Munster Junior 1 League – Round 11
Sundays Well 12 – Thurles 20
Thurles produced one of their most complete performances of the season to claim a vital away win over Sundays Well last Sunday, keeping their survival hopes alive in Round 11 of the Munster Junior 1 League. Sitting second from bottom before kick-off, this was a must-win fixture — and Thurles rose to the challenge.
Playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the opening half, Thurles started brightly. After weathering early pressure from the home side, they worked their way into the Well red zone through disciplined phase play. The pressure told after 11 minutes when Jock Fogarty powered over from close range. James Maher added the conversion to give Thurles a 7–0 lead.
The visitors continued to dictate territory and were rewarded again on 19 minutes. Patient approach work forced a penalty directly in front of the posts, and Fionn Fogarty made no mistake to extend the lead to 10–0.
Sundays Well responded midway through the half, crossing for a try on 25 minutes to reduce the deficit to 10–5. However, Thurles finished the half strongly. After a series of punishing carries close to the line by the tireless Thurles pack, James Maher cleverly reversed the ball to Sonny Dwyer, who crashed over near the posts on 32 minutes. The conversion attempt was unfortunate — the ball fell from the tee, forcing Fogarty into a rushed drop-kick that struck the post — but Thurles carried a deserved 15–5 advantage into the break.
The opening 20 minutes of the second half were dominated territorially by Sundays Well. Playing into the breeze, Thurles struggled to exit their own half, but their defensive resolve was immense. Crucial turnovers, last-ditch tackles and excellent scramble defence prevented the home side from narrowing the gap.
Substitutes Ciaran Murphy, Mark Cummins and Stephen Shaw injected fresh energy as the contest wore on, and Thurles struck the decisive blow on 78 minutes. Jason Theron showed sharp awareness to pounce on a loose ball at a Well ruck on halfway. After making strong ground, he offloaded brilliantly to Sam Quinlan who sprinted 40 yards and was hauled down inches short of the line. Thurles recycled quickly, and from the next phase Fionn Fogarty spread the ball wide for Eoghan O’Dwyer to finish superbly from 10 yards. The conversion was missed, but Thurles had pushed20–5 ahead and effectively sealed the game.
Further replacements — Donnacha Ryan, Dan Lanigan Ryan and Eddie O’Gorman — helped see out nearly 14 minutes of added time. Although Sundays Well grabbed a late consolation try closing the scoreline to 20 -12, Thurles had the final opportunity, coming agonisingly close to a bonus-point score after a sweeping move saw them almost score in the corner before a knock-on ended proceedings.
This was a superb team performance, built on defensive grit and clinical finishing. Another massive challenge awaits next weekend as newly crowned league champions Kilfeacle travel to Thurles.
Sundays Well 12 – Thurles 20
Thurles produced one of their most complete performances of the season to claim a vital away win over Sundays Well last Sunday, keeping their survival hopes alive in Round 11 of the Munster Junior 1 League. Sitting second from bottom before kick-off, this was a must-win fixture — and Thurles rose to the challenge.
Playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the opening half, Thurles started brightly. After weathering early pressure from the home side, they worked their way into the Well red zone through disciplined phase play. The pressure told after 11 minutes when Jock Fogarty powered over from close range. James Maher added the conversion to give Thurles a 7–0 lead.
The visitors continued to dictate territory and were rewarded again on 19 minutes. Patient approach work forced a penalty directly in front of the posts, and Fionn Fogarty made no mistake to extend the lead to 10–0.
Sundays Well responded midway through the half, crossing for a try on 25 minutes to reduce the deficit to 10–5. However, Thurles finished the half strongly. After a series of punishing carries close to the line by the tireless Thurles pack, James Maher cleverly reversed the ball to Sonny Dwyer, who crashed over near the posts on 32 minutes. The conversion attempt was unfortunate — the ball fell from the tee, forcing Fogarty into a rushed drop-kick that struck the post — but Thurles carried a deserved 15–5 advantage into the break.
The opening 20 minutes of the second half were dominated territorially by Sundays Well. Playing into the breeze, Thurles struggled to exit their own half, but their defensive resolve was immense. Crucial turnovers, last-ditch tackles and excellent scramble defence prevented the home side from narrowing the gap.
Substitutes Ciaran Murphy, Mark Cummins and Stephen Shaw injected fresh energy as the contest wore on, and Thurles struck the decisive blow on 78 minutes. Jason Theron showed sharp awareness to pounce on a loose ball at a Well ruck on halfway. After making strong ground, he offloaded brilliantly to Sam Quinlan who sprinted 40 yards and was hauled down inches short of the line. Thurles recycled quickly, and from the next phase Fionn Fogarty spread the ball wide for Eoghan O’Dwyer to finish superbly from 10 yards. The conversion was missed, but Thurles had pushed20–5 ahead and effectively sealed the game.
Further replacements — Donnacha Ryan, Dan Lanigan Ryan and Eddie O’Gorman — helped see out nearly 14 minutes of added time. Although Sundays Well grabbed a late consolation try closing the scoreline to 20 -12, Thurles had the final opportunity, coming agonisingly close to a bonus-point score after a sweeping move saw them almost score in the corner before a knock-on ended proceedings.
This was a superb team performance, built on defensive grit and clinical finishing. Another massive challenge awaits next weekend as newly crowned league champions Kilfeacle travel to Thurles.
Ger McCormack, Shane Nugent, John Shaw, Colin Nolan,Jason Theron, Peter Kinane, Jock Fogarty, Sam Quinlan, James Maher, Fionn Fogarty, Sean McGrath, Sonny Dwyer, Eoghan Dwyer, Seamie Holohan, Paddy McGrath.
Subs: Stephen Shaw(for James Maher), James Butler(Ger McCormack), Ciaran Murphy (for Shane Nugent), Donnacha Ryan(for Peter Kinane), Dan Lanigan Ryan (for John Shaw), Mark Cummins(for Jason Theron), Ciaran Murphy, Ed O’Gorman (Eoghan O’Dwyer), Dylan Shaughnessy.
