Monivea Hit the Ground Runnning
Monivea, Sligo and Ballina kicked off the Junior League season with bonus point wins on Sunday to go to the top of the early season table.
OLBC Scrum Half Gareth O’Loughlin tries to evade the Ballinrobe defence. Pic: Sporting Occasions
The result that will take most by surprise was the manner of Monivea’s victory at Corinthian Park. The reigning league champions were overwhelmed in a 36-5 drubbing. Missing a whole host of players from last year’s league triumph the couldn’t compete with a determined and focused Monivea.
Ballina toppled Buccaneers with three second half tries helping them pull clear and win at a canter. Mickey Murphy got two, David Newman also chipped in with one of the five in total. They travel to Monivea next week.
Sligo also stepped up to the plate with an even more dominant 39-5 victory over an understrength Galwegians on home territory. The north westerner have recruited well during the summer but their away form will be crucial and a winnable but tough trip to Ballinrobe is next up.
Elsewhere, OLBC snatched a late victory over Ballinrobe on home turf with a forwards try finished off by Liam Curran to win 19-14. The Robe had led by six in the final quarter on their return to the top flight but against the elements, couldn’t hold on.
Castlebar were quietly fancied to upset Westport in Carrowholly but a new look Bulls side didn’t yield an inch, especially up front and ground out an important victory with Conor Hasting’s try edging an 11-6 win.
Corrib are celebrating after a north Galway derby victory on Sunday. They beat Tuam 13-6 with second half tries from Ronan Casey and Darragh Higgins.
We’ll have a full wrap for you later today.
Sunday Results
Corinthians 5 Monivea 36
Sligo 39 Galwegians 5
Ballina 31 Buccaneers 10
Corrib 13 Tuam 6
Westport 11 Castlebar 6
OLBC 19 Ballinrobe 14
corrib 8 tuam 6 rob…..
Comment by aeroplane — September 20, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
big win for sligo.do they have any overseas players in this year?
Comment by top gear — September 20, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
Corrib 13 – 6 Tuam unconverted try in the last five minutes for Corrib
Editor: amended that.
Comment by correction — September 20, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
Club won 19-14
Comment by manawatu — September 20, 2009 @ 8:22 pm
Sligo have no foreign players……they all have EU passports!!!!!!
Comment by George Clooney — September 21, 2009 @ 10:12 am
monivea are looking very strong must be favourite for the title, sligo beat a very poor wegians side.
Comment by the boo — September 21, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
Ya bigwin for the mona boys really set down a marker. Ballina could have a good season i reckon, good win yesterday.
Comment by Wannabe winger — September 21, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
A great victory for Corrib who have a few top class players still to return. Have to watch penalty count though, a better kicker and tuam would have won
Monivea will win this year though almost certain
Comment by Snackbox — September 21, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
what happened the senior teams yesterday? all three to lose so badly. beware for next weeks backlash…
Comment by scrum'av — September 21, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
and the ail hasn’t started yet!!! i thought the senior clubs would be up to their old tricks!!!!
Comment by fact — September 21, 2009 @ 4:14 pm
fairly short and sweet reporting on junior games compared to last year.. are you going over to the dark side or what..
Comment by sell out — September 21, 2009 @ 8:08 pm
Senior sides will bounce back, lot of lads to come back, cant write off the league champs this early
Comment by flubber — September 21, 2009 @ 10:38 pm
id like to know who quietly tipped castlebar to beat westport.. would that of been the mothers of the castlebar players..where is that fella BAM BAM for a bit of banter when you need him
Comment by i know who you are — September 22, 2009 @ 2:24 am
i thought mickey murphy looked so fit in that ballina jersey on sunday he is a real dish….
Comment by bed for your self — September 22, 2009 @ 2:25 am
don’t know who tipped castlebar to beat westport. but westport definitley tipped the referee!!!
Comment by BAMBAM — September 22, 2009 @ 8:10 am
Point 15 wasn’t made by me. I will then open my 2009 -2010 account in due course…
My points this year will include the following to name but a few….
1) The standard of referees.
2) The three sub rule.
3) Westport and Sligo – Who?
4) The pathetic amount of games played in a season.
Oh sorry, wasn’t that last year… and the year before…. oh and the year before that???!!!
Comment by BamBam — September 22, 2009 @ 9:35 am
Must agree with BamBam – the small amount of games played in the season is ridiculous. If Monivea rattle up a couple of more bonus point wins then the league will be over by X-mas. Farce!
Comment by Thud Ruane — September 22, 2009 @ 10:12 am
There are only 3 league games after christmas anyway so it could be well over before then.
Comment by BAMBAM — September 22, 2009 @ 10:44 am
first big clash of the season is next week, monivea and ballina, we might see if ballina are really a title contending side this year! Also Castlebar play Corrib, of the emerging teams of last year this really looks like a mouth-watering tie!
Comment by king george — September 22, 2009 @ 10:54 am
I know its a busy time of the season with the youths and under 20′s playin and of course the seniors actually winning a game but rob dont forget the junior league folk, everone appreciates how much you do in promoting the junior game and we woul all miss the banter on this forum without your coverage!
Editor: Don’t panic, snap shot to be up later today and we’ll have the aul previews back on Friday. It has been busy though, hence the more trimmed down start to the season.
Comment by Don't forget us rob — September 22, 2009 @ 10:59 am
Never mind the pro’s leave that to their “brillant website” thought this was the site for the junior league..
Comment by forget the connacht pros — September 22, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
Bambam whats your beef.were you one of the many castlebar players that dropped like flies the last day.bambam sounds like the name of a cute little furry animal.guess westport was a bit to tough for ya.
Comment by Bull — September 22, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
Comment 18 wasn’t made by me either. I’ll reply to the Bulls….shit as soon as I have time to decipher his poor grammar.
Comment by BamBam — September 22, 2009 @ 2:27 pm
Who was the ref in the westport game?
Comment by Fact — September 23, 2009 @ 8:10 am
Leave the poor refs alone……..
Comment by Thud Ruane — September 23, 2009 @ 11:09 am
ooops a bit of a pun in my last comment….
Comment by Thud Ruane — September 23, 2009 @ 11:09 am