Creggs keep double bid firmly on track
Brian Diffley led from the front as Creggs progressed through to the Connacht Junior Cup final.
Creggs cruised through to the Connacht Junior Cup final as their efficiency in attack proved too much for a game Corinthians side to handle.
Kolo Kiripati’s men did the heavy lifting in the first half as they led 24-0 at the interval. After Xavier Tavai crashed over and Mark Purcell added the extras just past the hour mark, Creggs had the luxury of resting key personnel ahead of their J1A league final against Dunmore on Sunday next in Dexcom Stadium.
The hosts enjoyed the perfect start to this game as after brothers Shane and Ronan Dowd stretched the Corinthians defence, Lee Kilcoyne’s slick hands allowed Eoghan Kelly dive over for the first try, with Ronan Dowd adding the conversion.
Corinthians enjoyed the lions’ share of possession and territory for the next 10 minutes but crucially Creggs’ defence held firm.
The home side crossed again when Kilcoyne’s steal in midfield and a pair of strong carries by Nato Kiripati caused the Corinthians defence to narrow. This gave Creggs space out the back as a sweeping move saw Mark Purcell dive over to leave Creggs 14-0 ahead.
Kolo Kiripati’s men produced a sensational move from the restart as Dean O’Reilly dived over but the score was chalked off for a forward pass by Shane Dowd.
Creggs were now firmly on top as a Ronan Dowd penalty extended the lead to 17-0. Corinthians out half Rory King missed touch as he sought to give his side a 5m lineout while the no10 saw a penalty drift past the posts.
Creggs punished those errors as Tom Farrell crashed over off a lineout maul as Purcell added the extra two points to give Creggs a 24-0 interval lead.
Tavai’s try meant Creggs had set up a Connacht Junior Cup final against Tuam on March 29th in Dexcom Stadium despite late tries for Corinthians from John Hughes and Tadhg Johnston.
Creggs enjoyed another proud day as their men’s and women’s teams progressed through to Cup finals as the latter defeated OLBC/Corinthians earlier on Sunday. Both teams will face Tuam in their respective finals in what could prove to be an unforgettable month for the club.
*Full report in Tuesday’s Roscommon Herald*
