J4 XV — Season 2021/22

J4 v Trinity 20th Oct 21

St. Mary's College RFC J4 XV vs Dublin University, Wednesday 20th of October 2021.

Our J4 Fixture v Trinity was scheduled for College Park ,a vintage venue in the heart of Dublin. At about 5.30pm our Hon. Fixture Secretary Maurice Davin received a call from Trinity stating that their team were on their way to Templeville for this fixture. Calls were frantically made by the management team to let everyone know of the change of venue. Welcome to Junior Rugby where every feasible logistic problem is met weekly.

Every one of our players were notified, but our out-half M Jay ,was the only casualty, as he only got the message when he arrived in Trinity. He did however get to the club half way through the first half and was quickly introduced to the game by backs' coach Ryan Barnes.

This J4 team has a mixture of young exciting players and a few old heads. This mixture has worked so well in the first 3 league games, with bonus point wins and no points scored against us.

We rotated our squad today, giving everyone a chance to shine. The 8 changes however took a while before the team began to click .The first half we struggled to find form, lineouts didn't click, passes did not stick, but we had them in the scrums. It was while we were putting them under pressure,that they got a breakaway kick from their winger who gathered and scored in Carville corner.

5-0; the conversion from the touchline missed.

This did spark us into playing and after several phases our hooker Kyle Corrigan got in for a try while we were down to 14 men after a yellow card to Andrew Gibbons. Now 5-5 after another missed conversion which was to be the case for us all evening. Trinity got a penalty to make it 8-5 at half time.

Changes were made and more of our senior players were brought on . This proved to be the turning point as we kept Trinity in their own half for nearly all the second half. Tries were score by Andrew Gibbons, M Jay, Jack O’Neill and Max Grace.

The Final score was 25-8; a bonus point win.

If you had watched the first half you would have thought we were in trouble, but we addressed our problems and got the win on a cold full moon night. Our Junior teams take a well deserved bank holiday break and look forward to our next league games. After 18 months of no rugby, players, coaches and supporters were eager for Junior Rugby - let’s not forget that.

Mick Flats ("Flats")

J4 v Clondalkin 11th Nov 21

On a wet and windy Thursday evening our J4 Team played the rescheduled Division 9 league game against a formidable Clondalkin Team.

We were a little under strength with our familiar forwards of Colm Dillon, Max Grace and Alex Gunning unavailable. We did however put together a good J4 Team with some of our Veterans standing up and performing well.

We started off with a strong wind behind us blowing towards the Templeville Road end. We opened our account with a finely struck penalty by our superb out half K Jay. 3-0 .Then after heavy pressure from our pack Mathew Kennedy drove over for a try, and again converted by the skills of K Jay. 10-0 up and playing well.

Then we had a superb individual try from our Scrum half Conor Quinn, he broke from a scrum on the half way line, handed off a would be tackler and ran around their fullback to score under the posts. Again K Jay obliged with the extra 2 points from the conversion. 17-0 up and cruising, but this was all to change.

The physical power of this strong Clondalkin pack started to power through our defence with some excellent offloads which was a joy to behold from both sets of supporters. They powered over for a try in the corner, conversion missed, now 17-5. The Clondalkin tempo was up and after the restart they did exactly the same thing. These plays were out of a higher spec than normally seen at J4 level and must be from excellent coaching sessions.

This time they pounded our line to score in the opposite corner. Conversion missed, now 17-10, the half time whistle blew .

We revolved our panel at half time putting on fresh players ,but Clondalkin did the same, which strengthened their team. Now with the wind on their backs Clondalkin kept to the same formula and kept pounding our defence with great offloads keeping the ball alive. We started to creak under the constant pressure, losing our No 8 Locky who did knee ligament damage, his tackle count was in the 20s - he was a big loss. We wish him well in his recovery. Clondalkin scored 2 tries, both not converted in his absence.

The score now 20-17 to Clondalkin.

We found some energy under the guidance of our pack leader Gary Masterson and got into the Clondalkin half. While on their 22 they were penalised for being offside at the ruck. K Jay duly stood up and put a difficult kick between the posts now 20-20 .We would have settled for a draw as it had been a close contest all night but Clondalkin had different ideas. With the now stronger wind behind them, their pack took us on again driving and mauling their way over the try line. Conversion missed. Final whistle blew .They won 25-20.

We look forward to meeting them again as this was a closely contested physical contest where everything was left on the pitch. When you lose you learn, and we will have to learn quickly.The management and coaches were delighted with our team's performance and fight - they never gave up.

Mick Flats ("Flats")

J4 XV vs Clontarf Match Report, by David Browne

St. Mary’s College RFC 11 - 6 Clontarf RFC Metro Division 9 - Castle Avenue Castle Avenue has hosted many junior rugby classic games between Clontarf and St. Mary’s but I think both teams will agree that this game won’t live long in the memory. It was a dour affair in wintry conditions but the most important thing is that St. Mary’s got the win. After the recent defeat to Clondalkin, St. Mary’s were keen to get a win to keep themselves in the mix at the top of the table. Between the DP Smyth Blitz and Winters Cup, this was the third meeting already this season between the sides and like those matches this was also one score between the teams for the majority of the game. St. Mary’s started the match stronger than the home side, really setting a marker down with a driving maul in the Tarf 22. The pressure paid off and after some controlled phases, James O’Reilly playing at centre smashed in for the opening try. Mary’s controlled the bulk of possession in the first half but the game was very stop/start with penalties and stoppages constantly interrupting either team's flow. Conditions didn’t help with a torrential rain shower and a heavy pitch making it a slow and tough game. Clontarf did convert a penalty to make it 5-3 but it was generally St.Mary’s controlling the half with some good kicking and usage of the 50-22 rule, our wingers Chris O’Connor and Max Cojocari putting in some great defensive work and chasing kicks. The second half was more of the same in terms of flow, both sides struggled with the constant breaks in play for penalties and neither side really threatened their opposition 22. In games like this where chances are few, it is the set piece that is important and it was really firing today. Matthew Kennedy had some great lineout steals and deliveries from Aaron Doherty and Andrew Gibbons were crisp. We drove Clontarf up the fields with the driving maul and dominated the scrum. Our kicking kept Clontarf pinned back although there were a few shouts of “Get your touch!” from Coach Mick Flats as the half wore on. If you want to win a league, these are the kind of games you just have to grind out and that is what Mary’s did. With about 15 minutes left, Mary’s won a penalty and out half Kejan Lim calmly dispatched it and then minutes later he did the exact same thing to give Mary’s some breathing space at 11-3. The game concluded with Clontarf getting a penalty of their own to claim a losing bonus. A win in Castle Avenue is never easy and St. Mary’s will be glad to get it and remain up at the top end of the table. Next week they face Malahide at home in a top of the table clash

David Browne

J4 XV v Newbridge Match Report, by Mick Flats

St. Mary's College RFC 48 - 12 Newbridge RFC On a sunny, but cold windy winters day, our J4s took on Newbridge RFC in the Metro Division 9 league. Our team was missing a couple of our regulars - Max Grace, K Jay, and James Casey were absent for various reasons. We started this game slowly against a strong Newbridge pack. We then had the horror of losing our dynamic wing forward Colum Dillon after 2 minutes with a suspected fracture to his ankle. We all wish him well in his recovery - it then took us a while to settle after this incident. He was replaced by Eoin Nolan who played his first game for the club and left a big impression on his team mates and coaches with tackle after tackle. Our ever improving scrum half Conor Quinn darted over for our first try after 15 minutes of forward pressure and Dan McManus kicked the conversion. 7-0 to us. We continued to drive and maul into their pack, pounding their line until Richie Fagan bullied his way over for our second. Again converted by Dan who had his kicking boots on today. They went offside at a ruck and Dan duly stood up and slotted the penalty. Now 17-0. Our scrum was going well against a solid Newbridge pack. We had some glances of their skillful fullback - if we kicked aimlessly he caught and ran back everything we gave him. We went back to route one and had a brace of two tries from Mathew Kennedy - the first was from a ruck 5 meters from the flag - conversion missed. Now 22-0. The second from the restart - he roared for the ball, caught it and took off across the park at great speed. He then kicked ahead for fullback Richard Pyne. The Newbridge full back covered and gathered but was tackled well by Pyner. Mathew then picked up the loose ball and scampered under the posts .A great bit of individual skill from the athletic second row. Conversion by Dan - now 29 -0. Half time. We brought on our subs Conor Whelan, Alex Grseta, David Dixon, Chris O’Connor, James O’Reilly and James Walsh, and within minutes Quinny broke from a scrum and darted along the touch line , fending off the winger and stretching for the try line after being tackled by their fullback. He even had a good effort from the touch line with the conversion but the ball dropped short. His delighted parents were there to witness this fine try but he soon was to retire with a sprained ankle. Newbridge then dominated play with strong mauls and rucks and scored 2 tries with one converted - score now 34-12 to us. Conor Whelan who is ruck clearer-out specialist, got a pop-pass and tore up the pitch with the Newbridge No 6 on his back. It was like watching a Zebra being chased by a lion in the Serengeti. He was eventually caught. Chris O’Connor, son of our own Midas Mick, tackled everything that came his way and also got a superb touch. Walshy was the general of the back 3 calling out directions from his fullback position. Alex, who only took up rugby this year, is getting better and better and looking the part. He is know as the fork lift for his line out assists. Then we have Dave "Shovel-Hands" Dixon who caught every kick off that came close to him. James O’Reilly is a back in a forwards body - strong in defence and well able to attack. Mathew Kennedy then scored his 3rd try, converted by Dan - now 41-12. Our new hooker Alex Grseta drove well and set up a ruck, we spread the ball wide, then chipping into the corner. They cleared with a kick to our winger Max Cojocari. He let the ball bounce, but then caught it and exploded past 3 would-be tacklers to score. Dan converted. Final score 48-12 . It was great to finish our league campaign with a good win. We are the leagues highest points scorers and all looks good for the remainder of the league if we can keep injury free. We look forward to the break now and will come back refreshed and ready to play

Squad from: Aaron Doherty (Captain), Alex Grseta, Andrew Gibbons, Caglar, Chris O Connor, Cody Dwyer, Colum Dillon, Conor Whelan, Dan McManus, David Dixon, David Balf, Eoin Nolan, Jack O Neill James O’Reilly, James Walsh, Luke Mullen, Matthew Kennedy, Max Cojocari, Richard Fagan, Richard Pyne, Conor Quinn (Vice Captain), Alex Gunning

Mick Flats

TOP OF THE TABLE PLAY-OFF, SATURDAY 5th MARCH

On Saturday 5th of March our J4 XV played Malahide away for a top of the table playoff. The winner would get home advantage for the Metro League Division 9 Final.

This season has been a stop start season for our Junior players. With Covid breaks and then winter storms, game after game were called off or rescheduled. It was hard to get momentum going and keep the lads interested. We had not played Malahide in the league before as that game was called off due to Covid. We did not know what to expect but knew they were going to be tough, as they beat Clondalkin who beat us twice. It was a dry sunny day in Malahide with a strong cutting estuary wind blowing to the left of the pitch. They won the toss and decided to play against the wind. We knew we had to get some scores on the board as it seemed like a 15-point wind.

Malahide had a mature, physically heavier pack. It was men against boys to start with, but our lads have a mix of youth and experience. No more so than our youngest player Kyle Corrigan who tackled everything that came his way. Bringing big men down by ankle tackles like “timber “falling and making sure he got out of the way before they hit the ground. Experience from Richie Fagan who knew how to disrupt the mauls and lineouts by robbing them when we were under pressure.

Big front rows who had done it all. The art of scrummaging was on point. Our young loosehead Luke Mullen stood up and held his own as did our stalwart tight head David Brown who was in his element today. Our captain Aaron Doherty did well in the scrums but had a hard time with his line out throws as the wind made it very difficult.

We stuck to what we do best, playing rugby, we did not talk back to the ref, and we respected our opposition. All the qualities you would expect at Junior Rugby. We had great support from Past Presidents, parents and fellow Junior players, big thanks to Lee Byrne for doing the Kicking Tee and to Dave McGill for doing touch judge. He did a great job and didn’t get a yellow card from the side line.

A great warm up from backs coach Ryan Barnes got the lads ready, and a few home truths from me got their minds ready.

We won 36-0 but it was a battle, and we need to be on top form if we are to beat them again.

REMEMBER: “Get Your Touch, Want It & You Will Win It.” (Mick Flats)

Mick Flats

St. Mary's: 1 Gary Masterson, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 David Browne, 4 David Dixon, 5 Matthew Kennedy, 6 Tony Flynn, 7 Colum Dillon, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Kejan Lim, 11 Caglar Tuc, 12 Robert Dunleavy, 13 Dillon Zaidel, 14 Thomas O'Neill, 15 Meng Jan Lim.

Replacements: 16 Jonathan Stevenson, 17 Aleksandar Grseta, 18 Jamie Thompson, 19 Gavin Sheridan, 20 Sean Egan.

Scorers. Tries: Conor Quinn, Robert Dunleavy, Dillon Zaidel. Conversions: Meng Jan Lim (2). Penalties: Meng Jan Lim.

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Gary Masterson, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 David Browne, 4 Matthew Kennedy, 5 Max Grace, 6 Tony Flynn, 7 Alex Gunning, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Kejan Lim, 11 Chris O'Connor, 12 Richard Pyne, 13 Robert Dunleavy, 14 Eric Dunne, 15 Caglar Tuc.

Replacements: 16 Gary Lynch, 17 Gavin Sheridan, 18 Jonathan Stevenson, 19 Aleksandar Grseta.

Scorers. Not recorded (7 points).

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 David McGill, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 David Browne, 4 Max Grace, 5 Matthew Kennedy, 6 Gary Masterson, 7 Colum Dillon, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Dan McManus, 11 Cody Dwyer, 12 Michael O'Malley, 13 Denis Daly, 14 Max Cojocari, 15 Kejan Lim.

Replacements: 16 Conor Whelan, 17 Aleksandar Grseta, 18 Richard Fagan, 19 Andrew Gibbons, 20 Alex Gunning, 21 Chris O'Connor, 22 Caglar Tuc.

Scorers. Tries: David McGill, Denis Daly, Matthew Kennedy (2), Kejan Lim (2), Andrew Gibbons, Alex Gunning. Conversions: Dan McManus (2).

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Gary Masterson, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Andrew Gibbons, 4 Max Grace, 5 Liam Kennelly, 6 Alex Gunning, 7 Colum Dillon, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Kejan Lim, 11 Caglar Tuc, 12 Cody Dwyer, 13 Thomas O'Neill, 14 Gary Lynch, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Conor Whelan, 17 Jonathan Stevenson, 18 Lochlainn McDonnell, 19 David Dixon, 20 James Hynes, 21 Chris O'Connor, 22 Owen Lloyd.

Scorers. Tries: Cody Dwyer (2), Rian Cassidy, Conor Quinn, Kejan Lim (2), Caglar Tuc, Gary Lynch (2), Andrew Gibbons, Chris O'Connor. Conversions: Kejan Lim (3), Conor Quinn.

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Conor Whelan, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Andrew Gibbons, 4 Max Grace, 5 Gareth Lloyd, 6 Gary Masterson, 7 David Balfour, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Kejan Lim, 11 Eric Dunne, 12 Michael Daly, 13 Richard Pyne, 14 Gary Lynch, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Luke Mullen, 17 Jonathan Stevenson, 18 Sean Egan, 19 Lorcan Byrne, 20 Meng Jan Lim, 21 Caglar Tuc, 22 Jack O'Neill.

Scorers. Tries: Conor Whelan, Andrew Gibbons, Max Grace (2), Meng Jan Lim, Rian Cassidy, Gary Lynch, Eric Dunne. Conversions: Kejan Lim (4), Meng Jan Lim (2).

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Jonathan Stevenson, 2 Andrew Gibbons, 3 Luke Mullen, 4 Matthew Kennedy, 5 Max Grace, 6 Alex Gunning, 7 Lochlainn McDonnell, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Meng Jan Lim, 11 Eric Dunne, 12 Cody Dwyer, 13 Ryann Reilly, 14 Gary Lynch, 15 James Walsh.

Replacements: 16 Conor Whelan, 17 Aleksandar Grseta, 18 Kyle Corrigan Dromgoole, 19 James Hynes, 20 Gary Masterson, 21 Jack O'Neill, 22 Caglar Tuc.

Scorers. Tries: Kyle Corrigan Dromgoole, Jack O'Neill, Andrew Gibbons, Max Grace, Meng Jan Lim.

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Luke Mullen, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Andrew Gibbons, 4 Gareth Lloyd, 5 Matthew Kennedy, 6 Gary Masterson, 7 James Walsh, 8 Lochlainn McDonnell, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Kejan Lim, 11 Caglar Tuc, 12 Thomas O'Neill, 13 Aidan Boyle, 14 Max Cojocari, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Kyle Corrigan Dromgoole, 17 David Browne, 18 Andre Christie, 19 Conor Whelan, 20 James Collery, 21 Denis Daly, 22 Eric Dunne.

Scorers. Tries: Matthew Kennedy, Conor Quinn. Conversions: Kejan Lim (2). Penalties: Kejan Lim (2).

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Conor Whelan, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Andrew Gibbons, 4 David Dixon, 5 Max Grace, 6 Alex Gunning, 7 Matthew Kennedy, 8 Colum Dillon, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Kejan Lim, 11 Cody Dwyer, 12 Jack O'Neill, 13 James O'Reilly, 14 Max Cojocari, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Eoin Silke, 17 Jonathan Stevenson, 18 Luke Mullen, 19 James Hynes, 20 Barry Norman, 21 Chris O'Connor, 22 Caglar Tuc.

Scorers. Tries: James O'Reilly. Penalties: Kejan Lim (2).

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Luke Mullen, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Andrew Gibbons, 4 Matthew Kennedy, 5 David Dixon, 6 Alex Gunning, 7 Colum Dillon, 8 David Balfour, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Dan McManus, 11 Max Cojocari, 12 Jack O'Neill, 13 Cody Dwyer, 14 Caglar Tuc, 15 James Walsh.

Replacements: 16 Conor Whelan, 17 Aleksandar Grseta, 18 Richard Fagan, 19 Eoin Nolan, 20 Richard Pyne, 21 James O'Reilly, 22 Chris O'Connor.

Scorers. Tries: Conor Quinn (2), Richard Fagan, Matthew Kennedy (3), Max Cojocari. Conversions: Dan McManus (5). Penalties: Dan McManus.

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Conor Whelan, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Luke Mullen, 4 David Dixon, 5 Max Grace, 6 Andrew Gibbons, 7 Alex Gunning, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Gary Lynch, 11 Matt Coughlan, 12 Robert Dunleavy, 13 James Hynes, 14 Chris O'Connor, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Eoin Nolan, 17 Liam Kennelly, 18 Jonathan Stevenson, 19 Andre Christie, 20 Richard Fagan, 21 Cody Dwyer, 22 Barry Norman.

Scorers. Tries: Conor Quinn, Conor Whelan, Max Grace. Conversions: Conor Quinn.

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Andrew Gibbons, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Luke Mullen, 4 David Dixon, 5 Max Grace, 6 Alex Gunning, 7 James Hynes, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Dan McManus, 11 Matt Coughlan, 12 Robert Dunleavy, 13 Jack O'Neill, 14 Max Cojocari, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Aleksandar Grseta, 17 Jonathan Stevenson, 18 Eoin Nolan, 19 Conor Whelan, 20 Chris O'Connor, 21 Caglar Tuc, 22 Eric Dunne.

Scorers. Tries: Matt Coughlan, Conor Whelan, Robert Dunleavy (2), Jack O'Neill, Conor Quinn (2), James Casey, Alex Gunning. Conversions: Dan McManus (5).

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Luke Mullen, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 David Browne, 4 Richard Fagan, 5 Max Grace, 6 Andrew Gibbons, 7 Gary Masterson, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Dan McManus, 11 Matt Coughlan, 12 James O'Reilly, 13 Rian Cassidy, 14 Eric Dunne, 15 Max Cojocari.

Replacements: 16 Aleksandar Grseta, 17 Kyle Corrigan Dromgoole, 18 Cody Dwyer, 19 Michael O'Malley, 20 Chris O'Connor, 21 Caglar Tuc, 22 Robert Dunleavy.

Scorers. Tries: James O'Reilly, Matt Coughlan, Luke Mullen, Max Cojocari, Caglar Tuc. Conversions: Dan McManus (4). Penalties: Dan McManus.

From the club stats workbook (Statistics & Score details Season 2021-2022, J4 XV sheet).

St. Mary's: 1 Andrew Gibbons, 2 Aaron Doherty, 3 Luke Mullen, 4 Max Grace, 5 Richard Fagan, 6 Alex Gunning, 7 Matthew Kennedy, 8 James Casey, 9 Conor Quinn, 10 Dan McManus, 11 Matt Coughlan, 12 Robert Dunleavy, 13 Jack O'Neill, 14 Eric Dunne, 15 Rian Cassidy.

Replacements: 16 Cody Dwyer, 17 Conor Whelan, 18 Gary Masterson, 19 David Browne, 20 Max Cojocari, 21 Chris O'Connor, 22 Caglar Tuc.

From the Leinster Rugby team sheet.

Source: J4-J5 Reunion Day Booklet 13Nov21.

Our Junior 3 and 4 teams are being looked after by a serious management team for the season 2021/22.

Firstly, we are lucky to have Jamie Thompson as our Covid Officer. Seamie as he is known to us, is the man from Jersey with Tipperary connections. He is a welcome member of our management team. Since we first started back to training, Seamie has made sure the coaches and players have kept to the Covid Rules. Everyone who trains or plays has to have filled out a Covid tracking form which Seamie checks for every occasion. He can always be seen in the club wearing shorts and flip flops, even in mid-winter. He is always there to help out when he can and is a valued member of the club.

Next, we have Colm Kavanagh, Collie as we know him has been involved in Junior Rugby for the past couple of years. As bagman, manager, coach, physio and guru. Collie has many layers and is so loyal to the Junior players. He is well known to be at away grounds hours before the team turn up, to have the dressing rooms laid out with every jersey hanging in numerical order.

Collie suffers from insomnia, so only 3 more sleeps to Christmas Collie.

Then we have Stephen Conboy. The J3 manager, Stephen does a lot of behind the scenes stuff, he will have all the gear ready before the lads go training. Also on match days he will have the jerseys ready, water bottles cleaned and full. Team sheets ready for the opposition and referees. Another thing the management team do is clean up after the players when the game is over. Putting the dirty jerseys away and ready for the cleaners. Putting the balls, bibs, water bottles, tackling bags back into the container. Sweeping out the dressing rooms so we leave them as we found them. Respecting the grounds man and the oppositions clubhouse. We also try to get our lads to go into the clubhouse either home or away to have a drink with the opposition where we can. This keeps the junior rugby ethos alive.

We also have Rob Dunleavy who prepares the team sheets for the J4s on match days as well as being a voice for the J4 players at selection. Rob has played very well for us on a couple occasions but is suffering from a back complaint that we hope will mend itself over the coming season.

Our back coaches this year are Dan McManus and Ryan Barnes. Dan is our current J3 player coach. His passion for the game is second to none. His northern accent is beginning to soften as the season progresses. His knowledge of coaching still surprises the lads as he comes up with new drills every week. He is a kicking out half, very good out of the hand but from place kicks he hasn’t set the world alight yet. He will get better along with all the players as we get more game time. The Division 5 League is a tough one, as we wait for our first victory which will happen sooner than later. Every week we have new players from the J2s joining us and it will take a few games before we click.

Then Ryan Barnes our South African backs coach is a passionate coach. His pre match warm ups have the lads purring before the games start. He has done all the Leinster Coaching courses and is well prepared for our training sessions. Ryan has recent Junior Rugby medals in his pocket and knows what it takes to be a winner.

We also have Calgar Tuc, aka Saban or Charlo. He is on the management team but is spending more time playing on the wing in recent matches. After a fine try scored against Tallaght it will be very hard for him to stop playing. He oozes passion and can be heard roaring on the team from the sidelines.

Then you have me, a forwards coach who loves Junior Rugby. I was asked by Mossy, then easily persuaded by Collie to come back to the J3/4s for the up coming season. Having coached most of the lads previously I knew that this was where I was at home. It is in my DNA. Every season the J3/4s have new players that have to be moulded into better players and that’s my job.

Having been in the club for decades and having been honoured to be President of this fabulous club, junior rugby still ticks all the boxes. The excitement of match days, being the underdog and taking a big scalp. Seeing a team coming together and playing some of the most free playing rugby of any level is a joy to behold.

Going to other clubs that I was never in before is still exciting and new. Seeing players improve dramatically over the season and winning is a great reward for the time that we put into Junior Rugby. Seeing the smiles on the older lads when the younger lads do something special. Mixing lads from 18 year olds with lads in the 40s bringing experiences they never experienced before. All this and more is what makes Junior rugby special.

Last but not least is Mossy, our Director of Junior Rugby, and also our Hon match fixture secretary, it is with great thanks to you Mossy for all that you do and for organising this Junior Rugby Reunion Day so that past and current players, coaches and managers can celebrate Junior Rugby in all its forms.

Mick Flats, Coach J3/J4

Source: Centre 26 March 2022 - J4 Final.

Our J3 and J4 squads have helped each other all season. It is great to see each team supporting the other. Lads making themselves available to play for either team sometimes doubling up on a weekend. We know that there are so many distractions, and you could be doing something else that is easy. Guys are studying, working, have lectures, have girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, family matters, children and so much more to distract them. But when we are together, fighting for the same cause, supporting each other, doing our best for each other, there is no better feeling than giving your all and getting a win. Sharing the joy afterwards, have the beaming smiles that rugby can give you. Representing your club your friends, family and community and finally knowing that all the blood, sweat and tears that you have spilt have paid off. Want it, do it, win it and then celebrate with each other, as finals don’t come around that often.

Michael O’Flaherty (Mick Flats)

Source: Centre 26 March 2022 - J4 Final.

Best of luck to captain Aaron Doherty, head coach Mick Flats and the rest of the coaching/management team and players today. You have put in a great effort all season to reach the final. It’s a tough ask to get a final, yet alone get home advantage for it. That is a great achievement in itself, however not the job done! Remember the double final defeats in both league and cup in 2019 and use that feeling to help you get over the line today. We are all behind you today and know you can do it.

Mossy Davin

Source: Centre 26 March 2022 - J4 Final.

1 Conor Quinn 10 0 10 2 Andrew Gibbons 9 1 10 3 Aaron Doherty 9 0 9 4 Conor Whelan 3 6 9 5 Caglar Tuc 3 6 9 6 Max Grace 8 0 8 7 Luke Mullen 6 2 8 8 James Casey 7 0 7 9 Rian Cassidy 7 0 7 10 Alex Gunning 6 1 7 11 Cody Dwyer 5 2 7 12 Chris O'Connor 1 6 7 13 Max Cojocari 6 0 6 14 Gary Masterson 5 1 6 15 Jonathan Stevenson 1 5 6 16 Kejan Lim 5 0 5 17 Matthew Kennedy 5 0 5 18 David Dixon 4 1 5 19 Jack O'Neill 3 2 5 20 Eric Dunne 3 2 5 21 James Hynes 2 3 5 22 Aleksandar Grseta 0 5 5 23 Colum Dillon 4 0 4 24 Gary Lynch 4 0 4 25 Dan McManus 4 0 4 26 Richard Fagan 1 3 4 27 James Walsh 3 0 3 28 Matt Coughlan 3 0 3 29 Robert Dunleavy 2 1 3 30 Lochlainn McDonnell 2 1 3 31 David Browne 2 1 3 32 James O'Reilly 2 1 3 33 Eoin Nolan 0 3 3 34 Kyle Corrigan Dromgoole 0 3 3 35 David Balfour 2 0 2 36 Gareth Lloyd 2 0 2 37 Thomas O'Neill 2 0 2 38 Denis Daly 1 1 2 39 Liam Kennelly 1 1 2 40 Meng Jan Lim 1 1 2 41 Richard Pyne 1 1 2 42 Michael O'Maley 1 1 2 43 Andre Christie 0 2 2 44 Barry Norman 0 2 2 45 Aidan Boyle 1 0 1 46 Michael Daly 1 0 1 47 Ryann Reilly 1 0 1 48 David McGill 1 0 1 49 Eoin Silke 0 1 1 50 James Collery 0 1 1 51 Lorcan Byrne 0 1 1 52 Owen Lloyd 0 1 1 53 Sean Egan 0 1 1

Source: Centre 26 March 2022 - J4 Final.

1 Kejan Lim 20 18 12 50 2 Conor Quinn 35 4 0 39 3 Dan McManus 0 32 6 38 4 Matthew Kennedy 30 0 0 30 5 Andrew Gibbons 20 0 0 20 6 Max Grace 20 0 0 20 7 Conor Whelan 15 0 0 15 8 Gary Lynch 15 0 0 15 9 Meng Jan Lim 10 4 0 14 10 Caglar Tuc 10 0 0 10 11 Alex Gunning 10 0 0 10 12 Rian Cassidy 10 0 0 10 13 Max Cojocari 10 0 0 10 14 Cody Dwyer 10 0 0 10 15 Jack O'Neill 10 0 0 10 16 Robert Dunleavy 10 0 0 10 17 Matt Coughlan 10 0 0 10 18 James O'Reilly 10 0 0 10 19 Luke Mullen 5 0 0 5 20 James Casey 5 0 0 5 21 Chris O'Connor 5 0 0 5 22 Eric Dunne 5 0 0 5 23 Richard Fagan 5 0 0 5 24 Denis Daly 5 0 0 5 25 Kyle Corrigan Dromgoole 5 0 0 5 26 David McGill 5 0 0 5