by Brendan Cole
St Mary’s scored three tries to two at Castle Avenue to beat Clontarf and put one hand on the Ulster Bank League title that looks certain to evade Clontarf for the fifth time.
Clontarf dominated the start and finish of the game and got tries through Killian Lett and Niall Treston.
But decisive finishing down the wings ultimately decided the match in favour of Mary’s, with tries by Conor Hogan and two by Darren Hudson sucker-punching Clontarf in the middle section of the match.
St Mary’s scored three tries to two at Castle Avenue to beat Clontarf and put one hand on the Ulster Bank League title that looks certain to evade Clontarf team for the fifth time.
Clontarf dominated the start and finish of the game and got tries through Killian Lett and Niall Treston.
But decisive finishing down the wings ultimately decided the match in favour of Mary’s, with tries by Conor Hogan and two by Darren Hudson sucker-punching Clontarf in the middle section of the match.
Kicking off into a whipping wind, Clontarf got much the better start and earned the first chance to get on the scoreboard but Richie Lane was unable to convert, missing to the left.
Captain Barry O’Mahony refused a penalty in favour of a kick to the corner soon after, but Clontarf could not get over from the lineout. Then a rare Mary’s foray up the pitch allowed the impressive Gavin Dunne to put points on the board against the run of play.
Clontarf continued to pile on the pressure, with O’Mahony, Simon Crawford and Aaron Dundon among those doing plenty of work with ball in hand. But while the Mary’s defence was frequently stretched, Clontarf usually lacked the tools to turn the openings into points.
That changed on 25 minutes, though brute force rather than skill was the genesis of outside-centre Killian Lett’s try. The Enniscorthy native showed immense strength to shrug off the tackle of Hudson and carry three men over the line for a try, which Lane converted.
Lane missed another penalty as Clontarf struggled to turn their dominance into points.
After defending for an age, Mary’s showed the home side exactly how it should be done, striking quickly through left-wing Conor Hogan.
A loose kick and poor chase gave Mary’s the opportunity and after moving the ball smartly from one touchline to the other, a clever chip and chase did the rest. Dunne was unable to convert, but Mary’s had taken the lead and stunned Clontarf at a psychologically important moment.
The hits kept coming after halftime, as a quick double by Hudson rocked Clontarf.
The Leinster winger’s first came after Clontarf failed to catch his hopeful high kick. Hudson had kept chasing and the ball fell kindly, allowing him to race over the line.
Clontarf had no chance to recover their composure before a couple of lineout errors gave Mary’s their next chance and again, the visitors scored quickly. This time, superb hands by second-row Damien Hall put Hudson into a yard of space and, again, his pace did the rest down the touchline.
Dunne was unable to convert either chance into the stiff wind but Mary’s had quickly established a big lead.
To their credit, Clontarf struck back with a hard-won try of their own.
The pack did all the work this time, strong carries by Jamie Chipman and the increasingly influential Frank Cogan knocking the stuffing out of Mary’s before tighthead Niall Treston powered over from close range.
Lane was unable to secure the extras but Clontarf were back within a score.
That was as close as it got during a desperate battle ensued of the type all too familiar to Clontarf supporters over the final 20 minutes.
Clontarf had their chance but impressive tackle-area work by deserving man of the match Hugh Hogan and openside Gareth Austin allowed Mary’s to release the pressure at key moments.
Turning down shots at goal in favour of lineouts, Clontarf repeatedly got to within yards of the line in search of a seven-pointer.
Though the forwards repeatedly got close, the best chance fell to Lett, but a trio of committed Mary’s tacklers stopped him underneath the posts. Mark Sexton, brother of Ireland international Jonathan, saw yellow for slowing the ball down at that point and Clontarf came again.
With 14 defenders, they tried a backs move but Reid was unable to connect with a strike runner, and his pass hit the ground, allowing Mary’s to clear again.
A final desperate series of attacks, with the impressive wing Michael McGrath among those refusing to give in on the home team, ended with another ball going to ground and a final desperate clearance.
The result means Clontarf look almost certain to suffer their fifth heartbreaking failure at the final hurdle in pursuit of this title.
For Mary’s, the next step is a clash with Young Munster at Templeville Road in a repeat of the 1993 League decider.
Clontarf travel to Lansdowne Road, scene of that clash 19 years ago, to take on Lansdowne on the back pitch at Aviva Stadium needing today’s winners to slip up.
