BALLYSHANNON UNDER-18s returned to league action for the first time this year at the Lakeside Centre against a strong Instonians side and the score line certainly did not reflect the fantastic effort the Ballyshannon lads put in.
Ballyshanonn Under-18s 5 Instonians 31
Ballyshannon were forced to field without quite a few regulars for various reasons but those that took to the field gave probably their best performance of the season.
The back row of James Rooney, Daire Doyle and Naoise Patton at No.8 put in a fantastic performance with some immense tackling and hard running but it was Rooney who excelled in a man of the match performance and never say die attitude.
The game kicked off at a furious pace with both sides battling fiercely, the Ballyshannon front row of Shane Sherriff, Connor O’Brien and debutant James McGonigle all had an excellent game with McGonigle showing great potential in what was his first game.
The second row pairing of Daragh Cleary and Matteo Rivena were rewarded with an excellent try from Rivena in the second half after some very strong running which caused all kinds of problems for the visitors.
Instonians opened the scoring with a well worked try after 15 minutes and added a second shortly afterwards as their off loading game caused all kinds of problems for the home side.
Instonians ran in a total of five tries and added three conversions to give them a convincing 31 points by the time referee Paul Bannon blew the final whistle
With the Ballyshannon lineout functioning really well scrum half Sean Heeney, who was rock solid, was able to unleash his back line and as a result the Ballyshannon lads were unlucky not to score on three separate occasions after some excellent runs from centres Josh O’Shea, Cian McGloin and full back Jakub Machunik.
Winger Conor McGowan also showed some great handling and linked very well with the rest of his back line.
In what is their first season McGloin, Machunik and McGowan have proven to be excellent acquisitions for this side.
Overall an excellent performance against a well drilled side, commitment and effort could not be faulted and it will be hoped to build on this for the remainder of the season.
Ballyshannon: Shane Sheriff, Connor O’Brien, James McGonigle, Daragh Cleary, Matteo Rivena, James Rooney, Daire Doyle, Naoise Patton, Sean Heeney, Josh O’Shea, Cian McGloin, Conor McGowan, Jakub Machunik.
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