Galwegians 24

Sligo 7

Galwegians picked up where they left off before Christmas and started the second-half of their season with a deserved 24-7 win against provincial rivals Sligo at Crowley Park on Saturday, an identical scoreline to their game in Strandhill a month ago.

However they left it very late to secure what may prove to be a vital bonus point with an 84th minute try from Ryan Roche to wrap up a third win on the spin and jump two places in the table to sixth.

After the Arctic belt endured all week, the thaw on Friday and Saturday morning meant the main pitch in Glenina was in pristine condition and the game went ahead in very benign dry conditions. Both sides were forced into some late changes due to a combination of illnesses, late knocks, and provincial call-ups.

The visitors were keen to avenge their home defeat in December and they came out of the blocks, winning a scrum penalty in the third minute. However, if it was intended as an early statement, it proved short-lived as following the next scrum two minutes later, referee Kevin Coffey awarded the penalty to Wegians, a portent of things to come with neither side able to gain prolonged forward supremacy.

The first score was always going to be crucial, and it went the way of the Blues after 10 minutes. In their first meaningful foray into the opposition 22, the home side were awarded a penalty five meters out.

A lightning-quick tap-and-go by Andrew Sherlock caught the visitors napping, and the scrum-half dived over at the base of the posts for an opportunist score, giving Stevie Mannion a simple conversion to put the home side 7-0 to the good.

Wegians went on to dominate most of the opening half and it was no surprise when they stretched their lead on 24 minutes. Following a sustained period of territory, a penalty kicked to the corner led to a well worked line-out maul.

Irish U-20 call-up Bobby Power took clean ball before lock forward Gonzalo Alvarez emerged with the ball over the line to score the Blues’ second try near the right-hand corner. Mannion’s conversion hit the upright, but bounced over the bar to make it 14-0.

For all their intent and ambition, Sligo lacked the cutting edge to seriously threaten the Wegians line, and that’s how it remained until the half-time break.

The away side came out of the traps upon the restart knowing that the next score would prove crucial. However, it would be their hosts who struck next to put some daylight between the sides in the 45th minute.

It came from a well-worked backline move started inside their own half, as slick hands fed left-wing Oisin McKey, who chipped ahead from the 10-metre line. In a tight three-horse race between himself, Sherlock, and the covering Sligo winger Ronan O’Connor, it was McKey who got the vital touchdown, even managing to hold onto the ball at full stretch for a magnificent score near the left corner.

Pictured: Galwegians players Dylan Keane, Oisin Halpin, Ryan Roche, Oisin McKey, and Rob Holian celebrate after Roche had crossed for his side’s final try in Glenina on Saturday.  Photo: Sinead O’Brien.