also stood strong for the whole game and Guinness won convincingly.

So far the season has had its mix of bad games and good games but this close knit 17s team has stood together through and through, and with the cup campaign on track and the Gulliver’s competition on the horizon, it’s onwards and upwards for this young team.

Conor Scanlon, Captain Under 17s