J5 XV v Emerald Warriors (H) 01.10.2016

St. Marys J5s v Emerald Warriors:

The J5s came into their home opener of the season looking to banish the memories of an away defeat on the opening day of the season while Emerald Warriors also looked to put a season opening loss behind them.

Having failed to score in their opening match of the season, Marys looked determined from the off to show that the season opener was nothing more than a minor blip, scoring early and often in the first half. Tries from Eric Dunne, James Collery and Andrew Manning opened up a healthy lead for the boys in blue after 10 minutes. The J5s controlled the game from this point on after the blistering start, out half Cal Grey leading from the front both in attack and defence. As the half progressed, Marys rarely found themselves out of their depth against a young and inexperienced Emerald Warriors side. A penalty proved to be the only reward for the Warriors possession in the first half.

A score of 25-3 at the break set Marys on the road to victory and as the second half began the boys in blue showed no sign of relenting. Pack leader Padraig Fox and lock James Casey carried strong and back row James Hynes competed strongly at the breakdown, all of which contributed to a plethora of tries from J5 captain Gary Masterson, Chris Kane and seconds for Eric Dunne and James Collery put the win beyond all doubt. Never to know when they are beaten, Emerald Warriors continued to pressure when they had possession and were rewarded for their efforts with their first try of the season.

A final score of 47-10 gave the J5s the home opener they wanted and puts them right back in the hunt for division 11 glory. Next for the J5s is a trip to Clontarf where they will look to stake a claim to this year’s league title.