Galwegians produced a gutsy performance only to come up short against high-flying division 1B league leaders UL Bohemians at Crowley Park on Saturday.
Bohs edged the contest by 27-24 against Brian McClearn’s depleted Wegian squad side that had been given little chance coming into this game.
The Blues showed a marked improvement over the prevous week’s disappointment away to Dolphin, and they were rewarded in the seventh minute when winger Peadar O’Beirn went over on the right for his debut score in the All-Ireland League.
However the visitors were not long in replying, capitalising on Wegian prop Conan O’Donnell’s sinbinning, and from a resulting line-out flanker James Ryan touched down. Bohs’ Kiwi outhalf Rick McKenna landed the conversion for a 7-5 lead. Wegians responded well when Aidan Moynihan, starting at 10 for the first time in place of the absent Mitch Lam, bagged an excellent 20th minute try, putting his side, and they held this lead until the 39th minute when Bohs' number 8 Brian Walsh scored from an overlap, with McKenna adding the extras for a 14-10 lead at half-time.
The game was decided in the third quarter after Wegians’ full-back Conor Lowndes and McKenna exchanged penalties. Then Bohs' centre Finbar Aherne claimed a 58th minute try, which McKenna converted.
Wegians looked to have earned a lifeline, but were denied a try by referee Leo Colgan, before they reduced the arrears to 24-23 thorugh a Matthew Quinn try, and a Lowndes converrsion and penalty. The Blues threw everything at Bohs, but a controversial yellow card resulted in Bohs making the final score 27-23.
Galwegians XV: C Lowndes; M Quinn, A Leavy, D Clarke, PO'Beirn; A Moynihan, B Lee; J East, J Dinneen, C O'Donnell, M Kelly, A Ryan; R Moore, P Hackett, J Pim. Replacements: P Curran, D McHugh, M Towey, E Dowling, G Armstrong.
