Hard fought win for Portlaoise in Kells
Bryan Croke scored 19 points in Portlaoise's win over North Meath on Sunday Photo: David Maher
PORTLAOISE came home from Kells with a bonus point win over North Meath on Sunday, but they were made to fight every inch of the way.
A halftime lead of 0-17 looked like an almost effortless advantage, but it was far from that. Having landed the score, a penalty from Bryan Croke with barely a minute played, they could not build on that until shortly before half time.
In the interim, the visitors may marginally have held the hopper hand but could make little or no headway against a resilient North Meath defence. That and errors at costly moments might well have punished them.
In truth the North Meath back line look far more dangerous and but for some heroic tackling from Kevin Griffin, Glen Connolly and Liam Doyle, they might well have scored.
Instead it was Portlaoise who held the upper hand going into the break.
Portlaoise might have had their first try in the 35th minute when Ian Corrigan latched onto a ball and looked destined to score for the referee to hinder his progress.
From the Portlaoise scrum scrumhalf Juan Raffa broke down the blindside and out half Croke was there to take the pass and crash over, adding the sideline conversion for good measure.
On the pip of half time Raffa made a blistering break and once again Croke was on hand to benefit, taking the pop-pass and touch down under the posts and the conversion was a formality.
With a 17 point lead the visitors were looking to build on that advantage on the restart but had to wait 15 minutes before they would. Thios time it was Croke who broke down the left and linked up with Connolly, and when the ball was flashed across the backline full ack Euan McCann crossed for the try, which Croke converted.
Soon after Portlaoise struck again when replacements combined. Cormac Rigney broke down the right wing, put in a deft chip ahead which ended with Oisin Hade scoring, and converting.
Credit to North Meath they never gave up the hunt but Portlaoise were on a roll and scored their last try ten minutes from time. Anther break from Rafa saw the scrum half chip and an gather himself to score. Hade added the conversion.
With changes to personnel and tiring legs, Portlaoise switched off and were punished when the home side ran in three tries in the space of seven minutes. But gallant and all their challenge, it was all too little too late.
Oisin Hade converted a penalty for good measure.
Louis Finnegan (1 try, 1 con), Harry Finnegan and Sean O’Reilly (1 try each).
Bryan Croke (2 tries, 3 con, 1 pen), Oisin Hade (1 try, 2 cons, 1 pen), Euan McCann (1 try).
Jordon Hering; Sean O’Reilly, Senan McDermott, Eanna Finn, Brian O’Connor; Conor Grey, Louis Finnigan; Paraic McGurl, Adam Deighan, Theo Chamberlayne-Daye; Harry Finnegan, Daniel Adekunle; Alex Duff, Alex Kenny, Peter Flanagahn.
Sam Bashford, Keith O’Neill, Killian Flanagan, Denis Cannon, Justin McPhilips, Nathan Kiernan, Simon Deevy.
Euan McCann; Iain Corrigan, Jack Duffin, Kevin Griffin, Marc Bracken; Bryan Croke, Juan Raffa; Paddy Coss, Ryan McEvoy, Aaron Coiley; Ronan Dalton, Michael Rigney; Glen Connolly, Liam Coffey, Liam Doyle.
Joe Stevens, Ben Goodall, Mark Kelly, Oisin Hade, Jamie Holohan, Cormac Rigney, Mark Sherlock.
