Galwegians finally did themselves justice and claimed their second League win of the season when they won an eight-try feast by 41-30 at Crowley Park in the AIL Division 2B League on Saturday.
Recent signs the Blues were gradually turning the corner came to fruition against their old rivals ‘Gannon. Producing their best performance of the season, they outgunned their opponents, particularly in the backline.
Yet the game was in the balance right until the last play after scoring the opening try within 35 seconds when centre Shayne Bolton's burst of speed left the cover for dead to dive over in the right-hand corner, with outhalf Morgan Codyre nailing a perfect conversion.
The visitors, with the aid of the breeze, soon narrowed the gap with a Jordan McIlwaine penalty, but by the tenth minute the Blues had doubled their try tally. Bolton was the instigator, Codyre provided support, and full-back Rory Gaffney finished the move.
Dungannon, however, replied with their first try from Gannon’s hooker Daniel Mikolajzcyk after an attacking line-out, and McIlwaine made it 14-10. The visitors used their pack to good effect and a series of pick and gos led to prop James Gamble barging over, McIlwaine again converting to put his side 17-14 ahead.
Codyre and McIlwaine traded penalties before Wegians struck again on the stroke of the half-time when captain Kieran Downey squeezed over from the base of a ruck, and Codyre added the extras for a 24-20 lead.
However, Galwegians' mounting penalties were proving costly and McIlwaine narrowed the gap to a single point, while Codyre's long-range effort was wide. However when the Wegian backline one again stretched the Gannon defence, Bolton dived over for the bonus point fourth try and Codyre's conversion extended the lead to eight points.
Dungannon never relented, capitalising on another penalty to score a try from John Russell, whil Wegians lock Eoin Tarmey was binned. It enforced the Blues to dig deep,and Codyre landed another long-range penalty to put his side 34-30 to the good.
In the 74th minute Wegians’ flanker Jack Winters was also binned for obstruction, leaving them momentarily reduced to 13 men. It took heroic defence to thwarted an attacking lineout maul before Gannon coughed up ball, allowing Man of the Match Bolton to secure possession and power away for a try, with Codyre again adding the extras.
Galwegians XV: Rory Gaffney; Darragh Kennedy, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Shayne Bolton, Andy Neary; Morgan Codyre, Kelvin Langan; Finn Wright, Christy Reilly, Diego Vergara; Eoin Tarmey, Niall Murphy; Ben McGuinness, Jack Winters, Kieran Downey (Captain ) Subs: Conor Kyne, Nicky Lawless, Abdulaq Abayomi, Andrew Sherlock, Matt Dever.
