Club Notes: Week Ending 04.10.14

Clonmel tries from Trevor Melbourne, Stephen Pyke and Greg Carroll and two conversions and a penalty by Cooney had us in a commanding 0-39 lead by the 55^th minute.

Kinsale got their first points of the game ten minutes from time with a converted try.

Clonmel had further tries from Cooney and Pyke with Cooney converting his own try before the game closed with a second converted try for the Cork side.

Final score 14-51 and a solid start to the new league campaign, with a mix of youth and experience coming together to deliver a bonus point win. Next Sunday we are at home to Kilfeacle in the second game of the league. Kick-off at 2.30pm.

Women's Rugby
Our women's team played their opening game of the season on Friday night last and came away with the spoils and a 24-7 win in their pre-season friendly against Shannon.

Tries from Mairead Comerford, Lisa Corcoran, Mary Gorey and Ali Askins with two conversions from Mairead Comerford secured the Clonmel points.

Following the huge success of women's rugby on the world-cup stage this summer, interest in the sport is at an all-time high and the Clonmel women's squad is open to new members for those keen to get involved. For further details call 087 372 4394.

British & Irish Cup fixture for Clonmel
We are delighted to host the upcoming British & Irish Cup game between Munster A v Moseley RFC on Saturday, October 11^th. Kick-off in Clonmel is at 3pm and tickets are available from Munster Rugby and from Clonmel RFC. See website / social media for more details.

Celebration Ball:
To celebrate last year's success across the club we are having a black-tie celebration ball in Hotel Minella on October 17th. Tickets at €50 each are available from the club or by contacting us on 087 372 4394. All the girls that attended the training received certificates from the IRFU as part of the 'Give it a Try' programme.

Upcoming Fixtures:
Men's 1^st XV at home to Kilfeacle in Munster Junior League. Sunday 5^th at 2.30pm.

Kilfeacle RFC

Good start to the season
On Sunday last, Kilfeacle RFC welcomed Cobh to Morrissey Park to kick off the first game of this season of the Munster Junior 1 League. Conditions were ideal for an open game of rugby with a light breeze blowing, favouring the away side in the opening half.

The home side got off to a bright start, enforcing sustained pressure inside the oppositions half. The deadlock was broken after 11 minutes with Diarmuid O'Donnell capitalizing on a dishevelled Cobh line-out and he showed great instincts to pounce on a spilled ball and scrape over the line. This try was converted by Kilfeacle captain Darren Lowry to leave the scoreline 7-0.

It was evident, from the remainder of the opening half, that it is early in the season and many unforced errors prevailed. Cobh made numerous visits into the Kilfeacle half and forced two penalties which were duly converted to leave the halftime score 7-6.

Whatever was said to the 'Boys in Blue' at halftime certainly worked however, as early in the second half, aided by the breeze, Kilfeacle moved the ball down the field. Great skills were observed and good hands by Ger Luby set JJ Cooney up for the home sides 2^nd try of the game. This, and a penalty shortly afterwards were converted by Darren Lowry, who showed excellent kicking skills all day and left the scoreline 17-6.

With only 2 minutes left on the clock, Kilfeacle turned over a great ball, courtesy of Conor Hartigan, deep inside the Cobh 22. The ball was moved wide and the onlookers gasped as the saw JJ Cooney score his 2^nd try of the game in the corner. All in all, great performances on the day were noticed from Steven Flood, Dave Kiersey, Tom Doyle and Pakie Bourke among others.

Next Sunday, Kilfeacle are away to Clonmel, which always proves to be a difficult fixture. Everyone's support will be greatly appreciated. Training for all underage teams continues Friday at 7pm.

Richmond RFC

Saturday morning we set off to Dublin for our first away game of the season, only to be left shocked by the result. A bad day in the office from start to finish, leaving at 9.30am and still only getting to the ground at 1.50pm with all the GAA traffic.

The game was all to play for in the first half with the score only 10-7 to DLSP at the break. Briain Danagher scored our only try and Stephen Clancy converted. In the second half we made silly mistakes and a number of yellow cards didn't help the situation and DLSP scored 5 unanswered tries.

The scoreline didn't reflect the performance from our players, and hopefully this weekend we can bounce back with a win against Wanderers who are also searching for their first win. Kick-off is 2.30pm in the Canal Bank and it would be great if everyone came down to support the team.

Richmond Bunnies
Last Sunday was another historic day in the club with our new mini-girls starting training. We had about 15 girls there taking part in the training session, and we are hoping to grow this number over the next few weeks.

Thanks to everyone that helped on the day and to all the local schools that allowed us to promote the event to their pupils. Training is on every Sunday from 11-12 in the canal bank, and parents are more than welcome to come down and have a cup of tea/coffee while the training is on.

Fun is guaranteed and no experience is necessary. Well done to Ley-Anne, Sinead and Stephanie who completed the Minis training course last weekend and took the girls on their first training session.

Ladies Team
On Wednesday night the ladies team are playing their opening game of the season against St Mary's in a friendly. The game is due to kick off at 7.30pm and your support would be greatly appreciated.

Coaching
We badly need more people to get involved in coaching in the club, especially with the boys (Mini Sections).

Anyone that is interested in helping please get in contact ASAP with Brian Hanley. They train every Sunday morning from 10.30am. The coaching of these teams is fundamental to the development of new players for the club.

Membership
Closing Date for membership for all players is the end of September, this is imperative that all players are paid up prior to this date.

Gear
We have another gear order going to BLK next Monday, if anyone wishes to order gear can you please let us know over the weekend. We will be taken orders at the match on Saturday. All gear is available on the Facebook page with prices.

The U16/18s league fixtures have been cancelled for this weekend as the leagues have to be re-drawn, Games will go ahead on the 12^th of October.

Weekend Fixtures:
Saturday the 4^th of October
UBL, Richmond V Wanderers, 2.30pm, Canal Bank

Sunday the 5^th of October
U9 Blitz in Bruff
U11 Blitz in Ennis
15 League, Richmond/Saints V Bruff, 11.15am, Corbally
MSSL, Nenagh V Richmond, 2.30pm, Nenagh

Thurles RFC

First XV
As most of the people in Tipperary were waking up, preparing for the post mortem on the County's hurlers defeat the day before in the All Ireland Final, the men of Thurles RFC were on the road to the Déise County for the much anticipated League opener against Waterford City.

Waterford City got the game underway, but it was Thurles who started brightest with some great line breaks from Shane Maloney and Eoghan O'Dwyer almost resulting in scores from the offset.

Thurles kept the pressure up, with the front row of Jason O'Mahony, Colm Skehan and Dave Kelly providing the platform for another attack inside the 22 from a scrum. The ball saw its way out the line which resulted in five or six phases of good interplay between the backs and forwards that eventually saw Peter Coman slip through the Waterford defence to race in under the posts, with the extras added by Eoghan O'Dwyer to make it 0-7.

Waterford City had their own moments in attack but were stopped each time with some great work and tackling from the Thurles defence, with Conor Cooney, Joey Kelly and Adrian Bourke making crucial tackles at various stages.

After patiently seeing out this wave of attack from the Déise men, Thurles were rewarded and were able to make their way up the field where they won a penalty, that Eoghan O'Dwyer calmly slotted over to make it 0 – 10, he added another shortly after to make it 0 – 13 at half-time.

As the second half restarted, Thurles now facing into a slight breeze seemed to lose the composure that had seen them control the majority of the first half. Waterford City started to take over, making use of their bigger pack, they kept the ball in tight and were rewarded themselves with a penalty of their own, that was sent over the posts by their kicker, 3-13.

Waterford had their tails up now and worked well to earn territory inside the Thurles 22. They won their own lineout and powered towards the try line, Thurles put up some great resistance in defence and had appeared to force a knock on over the line, the referee tough failed to see the dropped ball and awarded the try under the posts to now put just a score between the sides, 10-13.

With the game entering into the final quarter, Waterford continued to build momentum, using their bruising pack to make their way up the field. Thurles continued to put in big hits with Brian Lyons, Donna Duggan and Luke Kelly leading the way, but the pressure told and Waterford earned another penalty to bring the sides level at 13-13.

After taking a lot of punishment and pressure, Thurles called on their bench and introduced Paddy Phelan, Charles Langley and Ger McCormack to freshen things up in the pack. From the restart, Aidan Dwyer went long this time and with good pressure from the line chase, forced the Waterford full back to slice his kick and present Thurles with possession in the form of a lineout, just outside the home team's 22.

Thurles seemed to rediscover their first half form, starting with the win at the lineout; Shane Maloney and Aidan Dwyer were making good ground in the centre and Thurles were back on track and appeared to be rolling. Attack after attack saw Thurles win a scrum inside the 22 metre line.

The Thurles pack well on top now, won clean ball, John Coman ran a clever dummy line down the blind side which sucked in a number of defenders as the ball went left to Eoghan O'Dwyer who barged through would be tacklers, the support was in quick which presented clean ball to scrum half Nicky Irwin who dived over the line for what turned out to be the winning try with O'Dwyer adding the extras, 13-20.

Waterford City came back down the field and pressed hard for the remaining 5 minutes but Thurles held tough with some great defending which resulted in a turnover on their own line. The ball was kicked out of play and Thurles were heading back to Tipperary with 4 points and a very hard earned win on the board.

1) Jason O'Mahoney 2) Dave Kelly 3) Colm Skehan 4) Brian Lyons (Capt.) 5) Larry O'Gorman 6) Conor Cooney 7) Joey Kelly 8) Donna Duggan 9) Nicky Irwin 10) Peter Coman 11) John Coman 12) Aidan Dwyer 13) Shane Maloney 14) Adrian Bourke 15) Eoghan O'Dwyer. Scorers: Peter Coman, Nicky Irwin (1 try each), Eoghan O'Dwyer (2 Cons, 2 Pens).

Thurles RFC next game is at home to Ennis next weekend. Keep an eye on Facebook for updates as the game may be under lights on Saturday. Training continues Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm sharp. New players always welcome.

Waterpark RFC

Winning start to the league Campaign:
Waterpark 17-12 Old Christians
Waterpark began their league campaign with a hard fought win over Cork side Old Christians in Ballinakill last Sunday. The home side came out on top with an 17 points to 12 win to secure 4 league points.

The first half was a scrappy affair with both sides guilty of many mistakes. The visitors were first on the score board with a well struck penalty from out-half Meaney. Waterpark finally found their feet with the forwards getting into the game.

From a line-out in the Old Christians half and number of pick and drives left scrum half Gavin Mernagh with the easiest of scores. Full back Kieran Butler added a penalty before Meaney got Christians second score of the game to leave the half-time score 8 points to 6 in favour of the home side.

Great start to the league for the home side with the forwards laying the platform for this win with David O'Donoghue, Brian Walsh and Eoin O'Connor to the fore.

Next Sunday, Waterpark will face Newcastle West away.

Thanks to the Waterpark Under 12 squad for the half-time entertainment.

Munster Youths
Munster 6-25 Leinster
Leinster retained their interprovincial crown in Ballinakill last Saturday in near perfect conditions. In truth Leinster always had this game in control with Munster unable to breach the visitor's stubborn defence.

Munster points came from the boot of out-half Liam Coombes.

Waterpark's players Robbie Walsh and Jordan O'Regan performed well, with the latter been sin-binned rather harshly by the ref for a tip tackle.

Great to see over 450 people in attendance for this match and thanks to Waterford Local Radio( WLR) Saturday's sports show which broadcast live from the match.

Under 16 Friendly
Naas 12-8 Waterpark
Waterpark travelled to Naas last Sunday in their final game before their league campaign commences next weekend. In an excellent run out Waterpark competed well against their much fancied opponents. The visitors try came from No 8 Alex Deegan and centre Glen Kavanagh added a penalty.

Shannon RFC
Fixtures for this week are as follows:

Saturday October 4th

Seniors ~ AIL ~ Corinthians V Shannon, Galway, 2.30pm

U20s ~ NML/SWC ~ Shannon V Garryowen, Coonagh,2.30pm

3rds ~ Gleeson League ~ Shannon V Thurles, Coonagh, 1.30pm

Sunday October 5th

2nds ~ MSSL ~ Shannon V Old Cresent, Coonagh, 2.30pm

Remember If you cannot come to the matches we would ask that you come out and support any of our upcoming events. All details can be found at www.shannonrfc.com

Events & News
ERCC Tickets Munster V Saracens Friday 24th October 2014
Shannon RFC have a limited number of Cat "A" West Stand and West Terrace tickets are available for our Club Members,for the ERCC (old Heineken Cup) fixture Munster -v- Saracens, on Friday 24th October, Thomond Park.

Ticket prices, which include an administration Fee, are:
Cat A: €;55 Terrace: €;35
If interested, please contact Tadhg Crowe, on 087-6524958.

In our thoughts this week
All at Shannon RFC were greatly saddened to hear last week of the passing of Alfie Laffan R.I.P. Alfie was a former U18s and Senior player. He won an AIL medal with the successful 2005/2006 Shannon Senior squad. In more recent times he returned to the Club helping with training of players from various teams.

We extend our deepest sympathies to all of Aflie's family and friends. May He Rest In Peace.

Shannon RFC Ladies Fundraising Bingo Night
Friday October 3rd the Shannon RFC Ladies will be hosting a Bingo night in the Shannon RFC Clubhouse, Thomond Park 7:30pm. On the night there will be bingo, a bake sale and also a raffle! There are cash prizes for the bingo and also some great spot prizes in the raffle! The cost is €;10 for five games.

Suicide Awareness
As well as being PRO for the rugby club I am also the Mind Your Buddy point of Contact for Pieta House for the rugby season 2014/2015.

Most of you may not be aware but the rate of Suicide, especially in Men and young adults has unfortunately risen significantly in the last few years. I think we can safely say that we all have someone that we know or know of that has been effected by the issue of Suicide.

The Mind Your Buddy initiative is a suicide prevention and intervention strategy delivered by qualified and experienced Pieta House Therapists. It equips the Buddy Supports with the skills to identify changes in their colleagues behaviour and potentially save a life. As a Buddy Support Person ( BSP) I will have direct links with the designated Pieta therapist for referrals as well as on-going support and advice. I have been trained by Pieta House and selected by the club as a 'Go-to' person.

I am not a trained or qualified counsellor, however if anyone wishes to contact me they will be treated with absolute 100% confidentiality and respect. There will be posters with my contact details placed around the club for the upcoming season.

There seems to still be somewhat of an awkwardness around this subject. Breaking the silence and talking are the first steps to awareness and prevention.

All my contact details and Pieta House contact details are as follows:
Siofra Scanlan – Mind Your Buddy Point of Contact For Shannon RFC
086- 3018993 – siofrascanlan@gmail.com

Pieta House Midwest
Ardaulin
Mungret
Limerick
Phone: 061-484444
Centre Manager: Nora Conway

Opening Hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 9am to 5pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 9am to 8pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm

Volunteers always needed
All at Shannon RFC would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who helped out at the club in 2013. It is much appreciated. We are currently looking for people to help out with upcoming fundrasing events.

If you are a student doing a course in the media/ marketing sectors or English, retired, unemployed or would like to donate your free time we would urge you to support your Club and Volunteer.

It is a great opportunity to develop your current skills and always looks great on a C.V. If you would like to volunteer in the club during 2014 please contact any committee member. All details can be found on our website at http://www.shannonrfc.com/contact.html

Shannon RFC App
Please feel free to share the link with anyone who may be interested. We would love some feedback from all of you who are following us on the app so feel free to email me directly at siofrascanlan@gmail.com
If you still have not downloaded yet here is the link. http://clubapplive.com/shannonrfc.

Get your name out there on our website
Do you want to get your company name more widely known? Are you a tradesman looking to advertise at a reduced rate? Why not advertise with Shannon RFC. We are currently in the process of setting up a Shannon RFC Tradesperson's page on our website.

This will be a one stop contact page for all kind of trades and businesses. We urge any member, supporters or local business to get involved. It is a great way to advertise at a fraction of normal rates. The cost for an advertisement is €;50. Anyone who wishes to place an ad or would like more information please contact Siofra on 0863018993 or email siofrascanlan@gmail.com

A Great Gift for All
Why not give someone near or far the gift of a Shannon RFC membership. A great gift for any occasion with the added bonus of supporting your local club. Packages, including family membership, are available. Should you wish to find out more information or purchase membership please contact Tom Hackett at honsec@shannonrfc.com

Please drive carefully through Coonagh
We would ask everyone to please take care, slow down and observe the speed limit through Coonagh Village on the way to and from the matches and training.

Your club, your thoughts
We always like to hear from our members near and far. If you have a story, any interesting historical information or an article about the club that you would like to share we would love to hear it. Any submissions for consideration can be sent to siofrascanlan@gmail.com

Underage Training and Fixtures Sunday 5th October
10.00am
Minis
U6/7/8 Top Pitch
U9 s Blitz @ Newcastle West
U10s Training – New Pitch
U11s Blitz @ Killaloe
U12s Training -Pitch

11.00am
Youths
U13s Training Pitch

12.00 pm
U14s League v Garryowen @ Dooradoyle

11.30am
U15s Conference V Listowel RFC New Pitch
U15s League V Nenagh RFC Well Field

U18s
Training Pitch

Saturday 04/10
AIL V Corinthians Galway @ 2.30pm Galway

Registration is still ongoing at the cabin please note that coaches and managers are required to become members of the club

We now have Wifi in Coonagh its sponsored by Auto exchange and the password is "iloveautoexchange"

*Please support our gear / food shops in Coonagh*

Thought Of The Week
"It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts"