To download the team of the century list and booking form for Gala ball please click on the link below:

Team of the Century List

Gala Ball Booking Form

Sillogue 11/6/2010

Roganstown 09/07/2010

Royal Dublin (Captains Day) 20/8/2010

St. Ann’s (Xmas Scramble) 26/11/2010

Time Sheet for outings Posted on Club Notice Board 3 weeks prior to Outing.

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Clontarf put in a stirring display against a strong Blackrock side in Stradbrook on Saturday but were ultimately undone in the last quarter as the home side rode some outrageous luck to register a victory. This was a great game between two committed sides looking to put some daylight between them and the Division 1A relegation zone. Rock will be happy with the points and will have toasted the good fortune that saw them benefit from 3 positive rebounds from the woodwork that contributed 10 points. Add a superb defensive chase back that held Dufficy inches from a score under the posts plus a tight call on a forward pass as Keating was heading for the line after the ensuing scrum and you have a recipe for a charismatic conference. Maybe there are moving statues in Stradbrook!

To be fair to ‘Rock, once they got the bit between their teeth they were pretty strong. Any side with Des Dillon , Trevor Hogan and Alex Dunlop in the pack are going to hard to knock off the ball and with Ian Madigan at 10 in charmed kicking form the points racked up late in the second half as the visitors tired.

Clontarf can take great heart from a performance that, in terms of commitment, was easily their best of the season. The pack was ferociously competitive and with Hugo Nolan back from injury at nine firing some superb passes the Clontarf backline was a constant threat to the ‘Rock defence.
Tarf opened the scoring after 8 minutes with an interception from Keating in the Tarf 22, Dufficy converted. After 25 minutes of slugging Rock outhalf Madigan fielded a long kick and bounced a drop goal on the crossbar for 7 3. A Rock penalty at half time made it 7 6 to Tarf.

The second half continued as it left off and Dufficy added two penalties for 13 6 to ‘Tarf. Then the home side pressed the lucky button and Dufficy was held up on the line and Keating was pulled back after a forward pass.. ‘Rock clearly grew following their escape and after a period of pressure on the ‘Tarf line they got in after confusion was sown by the ball squirting out of a ruck to the centre Tonetti who took advantage of a static defence to score by the posts for 13 all. ‘Rock then upped a gear for the last 10 minutes and were good value for the final result as they tacked on two more penalties and a try to Conway in the corner.

We are currently third from the bottom in the League and have 5 games to go with three of those at home. There are no dominant teams in this League and it is clear to me that this young Clontarf side are improving in every game they play.
Commitment , aggression and intensity are all there. What we need now is a fraction more composure on and off the ball which will take the whistle and the flags out of the game and blow the opposition away.

UL Bohs dominated territory and possession for the bulk of the game but were effectively undone in the first half when after 22 minutes they attempted to manufacture a screen move involving dummy runs in midfield. Unfortunately for the attackers it was all a little bit slow and predictable so when the killer pass was thrown it was gratefully gobbled up by the Clontarf winger Keating who had read the move from a distance and was touching down under the posts faster than you could say interception. 14 minutes later a dropped pass in midfield was booted through in Munster style by flanker Eoin Cremen and centre Henry Bryce followed up with a deft kick and chase to score. Number 10 Dufficy converted both tries for 14 0 at half time.

The second half continued where the first had left off and this time UL got some reward with a good score after a deft kick through on 45 minutes. On 67 minutes Keating got a second after an overcooked kick through got a fortunate deflection off someone’s behind which killed the ball dead for the chasing winger. O’Shea converted for 21 5.
All credit to UL who continued to play despite the deficit and they were rewarded with a score from no 8 Essex near the posts at the death for 21 12 final score.

Next up is a visit to Stradbrook on Sat 23rd for the next instalment of the battle in the ‘League of Death’. Currently there are 3 teams effectively out on their own at the top of the league and five teams below them in a struggle to avoid the drop. Do not be surprised if points differential becomes a deciding factor in final day placings.

Congratulations to Clontarf’s Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien on both winning their 2nd caps in last Saturdays win over World and Tri Nations Champions South Africa. It’s a great boost for Clontarf with Cian having represented the club from mini to youth and senior team status.

Also for Sean who is employed this season with the task of coaching our Under 21 side. Well done to both and we all here at Clontarf wish them the best for the future and many more caps to follow.

The shop will be open this Thursday from 7pm and Sunday morning at 10 am till 1pm.