TRINITY NEWS
Tuesday 10th December 2013
Sport
Nicholas FitzGerald recounts DU Karate Club’s recent success in winning both the Inter-Collegiate and O’Connor cups. p.21
Photo: Peter Wolfe
Tense match for DUFC against Malone FC Angus Lloyd deatils DUFC’s nail-biting encounter against Malone FC.
O Angus Lloyd Staff Writer
n Saturday last DUFC registered their first win of the season in the Ulster Bank 1B league in a nail biting encounter with Malone RFC of Belfast. The game was played at DUFC’s temporary home ground of Monkstown Rugby Club. It was a must win game for the home side as a loss would have put them eight points adrift at the bottom of the table, a situation that would be tough to resurrect. DUFC started the game missing some key players in the backline through injury; centre Paddy Lavelle and wing Niyi Adeolokun, two of DUFC’s most experienced campaigners, both had to watch from the sideline. The students began confidently and mauled the ball close to the opposition’s line. The ball was then moved left to inside centre Colton Cariaga, who showed great footwork to beat two defenders and stretch over the line for the game’s opening try. The conversion was missed but DUFC led 5-0 and had the strong start
they were wanted. But Malone, who were also struggling for wins this season, had come to play and played an expansive style of rugby much like the home side. Their persistence was soon rewarded with a penalty just outside the 22 meter line which was converted to bring the visitors back within two points. The first half provided some exciting play from both sides but neither team were really able to convert their opportunities largely due to handling errors or infringements. Towards the end of the first half DUFC began to get on the wrong side of the referee who eventually had had enough and sent two of the home side to the sin bin in quick succession, first Richie Halpin for an alleged tip-tackle and then Martin Kelly for side entry at a maul. With the students down to 13, the visitors took this opportunity to get on the front foot. Just before the half time whistle Malone took the lead with a try from close in. They duly converted and went
into the break 10-5 up. Shortly after halftime Malone stretched their lead out to 8 points with another penalty. DUFC were struggling with their continuity and were beginning to let their heads drop. But a moment of inspiration came when the students attacked deep into the oppositions 22. After some strong carries from the pack the ball eventually found its way into the arms of fullback Jack Fitzpatrick who barrelled over the line to score DUFC’s second try of the game. Outside centre Conor Kearns converted to bring the home side back to within one point. This represented a massive confidence boost to the home side and led to a big swing in momentum. Only fives minutes later the students were on the attack again. Ariel Robles pounced on a loose ball and kicked it ahead. A frantic chase by Kearns and wing Caleb Morrison ensued, resulting in a penalty try for DUFC. Kearns was alleged to have been pushed as he tried to dive on the ball. The
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“Towards the end of the first half DUFC began to get on the wrong side of the referee who eventually had had enough and sent two of the home side to the sin bin.”
infringing player was duly sent to the bin. The try was converted and DUFC lead 19-13 with fifteen minutes remaining. But much to the dismay of the crowd Malone weren’t done yet. With a man down they pressed hard and scored their second converted try of the game. This made it a one point game with ten minutes to go. As the onlookers at Monkstown RFC’s ground grew more and more anxious by the minute, the players remained calm and the experience amongst the team began to tell. DUFC worked their way patiently into the oppositions half and were rewarded with a penalty. Kearns managed to control his nerves and converted the three points. The final seven minutes of the match were not for the faint hearted. Malone put the home side under extreme pressure in the closing moments. In the second last play of the game, the visitors patiently went through 21 phases, eventually working themselves into a drop
goal position but thankfully the effort was put wide. With the last play of the game DUFC restarted with a 22 drop out and the visitors had one final attack. Again they held onto the ball and attacked with accuracy and precision but the students were not going to let this one go. The home side defended heroically as Malone went through an impressive 28 phases before DUFC finally forced the error only yards from the try line. The students’ defence in these closing minutes was a reminder of the capabilities of this young team. A sloppy performance at times but great passion and resilience shone throughout and in the end DUFC deserved the win. With another massive fixture next week against Blackrock College RFC the students will have to work on their handling errors and penalty count, but all in all there is now something still worth fighting for.
DUAFC triumph over Limerick Vikings Stephen Carton reports on DU American Football Club’s exciting 12-0 win over the UL Vikings.
A Stephen Carton Staff Writer
s current holders of the Irish American Football College Championship, Trinity Football secured a position in the finals of the annual Intervarsity competition. Travelling down to Limerick on a Saturday evening, Trinity would face the winner of the next morning’s game between The University of Limerick (UL) & UCD. UL secured a comfortable win in the morning game over UCD, setting up a rematch of the previous College Bowl in which Trinity took the title from Limerick. The game was a solid outing for the Trinity outfit that shut out a physical Limerick side in a convincing win. A dynamic defense captained by Stephen Carton (Strong Safety) wreaked havoc on Limerick’s option run game. Linebacker Gareth O’Shea forced an early fumble against a Limerick running back, the first of the Trinity defense’s many turnovers. Limerick’s offensive line had no answer for former quarterback turned defensive end Alex Gurnee who forced two fumbles and recorded four sacks on top of numerous tackles for losses over the course of the game. Gurnee
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“Linebacker Gareth O’Shea forced an early fumble against a Limerick running back, the first of the Trinity defense’s many turnovers.”
also started at Right Tackle on a young Trinity offense which was sharp and effective on the day. First year Quarterback Dan Finamore was composed in the face of a reputable Limerick defense and was able to connect with receivers Daniel Murphy and Craig Marron on both of Trinity’s scoring drives. Two 20 yard catches from notorious Tight End/ Free Safety Andrew Redmond brought Trinity into scoring position on both of these drives. The first drive was capped off with an impressive rushing touchdown by dynamic first year David Lunn who spearheaded Trinity’s rushing attack alongside third year Josh Megan. Megan later ran in Trinity’s second touchdown of the day to seal the win against Limerick. To accommodate two games in one day, both were played with short quarters and a rolling clock. In the limited time afforded them, the Trinity side displayed the speed and aggression on both sides of the football which has made them one of the top teams in the IAFL.