CLONTARF DREAMS DROWNED BY SHANNON!
15/05/2006
Clontarf 3 Shannon 30



SISYPHUS: In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, the king of Corinth enraged the gods by capturing and imprisoning Thanatos , the personification of death. As a punishment he was forced to roll a huge rock up a steep hill , but as he reached the top of the hill the rock always escaped him, rolling down to the bottom and he had to begin all over again.


On Saturday in Lansdowne Rd Clontarf rolled their rock to the top of the hill and Shannon rolled it back down over them and crushed the hopes and ambitions of the massive Northside support in the process.
For most of the season Clontarf have been creating 7/8 chances to score tries per game and have generally managed to convert 4 of them into tries. In the final Shannon held us to two clear chances and we failed to make either of them. Add in a missed penalty in front of the posts and there is the game.

The key word for effective competition in a final is composure.

Shannon never gave us a chance to settle and at no stage did we look like we were in control of proceedings. We were harried and harassed all over the pitch and the pressure eventually told in the error count. Despite having the lions share of possession for the first 20 minutes we were a try down after a missed tackle in the centre saw Shannon score a superb try with their first meaningful possession. After that we were forced to chase the game and as the error count mounted the Shannon defence grew in confidence.
Early in the second half with the score at 13 3 to Shannon Derek Keane took an interception and was heading for the corner when he was hauled down by Cronin the young hooker. Unfortunately Keane injured himself in the process and to add insult to his injury was denied an attacking 5 metre scrum by referee Rolland who judged, incorrectly, that the winger had knocked on. That was the key moment in the game. Minutes later we missed a penalty in front of the posts and Shannon could sense it was their day.
The introduction of Keogh and Quinlan off the bench underlined their superiority and the final quarter of the game was a nightmare for the ‘Tarf side with Shannon adding three more tries for a well deserved victory.

This has been an extraordinary season. We were fully expecting a difficult year with a rebuilt side. A mid table finish would have been acceptable under the circumstances. To make a home semi and a final was a sensational result; and the quality of some of the performances on the way has provided huge excitement for the Clontarf support.
Coach Phil Werahiko, manager Pat McHale , the back up staff and the players deserve great congratulations on their achievements this season.
Once again the scene in Castle Ave when the team arrived back was incredible; we are some crowd to mourn a loss in style. What will happen when we win it is beyond imagination! I have never seen the old club so packed.

For now we must draw the curtain on 05/06 and start the planning and plotting for next year. The task is a large one, the boulder is heavy, and the hill to the trophy is steep.

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