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League Match:  Co. Cavan 11 - 28 Donaghadee (16/09/00)

"DONAGHADEE WIN CAVAN ENCOUNTER

Donaghadee slightly misjudged their journey time to Cavan last Saturday and the game against the new arrivals in Qualifying 2 began a few minutes late.  A penalty against them which narrowly missed certainly reminded Donaghadee that they were in Cavan to do a job.  Knuckling right down to it the forwards took the ball close to the opposition line.  Gareth Smyth dived through the bodies - inches short!  Clay Gallagher took over and squeezed in at the corner.  The conversion was missed, but a penalty shortly afterwards was kicked.  Cavan managed one of their own and the score was 8-3 to Donaghadee.

The margin between the teams was not much, but it looked like the visitors had more fire power.  Suddenly the released it.  Donaghadee produced a movement in their own half which took the ball all across the field involving backs and forwards.  Just inside the Cavan half John Anderson received the ball, outpaced the inside backs and then in a series of sidesteps went round all the cover defence to score 15 metres out for Paul Blewitt to add the extra points.

Cavan came back at their opponents and pressed them on their line.  It could be argued that the way Donaghadee held their line secure was what contributed most to winning the game, although clearly it was the excellent penetrative running which produced the actual scores.  Tired of just holding the line, Aaron Martin picked up the ball at the back of a set piece and took off.  Spectacularly supported by Craig Simmonds this attack deserved to go all the way, but was finally halted just short of the Cavan line.

Near the end of the half Donaghadee were punished by the referee who decided that Scott English deserved 10 minutes in the sin bin.   With the referee signalling advantage to Donaghadee, Scotty followed up to gain that advantage when he was pushed over the ball at a breakdown.  The decision that he was over zealous gave Cavan the opportunity to reduce the margin to 15-6 and took the Donaghadee player to the touchline for a few minutes before and a few minutes after the break.

 Restored to 15 men, Donaghadee once again began to play the rugby their supporters have come to expect.  First came a penalty and then a lovely try by Paul Blewitt which included that unusual sight of a dummy being sold when there was no-one there to dummy the pass to.  With the scoreline now reading 23-6, Donaghadee threw the ball about.

Donaghadee certainly have the strike force to run in tries in such situations, but they must marshall their players better.  When the piano-shifters are rumbling the ball up the field they will occasionally suck opposition backs into the rolling maul.  That is one of the points of the activity.  Their own backs have enough wit to stay out of it in order to capitalize on the possession if given the chance.  When the backs are doing the piano-players' equivalent and running the ball wide two or three time in quick succession across the field, the forwards really should stay out of this, and not get in the middle of the backline.  What they do best is win the ball and then support and pick up the attack if it falters. 

When the Donaghadee backs found a real chance they once again exploited it.  After a co-ordinated attack with Kurt Courtney showing well, the ball reached John Anderson again, this time on the Cavan 22 metre line.  John's pace skimmed him down the touchline untouched to conclude Donaghadee's scoring at 28 points.  Cavan did come back for a consolation score, which suggests that some of the Dee men were mentally in the shower a  little too early.

This was a good start to Donaghadee's League programme.  Keeping this one hundred per cent league record is the next task, but this will be against Clogher Valley, not on their unique pitch in Fivemiletown, but at the Dee ground next Saturday at 2.30pm."