St. Mary’s College J2 v Old Belvedere – Metro League Division 3
St. Mary’s College J2 v Old Belvedere
Metro League Division 3
Friday, 12th December
On a cold winter’s night, Mary’s J2s faced Old Belvedere in their final fixture of 2025, looking to continue a run of form that shows just how far this group has come.
Since the narrow one-point defeat to MU Barnhall, this team has clearly turned a corner. A superb 38–10 away victory against Naas was followed up with another impressive performance at home, where Mary’s overcame Old Belvedere by 38–29.
Following the Barnhall game, Cormac Dempsey was deservedly presented with the JD Cunningham Player of the Month award, and on this showing he must be firmly in contention again for December. Cormac produced an outstanding individual display, scoring a hat-trick of tries and, just as importantly, showing real composure from the tee. He converted from some very difficult angles and added a long-range penalty, taking the Man of the Match plaudits.
While Cormac’s performance stood out, this victory was built on a collective team effort. Up front, Patrick, Cathal and Dave dominated the scrums throughout. Our athletic second rows, Cillian and Luke, ruled the lineout, while the back row of Bev, Marty and Jack tackled relentlessly, shutting down anything wearing a black-and-white jersey.
At scrum-half, young Chris De Lacy continues to mature like a fine wine, growing in confidence and control with every game. His crisp, accurate service made life easier for his half-back partner Ryan Convey, who enjoyed a strong all-round performance.
Special mention must go to Paddy Garvey, a proud man from the west, who is responsible for bringing both Ryan and Marty to the club. The ‘three amigos’ have added not only rugby intelligence and nuance to the team, but plenty of enjoyment off the pitch as well. Ryan capped his performance with a cracking try that any forward would have been proud of.
Defensively, the midfield pairing of Cormac and Dylan were constantly in the faces of the Old Belvedere backline, applying pressure, forcing errors and setting the tone. The back three of Lucas, Lorcan and Daniel not only lowered the average age of the team, but also significantly improved the average looks, while contributing strongly in both attack and defence.
At half-time, Mary’s held a narrow 10–8 lead in what was a close, hard-fought contest. The second half saw no drop in intensity or tempo, a testament to the team’s fitness and belief. Huge credit must go to the management team of Neilo, Nelly Bourkey and Sam Brennan. The hard work put in on the training pitch is clearly paying dividends, with the players fully buying into the systems and trusting one another.
The impact of the finishers was evident, with Rob, Matty, Donners, Pender and Conor all adding energy and quality when introduced. Mary’s closed out the game as deserved winners and head into 2026 full of confidence, knowing they are capable of beating anyone, anywhere.
⸻
Squad
1. Dave McGill; 2. Cathal Enright; 3. Paddy Garvey; 4. Luke Policky; 5. Cillian O’Neill; 6. Robert Beverland; 7. Jack McKenna; 8. Marty Molly; 9. Chris De Lacy; 10. Ryan Convey; 11. Lucas Weber; 12. Dillon Zaidel; 13. Cormac Dempsey 14. Lorcan Dunne; 15. Daniel McNulty.
Replacements
16. Conor Beasley; 17. Matthew Fagan; 18. Rob Trew; 19. Eoghan Pender; 20. Mark Donnellan
