It will be a dramatic weekend in the Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2C, as the league leaders Enniscorthy face their closest challenge in the form of Skerries, this will be an interesting one for the title picture, as a five point margin separates them at the top.
City of Derry V Bruff, Saturday 26th February, 2:30pm, Judge’s Road
Derry slipped to bottom in the table after last weekend’s round of fixtures, they can bounce back up the table with a win this weekend, and should other results work in their favour, they meet a Bruff team coming into this tie after victory last weekend.
Derry fell behind from the off against Clonmel last weekend, they were 12-0 down early on, but replied in the 34th minute with an unconverted try of their own, taking a 12-5 margin to the break. Derry were quick to level the contest after the restart, they bundled over in the corner, the grounding good for a 12-12 stalemate, but Clonmel took control shortly after, coming out 27-12 winners.
Bruff managed to get their third win of the season, in a nail-biting dramatic 17-15 encounter against Omagh. They managed to cross early for a converted try as they held a 7-3 lead at half time, having gone behind shortly after the restart, The Shannonsiders replied with a penalty to lead by two points, before crossing for a second converted try, before they conceded another converted try.
Enniscorthy V Skerries, Saturday 26th February, 2:30pm, Alcast Park
The biggest game in the division this weekend, is the tightly contested title challenges going head to head, with Enniscorthy hosting second placed Skerries, both suffered defeats to Sundays Well in recent weeks, the visitors can reduce the gap to just a point at the top with a bonus point win.
Scorty were the latest of the two to suffer defeat to the Well, going down 13-12 at Musgrave Park last weekend, nothing could separate them at half time, tied at 0-0 at half time, they fell behind after the break before making it 7-5 with a well taken try. They further went behind midway through the half, but a late try set up plenty of drama, but the hosts hung on.
Skerries had a strong performance last weekend, a 41-16 win over Midleton, showing their impressive title challenge, after a slow start they managed to take a 17-6 lead to the break, they continued their strong showing into the second half, getting their bonus point shortly after the restart as they looked strong all afternoon.
Midleton V Clonmel, Saturday 26th February, 2:30pm, Towns Park
Victory last weekend saw Clonmel jump up to eight in the table, just their second of the season, they have now won two in a row, and will bid for a victory against a midleton who lost last weekend.
Midleton could not contain their opponents Skerries last weekend, they were beaten heavily in defence and while they did manage a converted try and three penalties, they could not find their rhythm in the contest.
Clonmel were strong from the off against Derry taking a 12-5 lead to the break after two well taken tries, they conceded after the restart but finished the half with a flurry, scoring a penalty and two tries to secure all four points.
Omagh Academicals V Bangor, Saturday 26th February, 2:30pm, Thomas Mellon Playing Fields
Bangor climbed to third after victory last weekend, they will look to continue a run of form with a short trip to Omagh. The hosts suffered defeat last weekend, having lost two of their last five, a win will be on their mind this weekend.
Scott Elliot was a key man for Omagh last weekend, as they fell to a two point defeat at the hands of Bruff, Elliot kicked their opening points to leave them behind by four at home time, they managed to lead by a point after the break, before Bruff came back to lead 17-8, Elliot crossed for a late converted try to set up a tight ending.
The boot of Gareth Millar combined with a try from Rhys Larmour, helped Bangor to a 16-5 winover Tullamore, Millar kicked a penalty in the first half as they had trailed to an early try, he added two more after the restart, before converting the try by Larmour, as they looked very strong.
Tullamore V Sundays Well, Saturday 26th February, 2:30pm, Spollanstown
Sundays Well have climbed off the bottom of the table, after two shock back to back wins over the main title challengers, they are in great form and face a Tuillamore who dropped to fourth after defeat to Bangor.
After a stalemate opening half, Well got the opening score shortly after the restart, Conor O’Brien, the man who eventually found the line, Eoin Geary’s conversion made it 7-0. They conceded a try midway through the half, but Well pushed their lead out to 13-5 after the hour mark, two Geary penalties driving them on despite a late converted try by Scorty.
Tullamore dropped down to fourth in the table after their defeat last weekend, they managed to lead after 18 minutes with an unconverted try, but struggled for the remainder of the contest, their first defeat in four games.
Diarmuid Kearney
Diarmuid Kearney is a freelance Sports Journalist based in Co Kerry. He has more than 5 years experience covering domestic and international soccer for different media organisations, while also working for local and national print and digital organisations covering GAA.