It was a very damp and wet day at Portadown Rugby Club; perfect conditions for a hard-hitting football match as the Craigavon Cowboys (1-3) hosted the Dublin Rebels (4-0) in what would prove to be a close contest. This was a battle from start to finish, and one that could have gone either way.
The opening exchanges were dominated by heavy run plays by both oppositions, with the passing game succumbing to the typical Irish weather. The first half saw each team grind to make yards, but with both offences struggling, the ball was turned over on multiple occasions as fumbles and penalties began to halt any forward momentum.
With the constant turnover of possession, it was going to take a moment of skill to break the deadlock; up step Simon Mackey. One of the leading rushers so far this year, once Mackey came into the game the Rebels offence suddenly looked much more threatening. In the 2nd quarter, Rebels converted on 4th down to set up 1st and goal, which led to Mackey rushing in the first of his three touchdowns of the day, however they failed with the 2pt conversion. This only sparked the Cowboys into life however and as the first half drew to a close, Craigavon were unlucky not to convert themselves when they pinned the Rebels back within their own 10 yard line, but the Dubliners defence stood firm. Rebels led 6-0 at the interval.
The second half began very much like the first, with penalties once again damaging any effort from an offensive perspective. It was beginning to get cagey, both defences doing an excellent job in preventing any forward progression and it looked as if it would come down to whose defensive grip broke first. However, as we entered the 4th quarter, a huge drive by the Rebels gave them excellent field position inside the Cowboys 20, and after some strong patience by the offence, Mackey once again ran in from a yard out to grab his 2nd touchdown of the game. The Rebels extended their lead to 12-0 after the failed 2pt conversion.
It would be easy to say that this was a game of inches, as not to be outdone, the Cowboys fought back and their efforts were rewarded as Quarterback, Conor Fearon scrambled in from the goal line to close the gap to within 6 points. Although they failed with the extra points attempt, it was game on again! The Cowboys battled hard to find the breakthrough they needed to tie the game, but their efforts were duly undone as Mackey rounded off the scoring by rushing in his third of the day from 22 yards out. Again, the 2pt conversion failed as the score finished 18-6 to the Dubliners.
Despite not playing their best football, The Rebels continue to win. They are able to grind out victories and their positive results see them sit top of the North Conference momentarily, having played an extra game over the Trojans. Meanwhile, the Cowboys now go to (1-4) for the season, as their good form in big games is yet to reward them. However, the season could still end positively for the ‘Boys’ as with games against the Knights and Dragons still to come, there is still an outside chance the Cowboys could steal the last Wildcard spot.
This article has been syndicated from Double Coverage and any opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of IAFA. Any references to non-IAFA websites are provided for convenience only and do not in any manner serve as an endorsement of those websites.